no rowing machine, so what

no rowing machine, no problem.
jump stretch bands; giant rubber bands
I'm generally the first person to avoid a rowing machine. I mean, I'd much rather be rowing a boat. you're just not going to have the same result, in any way, on a machine in the gym.
having said that, I'm willing to give things a go, so I've been putting myself through some various cardio pases on the rowing machine; my version.
what i have found so far:
*the movement pattern is very different from a machine, this however allows for a greater variety of movement and greater range of mimicking various rowing options. (think paddle trajectories and specificity.)(if you're an martial artist this has some pretty neat implications)
*eccentric movement: the bands make this a pretty good lower back exercise due to the nature of the eccentric contraction. I've never encountered a rowing machine with eccentric movement, the bands however have you under resistance as you return to the start position.
*constant pressure. rowing against the band keeps you under a constant contraction throughout the movement. pretty good idea for contact sports (mma) where relaxing means dying.
*grip; i found the bands, especially when i used a handle gave my forearms a good thrashing.
*cardio output. to bring yourself into a cardio range you need to apply more mental discipline, especially if your doing short bursts ( that would be 1 min. minimum).
*you can't gage distance work so you have to play with time; work versus rest; i also counted strokes (ugh-no puns please) during work sets. by watching the time and counting the reps i was able to monitor my work load.

like everything i will keep these on board for a while and then cycle through them. by using revolving parameters i can keep them in my cycle for a longer period of time. (until i feel they've outlived their usefulness.)
my client find these punishing.
this adds another multidimensional weapon to your arsenal.