SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio - This is a love story about a man and his machine. Specifically, me and my indoor rower.
I've always loved rowing, of course. Especially indoors. Along with running, cycling, and swimming, I've long ranked rowing among the best forms of exercise. Over the years, I've dedicated several columns to the subject, and once even rowed a 26.2-mile marathon.
Ever since I purchased my own rowing machine, however, a Concept2 Model D ergometer, everything has changed.
My passion for the sport has skyrocketed. From an exercise I used to engage in only intermittently, rowing has quickly soared to my second-favorite activity, my first choice when I can't or don't have the desire to run. At least half my usual drive to pound the pavement now gets applied to powering an imaginary boat on imaginary water.
The perks of this romance are remarkable. Indeed, there's nothing I can say here that doesn't make me sound like a salesman or paid actor in an advertisement. I've only had the machine a few weeks, but already, I've undergone changes the likes of which I've haven't experienced in a long time.
What I can say is this: thank you. Thank you to my wife for granting my huge Christmas wish and fulfilling my longtime dream of rowing at home (and ending my fruitless quest for a used Concept 2). Talk about starting the year off right.
It's the home part that's making all the difference. I know myself well enough to know that like most people, if a fitness activity isn't convenient, I'm probably not going to stick with it. For any form of exercise to endure as one of my chosen few, it must be readily accessible as well as beneficial.
No doubts about the benefits of rowing. Cardiovascular endurance. Core stability. Power to the legs, shoulders, and arms. Wicked caloric burn. You name it, rowing provides it.
Here's the thing, too. I don't hate it. Outdoor rowers loathe ergometers the way trail runners despise treadmills, but I actually find rowing on a machine enjoyable.
I love watching the computer track my progress and striving to improve, feeling gratified as harder efforts yield better numbers. So long as I've got a fan, water, and a movie player, I can be content rowing indoors for hours. I also love treadmills and my stationary bike trainer. I must be part hamster.
Here's my current, not terribly sophisticated routine. One day a week, I settle in for a long, steady row at medium effort, the equivalent of a long run. Several other days, I row 30 minutes hard, followed by 15 minutes easy. If possible, I round all this out with a concerted, short effort. Soon I aim to try out and write about "The Pete Plan," a structured regimen prescribed by a champion British rower.
Not that I need to change things up. What I'm doing now is working wonders. Since my rower arrived late last month, I've lost at least 10 pounds and seen subtle but real changes in my physique, especially in my upper body.
Meanwhile, as if to prove rowing is actually a leg-driven activity, my running has improved. I may be running fewer miles, but when I do get out, I'm speedier than I've been in years. That's a side effect I'll happily embrace.
I knew owning an ergometer would change my life. I knew it would bring me joy. I just had no idea how much. Me and my rower aren't just friends. We're a match made in heaven.