New Year New Workout

ATLANTA - Losing weight and getting in shape is one of the top New Year Resolutions and a Marietta man says you can do so by rowing your way  to fitness. Daniel Huck says you can burn five hundred to a thousand calories  an hour during his classes that use rowing machines.

Huck opened American Rowhouse on Marietta square December first. The small gym is filled with special rowing machines that push water around in a tank. Huck says this gives the resistance that you would feel if you were actually rowing on a lake. He begins his class with a gradual warm up to get everyone in form. It's not long, though, before the pace quickens, muscles heat up, sweat flows and heart rates increase. Huck says you can get a lot our of a rowing workout without beating yourself up. “It's low impact, non weight bearing,” says Huck.

He says that with these machines and his class, workouts will target your arms, legs, back, shoulder and core muscles. Each person  can choose the intensity of their workout as the class takes place. Monitors are mounted on walls at the front of the class that show heart rates, so rowers can decide just how much to push. Huck says this all adds to the physical diversity of the class. Young and old men and women row in a room featuring with both high-end athletes and novices.

Huck says the class environment encourages participation. “When you get that group camaraderie and you see that one person next ot you is working hard, it makes you want to work hard and gives you that extra 'oomph to push through and get things done.

Rowers like Kelly Lloyd  say they highly recommend rowing if your New Year's resolution is to get in shape. 'It's fun!”  she says. Classmate Jeff Watkins says, “It's easy on the body and they do a good job of making it fun wtih the music. It's a little bit competitive too, so you know when you walk out the door, how you rank against  the rest of the class.

Huck says there are only about 15 rowing-centric centers in the country and only two here in Atlanta. You can find more information about American Rowhouse   click here.