Do you ROW?

This is a great article on rowing exercises. I do not have to say anything...just check it out.

COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT ROWING EXERCISES:
TRUNK MUSCLE ACTIVATION AND LUMBAR SPINE
MOTION, LOAD, AND STIFFNESS

CHAD M.J. FENWICK, STEPHEN H.M. BROWN, AND STUART M. MCGILL

ABSTRACT
Fenwick, CMJ, Brown, SHM, and McGill, SM. Comparison of
different rowing exercises: Trunk muscle activation and lumbar
spine motion, load and stiffness. J Strength Cond Res 23(5):
1408–1417, 2009—The objective of this study was to investigate
3 different rowing exercises and quantify the muscle
activation of the torso and the hip musculature, together with
the corresponding spinal loading and stiffness. Seven healthy
male subjects from a university population were instrumented
to obtain surface electromyography of selected trunk and hip
muscles and to obtain spine position using an electromagnetic
spine position sensor, together with video analysis to calculate
joint moments. The 3 rowing exercises investigated are the
inverted row, standing bent-over row, and the standing 1-armed
cable row. The inverted row elicited the highest activation of the
latissimus dorsi muscles, upper back, and hip extensor
muscles. The lower activation of the lumbar erector spinae
muscles during the inverted row corresponded to the lowerspine
load measured. The standing bent-over row produced
large activation symmetrically across the back but produced the
largest lumbar spine load. The 1-armed cable row challenged
the torsional capabilities of the trunk musculature. Some ‘‘core’’
exercises may be better for rehabilitation (e.g., having the
training goals of modest muscle activation with low spine load),
while other exercises may be better for athletic training (e.g.,
resulting in higher muscle activation and larger spine load).
When prescribing ‘‘core’’ exercises, those wishing to spare the
low back may choose the inverted row given the lowest spine
load exercise. The standing bent-over row elicited large muscle
activation symmetrically from the upper to lower back, however
induced larger spine loads, but not surprisingly the highest

spine stiffness. If torsional endurance or strength is the training
goal, the 1-armed cable row might be considered.

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