If I can’t run (or don’t feel like it), the rowing machine is my cardio butt-kicker of choice.  Plus, I love it when a CrossFit WOD has rowing as one of the elements; I know I’ll have a chance of making up time lost on dead lifts, cleans, jerks and other such “more muscle, less hustle” maneuvers.

If you’re exclusively a runner, it’s a smart idea to mix up your cardio routine every once in a while. Take a break from running at least one or two days per week!  It’s beneficial to your overall fitness to use some new muscle groups in endurance training, it actually can make you faster . . . so, let me introduce the rower!  This mainstay of the gym is well worth your attention. A rowing workout gives you one of the best cardio workouts around, requiring effort from both your upper and lower body. I also feel it working my core! Plus, rowing doesn’t put as much impact on your joints which means you have higher odds of remaining injury-free.

So if your knees (or your mind) need a break from the daily pavement pounding, try out this rowing workout. It should take about 30 minutes, give or take. The three progressively challenging bursts of rowing for two kilometers each feature “active” breaks in between. Enjoy and row like the wind!

If you don’t have access to a rowing machine, but want to get some of the same muscle strengthening benefits, you can try this rowing band exercise at home.  I like to call it the “faux-row”!

Faux-Row Band Exercise

Step 1:  Lay out a mat, this exercise needs a little padding on the rear. Sit with your legs partially bent out in front of you.  Wrap a resistance band around each hand and stretch it around the balls of your feet, move legs out to create tension in band.

Step 2: (above) Drive backward, first with the legs, then lean back with the core, and finally follow through by pulling arms back to chest (like boat rowing) all while keeping back straight.

Step 3:  (above) While bracing your legs with the band, recover by bringing the arms forward first, followed by leaning the core up, and then bending the knees upward a little bit. Repeat steps 2 and 3 seamlessly for 20 – 40 combined reps. Aim for 3 to 6 sets.