There have been misconceptions that rowing can hurt the back because the nature of the forced backswing in rowing but the reality is that if you are getting hurt while rowing you are most likely doing it all wrong. Rowing helps strengthen the back and core in so many different ways.
At Roworx we have the high quality and quantity of highly trained fitness professionals with us. Over the last couple years we have had at least 5 different Olympic Rowers teach our indoor rowing classes at Powerhouse Fitness.
The humble jump rope has been a fantastic method of metabolic (CV) conditioning working for hundreds of years. It can easily be incorporated into to any workout to help tone muscles all over body while improving coordination which you will benefit from across your subsequent exercises. Not to be ignored in anyone’s routine, jumping can burn up to around 1000 calories per hour. This makes it a great workout if you are looking to undertake highly intensity interval training to lose weight, as the cardio is performed at such an intense level that your body will spend the rest of the day expending energy to recover from the ass-kicking you gave it. Jump rope is one of the most efficient workouts possible and I believe that once you get proficient in your technique in the gym you can be the most diverse CV workouts. When looking at adding jumping into your routine consider using it at the start of your warm up or as the main focus of a conditioning session, this is a great group exercise and it can be done both inside and outside of the gym as it’s both portable and affordable. It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner or a professional builder the rope can be taken on business trips, vacations and even to your gym. As soon as you hear the word jump rope you may quickly jump to the conclusion that it will be easy to master, however learning to jump correctly can take a little time however the key is to be patient and slow the movement down until you are comfortable with the fundamental mechanics. The next step is to start to increase the speed and keep as much weight on your toes as possible so you have a quick bouncy contact with the surface from which you do not need to jump too high. Remember that when getting started it’s vital that your jump rope should come up to your arm-pits when measured from the ground to guarantee it is the correct length to maximise the efficiency of your workout.
Here is a great 15 minute jump rope work out for any beginners want to get in to HIW :
Find a clear space in your home or gym and ensure you are positioned on a suitable surface. Once you have done this ensure you have a stopwatch or you are located near a clock so you can regularly check the time. Then begin
– To warm up jump the rope for 3 minutes, try to find a comfortable speed that helps you fine-tune your technique
– Rest for 30 seconds
– Now jump the rope as quickly as possible for60 seconds
– Then rest again for 30 seconds
– Jump Rope as quickly as possible for 60 seconds
– Rest for 30 seconds
– Then repeat this alternating pattern for 15 minutes.
When starting out remember that if you are finding the HIW work out to difficult you can increase and decrease the times of intense jumping. An example of this is if you are finding it too easy, increase the duration of your work out from 60 seconds to 90 seconds and/or shorten the rest periods to manipulate the intensity of the workout. Remember that the jump rope is a great starting place for beginners when looking to undertake a HIW, once you have mastered the jump rope try move on to more difficult gym equipment to help you get a varied and mixed workout. If you hate 60 minute’s runs then remember that jumping rope is a great alternative and it doesn’t require you to run around the block for miles or kill yourself on the treadmill. Give this interval style workout a try 2-3 times per week and your fitness will go through the roof while you shed that unwanted weight.
Make sure that along with any workout such as the Jump rope that nutrition plays a huge part in overall fitness goals! These days people are always looking for the easy way out and once things get tough they usually quit or move in another direction in life. An individual will not really get anywhere unless they become established and put the time in to get things done. If you keep changing things throughout your life with fitness and nutrition and not sticking to the program it will be very difficult to accomplish your goals. As we move 6 months into 2012 ask yourself how your new year’s resolutions are going if you have really stuck to them or not. It’s never too late to get the right nutrition and fitness plan started.
Contact me HERE for any questions about how to Jumprope AND ‘Jumpstart’ your nutrition and training plans! If you have any questions regarding personal training, one-on-one rowing help, or Ironman Triathlon Training you can reach me here and we can work on a training plan together.
