I’ve never understood the appeal of spinning. I would rather drink hot dog water than ride on a stationary bike while staring at myself in a mirror.

I have to believe that I’m not alone. In fact, I suspect that inside of every spinner there is an erger screaming to get out.

Here are three reasons to liberate your inner rower.

1. Better Posture. Hunching over handlebars is an extremely unnatural position. If you close your eyes and flip the picture 90 degrees a spinner looks just like a little T-Rex scuttling around with tiny arms flailing. No wonder so many spinners report low back pain. Rowing is different. On an erg you sit upright with a neutral spine. There are no handlebars to rest on so you can’t relax your core.

2. Skill Transfer. When you’re off the saddle spinning doesn’t have very many real-world applications. How often in life do you push and pull your legs independently of each other…while seated? Rowing is much better preparation for real-world tasks because, rowing mechanics are identical to lifting mechanics. Visualize a rower. Now flip the picture 90 degrees. Pulling an oar to your chest is the same movement pattern as lifting a bag of groceries off the ground.

3. Full Body. You make your boat go by transmitting force through your feet, up your core, across your lats and to the tips of your fingers. Rowing requires full-body contraction with every stroke, and an intense erg session will absolutely smoke your glutes and hams, as well as your core, back and arms. This is why rowers are normally proportioned. If all you do is spin, you become extremely quad-dominant and you end up with huge legs and skinny arms which means you have to wear either zubas or daisy-dukes.