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GB
Exercising with the KETTLER COACH
The KETTLER COACH rowing machine provides all of the advan tages of
“real life” rowing without the trouble or expense of “taking to the water”.
Rowing is a sport that improves not only the performance of the cardio-
vascular system, but also improves stamina and endurance. The
following
points should be observed before commencing a course of training:
Important
Before commencing a course of training, have your family doctor check that
you are fit enough to exercise with the COACH. The result of the medical
check-up should be used as a basis for planning the exercise programme.
The following directions are only to be recommended to healthy persons.
The advantages of rowing
As mentioned above, rowing is an excellent way to increase the efficiency
of the cardio-vascular system. It also improves the ability to absorb oxy-
gen. In addition, rowing is also suitable for “burning off” fat by calling up
the fat reserves (in the form of fatty acids) to be transformed into energy.
Another important advantage of rowing lies in the strengthening of all of
the body’s important muscle groups, whereby the strengthening of the
back and shoulder muscles can be considered especially beneficial from
the orthopaedic point of view. The strengthening of the back muscles can
help prevent such orthopaedic problems as are encountered all too often
nowadays. Exercising with the KETTLER COACH is therefore a compre-
hensive way to exercise. It improves endurance and strength while at the
same time not putting the joints under stress.
Which muscles are called on
The movements in the rowing exercise call on all of the body’s muscle
groups. Although some are concentrated upon more than others. These
groups are shown in the lower illustration.
As can be seen in the illustration, rowing activates the upper and lower
body to the same extent. In the legs, rowing exercises the extensors (1),
the flexors (2) and the shin and calf muscles (5, 4). The movement of the
hips also calls on the seat (gluteus) muscles (3).
In the torso region, rowing calls primarily upon the latissimus (6) and the
erectors (8), but also on the trapezius (7), the deltoid (9) and the arm
extensor muscles (10).
The KETTLER COACH can also be used for other special exercises to
concentrate on further muscles groups. These are described in one of the
following sections.
GB
1
5
10
4
2
7
9
6
8
3
Planning and controlling your rowing
The basis for planning your course of exercise should be your actual state
of fitness. Your family doctor can put you through an endurance test to
determine your physical performance. The results of the test should be
used to plan your exercise programme. If you do not go through an en-
durance test, you should avoid excessive exercising stresses at all costs.
The following principle should be follow in your planning; endurance
training can be controlled as much by the extent of effort as by the level
of effort and the intensity.
Exercise intensity
The effort intensity when rowing can be determined by checking the pulse.
The intensity of the rowing exercises can be varied on the one hand by
altering the number of strokes per minute, and on the other by altering the
resistance of the tension device. The intensity increases both when the stro-
ke rate is increased, and when the resistance in the tension device is
increased.
Beginners should therefore avoid exercising at high stroke rates or at high
resistance levels. The optimum stroke rate and level of resistance should
be determined using the recommended pulse rate (see Pulse diagram),
which should be
checked three times during each session. Before starting,
check the resting
pulse, about 10 minutes into the session check the effort
pulse (which should be in the region of the recommended level), and after
finishing exercising, check the recovery pulse.
Regular exercising will soon show a reduction in both the rest and the
effort pulse rates. This can be taken as a sign for the positive effects of the
endurance training. The heart is beating more slowly and more time is
available for the heart to take in blood and for the blood to circulate
through the heart’s own muscles.
Extent of exercise
By extent of exercise, we refer to the length of the exercise sessions and
their frequency per week. Experts consider the following extent of exerci-
se to be especially effective:
Sessions per week Length of session
Daily 10 minutes
two or three times a week 20 -30 minutes
once or twice a week 30 -60 minutes
Exercise sessions of 20 -30minutes/30 -60 minutes are not suitable for the
beginner. The beginner should increase his/her extent of exercising only
gradually, with the first blocks being kept relatively short. Block exer cising
can be looked upon as a good variation at the beginning.
A typical beginner’s programme for the first 4 weeks could be something
like the following:
