You’ll have probably heard of the Warwick Rowers calendar, but Warwick Rowing Club is more than just stripping off for charity. Club captain Francesca Reed explains why you should do a sport that is high intensity but also highly rewarding…

It’s a rewarding team sport and a fantastic way to make friends

Collaborative training on and off the water enables you to quickly form friendships with members of the rowing club – it goes without saying ‘The crew that rows together, sticks together’.

It’s a great way to stay fit and work on strength, flexibility and muscle building

Using nine major muscle groups, rowing is a great calorie burner (800kcals an hour) which is more than the majority of other sporting activities. It gives a total body workout – you use 10% of your arms, 30% core and 60% legs, making it one of the most efficient forms of weight management.

Image: Facebook/Warwick Rowing

You can rapidly improve your skills and participate competitively

For many of us joining this sport, it is the first time in a rowing boat, let alone using a rowing machine, which only adds to the fun as anyone can give it a go. It gives personal satisfaction as you make enormous progress and this leads to the enjoyment of regular outings, competitions and regattas nationally and internationally throughout the year.

To de-stress, relax and unwind

It’s healthy to focus your mind on something that you enjoy outside the demands of your studies. Rowing allows you to put your stresses aside and unwind from it all. Lightly paddling along the River Avon, you can enjoy the tranquility of Barford’s country life, allowing you to focus on your technique and position in the boat. There’s simply nothing better.

It’s a sport that develops your life skills

Whilst rowing cultivates a range of invaluable life lessons including integrity, time management, teamwork, it also allows you to truly push your limits. Ergs (static rowing machines) test your fitness over 2km and 5km distances, providing accurate representations of your conditioning and a measure of progress against performance goals. They’re tough but at the same time they indirectly motivate you. That feeling of beating your PB is just immense.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/warwickrowing/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/warwickrowing