Zone 2 - Exercise of the week #3: Rowing

Which are the best Zone 2 exercises for you?  Well it depends on other factors.   If you are female and lean, you would also benefit from weight bearing for strengthening bones.  Swimming will not help bone strength.  Best Zone 2 for you, would be running, walking followed by perhaps elliptical.  But cycling, rowing and especially swimming are not going to help those bones which are more likely to lose strength in leaner individuals.

 

Often people tell me they can’t run, bike or even use the elliptical because of knee, hip or ankle problems.  Often issues these can be fixed with adjustments even when therapies have failed in the past.  In my experience, people give up way too easily!  Just because your GP spotted some arthritis on your knee does not mean you are destined for the walker!  Lots of people function just fine with arthritis because the problem they were feeling had nothing to do with the arthritis.  Osteoarthritis (OA) is an indicator of a long standing movement issue of that particular joint.  So the OA is not the CAUSE of the pain it is a RESULT of a long standing uncorrected movement issue.  If its caught soon enough, you can get the function back and stop the process of OA.