I rowed for a season the ahem, first time I was at school. I loved being so close to the water and going fast. Unfortunately some of the girls on the team were kind of catty and mean, and that just makes it hard...

I think people often think of rowing as primarily an upper body, "pulling" kind of motion, but so much of your power comes from your legs and core, and much of the motion is much more of a "pushing" motion. As far as back issues, it's pretty similar to the way you have to protect your back doing rowing exercises with freeweights or weight machines, by really engaging your core.

The one thing I did NOT like was the awful, painful callouses that would develop on my hands and then rip off at unexpected times, leaving raw, tender skin... We weren't allowed to wear gloves or anything on the boat, but I spent a lot of time with taped up hands on the erg.

I would love to try a single someday. I'll bet it feels like you're flying.