While teaching indoor cycling classes over the past 10 years I have come to the conclusion that the beats and character of the music that an instructor plays in class is the single most important part of a cycling session. Without the beat I am lost and so are the members in class. The beats of the music will allow you to coach a rhythm that will ultimately design the ride throughout the hour-long class. A fast beat will take you into a sprint while a slower beat might have you into a seated and/or standing hill climb. I’m often asked how I find the music for all of my cycling classes. Ever since I traveled to Nice, France to compete in the 2008 Ironman I found myself falling in love with dance music and house music. This type of music combined with lyrics is the new way people are listening to music. In the United States it is becoming the hottest phenomenon ever since hip hop hit the stage more than 20 years ago. I love music and cycling so 
much that I never find it to be a chore when searching for new ways to guide my members in class with new sounds and beats. In any given day I will go to Radio Metro (Australian House Music Online Station) and put on my headphones and just listen to the beats and pick up what I like to play. Music set play-lists that some world class DJ’s around the world have mixed together can also be a great way to keep your class going and make the hour long class seem like it’s flying by. However, make sure that you are taking some rest throughout the play-lists because it’s easy to get caught up and burn out when your only 20 minutes into the ride. I like 3-5 minute songs because it offers the best workout to rest ratio in between songs. Either way you will get the most energy out of your members while playing very high energetic electronic big room house music! If you don’t believe me then check out the latest news in Forbes Magazine this past month about the rise of house music as well as one of my favorite DJ’s and the #1 DJ in America right now: Kaskade!
Start Your Own Evo Indoor Cycling Studio
Have you thought about opening your own Indoor Cycling Studio? The Relay Fitness Group and Jack Nunn can help. Even if you already own a cycling, yoga, and or fitness studio we have the resources to better streamline your business while reducing costs and building class sizes at the same time! Relay Fitness has proven solutions and a quality brand with the Evo Indoor Cycling Bike that will simply improve your profit without all the maintenance of traditional indoor bikes. If you’ve instructed a cycling class for any amount of time, you’ve probably run into a situation where one of your indoor cycles was out of commission due to a faulty component. If your class is full, that missing bike means one less person enjoying your killer indoor cycling session!
Two years ago when I created Roworx in Long Beach it was my dream to offer a complete low impact high-calorie burn workout for everyone to enjoy no matter what experience an individual had in athletics. Recently I have had many new calls and emails regarding how ‘easy’ or ‘hard’ certain Roworx Classes were and what kinds of classes I thought would be best for people just starting out their new workout routine. Throughout my 20 years of experience as an athlete and rower I have found that nearly half of the general public I come in contact with and talk about my sport think that rowing is relatively ‘easy’ and discuss the perception that rowing is a total upper body workout. However, in reality, the power behind the rowing stroke is driven through your legs (about %80) and then the rest throughout the entire body. Rowing is actually one of the hardest, if not the hardest cardiovascular demanding sport that you can do on the planet. For instance, the standard Olympic distance for a rowing race is 2,000 meters (just over a mile). The standard U.S. Men’s Heavyweight Olympic Team time for rowing a 2,000 meter piece on the Concept 2 rowing machine is around 5 min :55 seconds (1:28 500 split avg or around 500 watts)! Out of all the Roworx Classes we have to offer such as Rowing, Bootcamp, Zumba, Evo Indoor Cycling, TRX Suspension Training, Pilates Arc Ab Exercises and the Ski Erg Training along with any other activity that you choose to do is as hard as you want to make it. es,Since you are the one that is participating in the activity it is also up to yourself to push as hard as you want. I always tell everyone in class at Roworx that if you can hold your body-weight in watts on the Concept 2 monitor then that is a great goal. Once you have hit your body-weight in watts you can then try and double your body-weight and so on.
Roworx In Long Beach Have Just Received 15 NEW EVO ix Indoor Cycling Bikes! Jump Into Your First FREE Class At The Roworx Studio/Warehouse In Long Beach With The First Ever EVO Indoor Cycling Program In The Nation! Listed Below Are The Top 5 Indoor Cycling Exercises That I Have Experienced To Be The Most Effective Exercises Throughout My 10 Year Cycling Instructor Career. The EVO Cycling Classes Are Already Adding To The Extremely Effective Value Of High-End Indoor Fitness Classes in Long Beach. Indoor Rowing, Bootcamp, Zumba, and TRX Classes Are Offered By Roworx In Order To Accomplish Your Fitness Goals Sooner! Follow These Exercises To Get The Most Out Of Your Indoor Cycling Workouts! I Highly Recommend the EVO Bike Because Of It’s Real-Time Cycling Feel And Low Maintenance Costs For Fitness Club Owners.
