Category: Okategoriserade

Rowing, inherently, isn’t as accessible as other sports, but to say that it’s less gratifying than a another sport, is to speak a lie. A goal of ours is to develop all sectors of the rowing sport; those being Olympic, Recreational, Coastal, and Indoor rowing.

Our vision is both to provide the absolute rowing elite with the knowledge and equipment they require and to spread the sport we love.

Competitive rowing

Rowing is an old sport and has been a part of every Summer Olympics’ program since its debut in 1900. The kind of rowing you see in the Olympic Games is also the most common type of competitive rowing, performed in small, light boats. The sizes of the boats differ from 6,5 meter for the smallest single boats, up to almost 20 meters for the largest ones, holding 8 rowers and a coxswain.

The boats are typically very narrow, you almost sit “on top” of the shell, which is about 20 cm wide in the waterline. Currently, these boats are built to sustain the weight of the rowers and use extremely light material such as Carbon-fiber or Kevlar.

Recreational rowing

After retiring from racing and competing, many rowers become active in recreational rowing. Here they still have a chance to get the competitive experiences, only in a more relaxed environment. The world’s biggest rowing event, The Master Regatta, is held every year and allows teams to mix male and female participants, as well as people of different ages. It is very common to find rowers using our Recreational boats to participate at these events.

Since revealing the option to buy Recreational boats we’ve noticed a growing interest in recreational rowing because of its stability and minimal risk of falling into the water.
The boats used for recreational rowing are wider and more stable than those used for competitive rowing. At Rowshop we offer convenient rental programs, which allow you to try the sport without having to invest a lot of money.
This option is perfect for those looking for a scenic outdoors workout that conveniently makes the time fly by!

The boats used for recreational rowing are wider and more stable than those used for competitive rowing. At Rowshop we offer convenient rental programs, which allow you to give it a try without the pressure of buying it

People are looking for the all-round workout offered by rowing, or they want the wonderful outdoor experience, or both.

Coastal rowing

Coastal and offshore rowing is rapidly gaining rowers in their community. Countries that have a greater presence of ocean instead of lakes and rivers, often tend to row coastal instead of conventional.These boats are tough,strong, and durable. They are built to withstand whatever the ocean throws at it! With this boat’s design, the water that splashes into the boat exits with ease. Lastly, in this category you will find boats for one, two or four rowers.

Indoor Rowing

This is probably the most common way for people to get in touch with rowing. For the last 25 years we have seen an extraordinary growth in the use of rowing ergometers. The most popular of which, with more than 90% of the commercial market share, is the Concept 2 Indoor Rower.
This is a very efficient workout device that can be used by almost anyone; from young kids to competitive elite sportsmen. The resistance can be adjusted with ease to allow for a variety of exercise opportunities.

Indoor Rowing has become a sport of its own. For example, there are Indoor Rowing races taking place frequently. From 2018 and looking forward there is scheduled to be a World Championship in Indoor Rowing

To read more about the Concept 2 Indoor Rower and to buy or rent your own, continue to the Concept site.

As a quick overview, we have summarized the different options for the financing of our equipment:

Lease

Leasing is also a type of purchase, the difference being that you pay your product according to a financial plan. The purchase amount will be spread out over several months (usually between 12 and 84 months). After the leasing period is fulfilled, the customer is obliged to pay the residual value, usually 5-10% of the list price of the product. With a leasing plan, you can spread the financial pressure over a longer period of time, while still being able to use the product at its full value. The customer is in complete charge of the product and has full responsibility. However, he or she must fulfil all the payments agreed upon in the leasing contract as well as the residual value before attaining full ownership of the product. It is the customer’s responsibility to make sure the product is properly insured (this is available through Rowshop as well).
“With a leasing plan, you can spread the financial pressure over a longer period of time, while still being able to use the product at its full value.”

Rent

We see a rapid increase in interest for this financial solution. Renting one of our products means paying for it while you use it, without owning it. You sign up for a period of time, which can then basically keep going for as long as you want. If your product needs service or spare parts, this will be covered by the monthly rental fee.

“Different rental solutions are becoming an increasingly popular way of attaining your own equipment.”

We offer two kinds of rental programs: “Rent” or “Rent to buy”. Rent is purely a rental solution, once the agreed period is over, the equipment is returned and the rental cost disappears.

Rent to buy is an option which gives you the possibility to buy the rental object. You will always get a brand-new product when you start your rental period and you will have the option to purchase that same product at the end of the period. When you decide to do so, a part of your rental fee will be reimbursed and used to partly cover the purchase price. If in the end, you decide not to buy, that is not a problem. Simply return the equipment after the agreed rental period and the monthly payments will be terminated.

There is always beauty in putting the human body to perfect use; finding a rhythm and a flow, whilst making it look both simple and meant to be. This is perhaps appreciated most by those who know the number of hours you need to invest to succeed. Rowing is where we’ve spent those hours, sometimes wondering why, but always fascinated by the complexity of forces and the human body’s ability to overcome them.

“There is always beauty in finding a rhythm and a flow in the task ahead of you, making it look both simple and meant to be.”

The movement

Performed correctly, rowing is a full body workout. The fluid movement engages the bigger muscle groups in the body, and develops a strong cardiovascular base. In addition, rowing demands the heart to work hard — to supply fresh blood filled with oxygen to the muscles activated.
The rowing motion is intended to be a fluid, continuous movement, as if to complete each stroke without stop. The movement can be divided into a work phase, “the drive”, and one relaxation/preparation phase, known as the “the recovery”. The drive begins as soon as the oar’s blade is fully submerged beneath the water. This is where one would initiate pressure from the legs, and a relaxed grip from the arms. From this position, you push with your legs to get the boat moving. The idea is to let the blade get a good grip in the water, and then follow that by accelerating the motion of your oar handle. Another way to think of it is that the boat is moving around the fixed point were the blade is connected to the water.

“The rowing motion is supposed to be a fluid, continuous movement, completing each stroke without stop.”

Pushing or pulling?

One question popularly discussed is— during the drive, what are you actually doing? Is rowing a push or pull movement? In order to answer, the different stages of the drive need to be reviewed methodically. Study someone who does it right and you will find that compartmentalized within the drive, he or she will do both.

A skilled rower will push really hard with his/her legs during the initial phase of the drive. At this stage, one would hang on to the oar handle with straight arms, trying not to slip and lose their grip. Once the legs are straightening out, having done most of their pushing movement, it’s time for your hamstring, glutes, and back to kick in. The activation of these muscle groups will work to keep up the pressure on the blade for a while, before the conclusion of the stroke, where you start pulling with your arms.
This is where you activate your whole upper back including your arms, pulling the handle in towards your sternum and leaning backwards.

Relaxation/preparation

Once through the drive phase you need to get your oar out of the water in a smooth but determined motion, leaving the boat at its top speed with as little disturbance as possible. At the beginning of the “recovery”, you should find yourself hanging slightly backwards towards the stern and your abdominal muscles are fully engaged.
Firstly, it is important that the rower remains relaxed throughout his body, and then start by moving your arms away from your body, followed by a forward lean of your back, and smoothly compressing your legs in preparation for the next stroke.

Making it look easy

Anyone with the ability to control the different phases of the stroke will be rewarded with a boat that moves efficiently through the water. The hardest thing about the equation is being able to work with extremely high power for tenths of seconds and then suddenly switch off, to get as much relaxation as possible for a half a second before it’s time to switch to maximum power again. It is very evident that the more time a rower spends on getting it right, the more effortless it looks in the end.

“Anyone able to control the different phases of the stroke will be rewarded with a boat that moves efficiently through the water.”