1. A Great Way to Exercise
Rowing is a complete exercise that offers a full body workout for anyone looking to get into shape. It's not just a sport for the well-trained athlete. Your whole body gets a workout with rowing. Your legs get exercised because you initiate each row with your powerful leg muscles. Obviously your arms get a workout because they're the ones that pull the paddles. Your abdominal muscles help stabilize you as you sit, as do your chest and back. Rowing is low impact, so there's no jarring motion to hurt your knees or joints. It's a high calorie burner because it uses so many muscles, and it's also great for cardiovascular fitness.
2. Rowers Who Are the Best of the Best
Most rowers don't fit into this category, but some people consider rowing to be a serious sport. The best of the best in the rower world are known as the elite. It takes years of hard training to reach elite status like the most successful rower in the world, Sir Steve Redgrave. He was 38 when he won his fifth Olympic medal. Elite rowers compete in the World Rowing Championships that are held every year, while the Olympic rowing competition is held once every 4 years.
3. Adaptive Rowing
Adaptive rowing is the way rowers with a physical disability row. The term "adaptive" refers to how the equipment is adapted so that the user can perform the sport. It does not mean that the sport has been altered in any way to adapt to the user. On a professional level, adaptive rowing has 4 boat classes for different types of physical handicaps. Boats used in adaptive rowing are equipped with special seats that accommodate the disability of the rower. These seats are the only difference between adaptive rowing boats and able-bodied boats. The hulls are identical. The seats in all 4 classes are either sliding or fixed. Fixed seats can have complimentary or postural support for people with illnesses such as a spinal cord injury or cerebral palsy. These seats help support the upper body and keep it in a fixed position.
4. Coastal Rowing
Coastal rowing is not for the inexperienced or faint-hearted. It involves rowing out into the open sea. Even elite rowers only row in conditions with little wind, very flat water and no course deviations. Coastal rowing involves enormous waves and a varied course. This type of rowing is usually done in teams called crews. For safety reasons, every member of the crew needs to be able to swim at least 25 meters, know what to do in case of bad weathe and familiarize themselves with the course's topography.
5. Recreational Rowing
As the name implies, this type of rowing is for amateurs who do it simply for fun or fitness. Recreational rowing doesn't involve extensive training, and anyone who knows how to handle an oar can do it.
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