Rowing machines and running are both effective for strengthening muscles, building bone density and promoting cardiovascular health. However, the benefits of running may include different kinds of advantages and disadvantages, depending on whether you are running on a treadmill or open track. While running outside may offer more resistance for the upper body, running inside on a treadmill provides little room for shoulder and arm enhancement. Rowing machines target the upper body.
Benefits of Rowing Machines
Rowing machines provide a low-impact, comprehensive workout. They help tone and reduce fat deposits on the upper and lower body and increase heart rate to improve heart and lung function. Newer rowing machines simulate the effect of actually rowing a boat by employing water-filled flywheel tanks. Rowing machines are equipped with different resistance levels for increased intensity. Core muscles are especially targeted when rowing, along with chest and shoulder muscles. Because the majority of body parts are working hard while using a rowing machine, metabolism is greatly stimulated, which draws on energy burned as fat and calories.
Benefits of Running
Running also burns substantial fat while working the leg, thigh and hip muscles. Cardiovascular advantages include reduced blood pressure and increased lung capacity. For added resistance, advanced runners may attach ankle and wrist weights. Treadmill running, while extremely beneficial to your health, may prove more restrictive in moving the upper body, depending on the treadmill type.
Upper Body vs. Lower Body
Rowing machines provide more full-body exercise than running, since the shoulders, back and arms are involved in pulling and pushing the oars at various resistance levels. However, if someone is experiencing sore elbow or shoulder joints, running is the next best thing to rowing until the soreness subsides. In addition, physicians often recommend rowing machines for those needing low-impact rehabilitative exercises due to injured knee, hip or other joints that require smooth, even movements to facilitate healing.
Muscles and Joints
Exercising with a rowing machine provides the largest body muscles -- back, thighs, arms and abdominals -- with an effective workout. Rowing also works the joints, which promotes the production of synovial fluid, a lubricant that helps maintain joint health and flexibility. With running, you primarily work the lower body. Running also is harder on joints and may exacerbate certain medical conditions.
References
- “Journal of Applied Physiology”; Six Sessions of Sprint Interval Training Increases Muscle Oxidative Potential and Cycle Endurance Capacity in Humans; Kirsten A. Burgomaster, et al.; February 2005
- The Runners Guide: The Many Benefits of Running
- United States Sports Academy; A Pathfinder of Reference Sources for the Sport of Rowing; Dr. William F. Meehan III, Dr. Steven R. Murray
- Mayo Clinic: Fitness Training: Elements of a Well-Rounded Routine
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