Evo Fitness Bike at IHRSA 2012
On February 23, 2012 (Costa Mesa, CA) – IHRSA, the International Health, Racquet & Sports Club Association, was holding an expo and trade show in Downtown Los Angeles on March 14-17, 2012. Relay Fitness Systems is one of three hundred exhibitors that will be on hand displaying and demonstrating the latest commercial fitness gear, including the commercial Evo Fitness Bike cx and mx models. “This will be the first opportunity for the public to see the brand new commercial versions of the Evo Fitness Bike,” stated Marko Vujicic, CEO of the Relay Fitness Group and former designer/ employee at Star Trac which produces the well-known popular Spinner bikes. Marco asked me, Jack Nunn, to head the EVO Fitness Indoor Cycle Program in order to show everyone that you don’t just have to be a cyclist to enjoy the positive effects of indoor cycling fitness.
The Kenai Crewsers Rowing Club / Roworx Team ‘IDITAROW’ 2012 to begin Sunday March 4
Participants in the 2012 Iditarow will row on an erg (that’s an indoor rowing machine) in an attempt to cover the 1112 miles to Nome before the winning Iditarod dog team crosses the finish line. Hosted at the REZ, the Iditarow is a fundraiser for the Kenai Crewsers Rowing Club, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Participants in the Roworx 2012 ‘Iditarow’ will row on an erg in an attempt to cover the 1112 miles to Nome, Alaska before the winning Iditarod dog team crosses the finish line. This challenge is FREE and not part of Concept 2 however we will use the Concept 2 website in order to track your meters online and it will be hosted at the Roworx Warehouse And Boathouse locations. Roworx This Year Raised Money For The Kenai Crewsers Rowing Club And Donated A Check Of $140 To The Organization. We Look Forward To Participate Again With More Organized Teams Within The Roworx Affiliation And Have More Rowers Participate To Raise Even More Money!
Rules: Each team member will be allowed to row up to 60 minutes or the equivalent of 1 rowing class per day during the ‘Iditarow.’ Each rower must take two mandatory days of rest or we will drop the lowest amount of meters from your totals at the end of the challenge if you decide to row everyday.
Row Hard And Have Fun!
Contact Jack Nunn at Powerhousefit@gmail.com with any questions about the 2012 ‘Iditarow.’
Roworx welcomes everyone to the challenge as long as you have a Concept 2 logbook online in order to track your meters from class and or workouts everyday. Right now Roworx has 34 active members online. Be sure to create a free logbook at www.concept2.com and affiliate yourself through Roworx in the health club division. Roworx will convert meters rowed to miles and track our daily progress against the leading Iditarod dog team. The “Iditarow” begins on Sunday, March 4th and will end when the first team (human or dog) crosses the finish line at Nome.
Prizes and or awards will be given to the following categories:
*Top Male Dawg
*Top Female Dawg
*Most Determined Dawg
*Most Inspirational Dawg
*Best Technique Dawg
*Sportsmanship Dawg
*Most Improved Dawg
*Most Competitive Dawg
*Best Team Dawg Players
Since we row in beautiful Long Beach, Ca. I wanted you to all watch something I’ve found on the Internet and remind you that things could always be more challenging and interesting while rowing under extremely cold conditions 🙂 Very Funny!!!
Build strength and endurance with the NEW ski ergometer and training tool from Concept2.
An ergometer (or “erg”) is a device that measures work. That’s what sets the Concept2 SkiErg apart from other training devices: it allows you to accurately assess your output, monitor your progress, and compare your scores with others using the Concept2 Performance Monitor. It’s the same monitor that has been helping rowers train for many years: