Which rowing machine should i buy

Some rowing machines come with high-tech options like built-in workouts, games, or guidance from an instructor. He warns that these options can often be more expensive since many require a corresponding content subscription. But if you have the budget to splurge, it could be a good option for beginners in need of additional instruction, or advanced rowers trying to add a new dimension to their workouts. Depending on the intensity with which you row, you can enjoy this total-body workout safely every single day—and for hours, if you choose to do so.

Just pay attention to what your body is telling you. If you're feeling particularly sore or stiff, consider a day of gentle stretches and rest to give your body a period of recovery.

If you feel great, keep rowing! As a seasoned health and fitness writer, Lindsey Lanquist understands how vital quality product recommendations can be. Get exercise tips to make your workouts less work and more fun.

Comparative analysis of basal physical fitness and muscle function in relation to muscle balance pattern using rowing machines. Bio-Medical Materials and Engineering. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellFit. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification.

I Accept Show Purposes. Cardio Machines. By Lindsey Lanquist. Lindsey Lanquist. Learn about our editorial process. Our Top Picks. Best Overall:. This immersive rower offers live and on-demand outdoor rowing classes that you can stream from the comfort of your home. Best Budget:. While many rowing machines are built around a pulley, this one relies on two handlebars, putting the emphasis on your upper body.

Best Quiet:. If minimal noise is a priority, this pick offers exactly that while keeping your workouts sturdy and stable. Best for Total-Body Workouts:. Best Recumbent:. The comfortable full seat and recumbent design is particularly suited to beginners and seniors looking to keep fit. Best for Small Spaces:. This pick's compact design is perfect for people with limited space, as it folds in half when not in use. Best Foldable:.

Its durable frame will stay stable as you row, while its 16 magnetic resistance levels ensure you stay challenged. Best Design:. Equipped with a variety of challenges and workouts, the sleek rower will consistently challenge you no matter your rowing level.

Best Wind Resistance:. A solid option that will keep you balanced as you build strength, this rower is designed to increase resistance as you gain speed. In This Article Expand. Our Picks. What to Look for in a Rowing Machine.

Often lauded as the quietest kind of rowing machines, magnet-driven devices keep noise to a minimum—ideal for using at home, any hour of the day. Shoppers love it for its power, too, giving it a 4. With an intuitive LCD display, tablet holder, and folding design not to mention its adjustable resistance this surprisingly affordable rowing machine is one of the highest-rated at Walmart because it's simple and dependable. Everything works as it is supposed to.

The packaging is great and it showed up at my door promptly with zero damage. Plus, its design ensures it actually feels like the motion of rowing. This rower targets the muscles in your arms, legs, and back with 24 levels of resistance, all while keeping you feeling comfortable with a padded, oversized seat.

Weight Loss. Type keyword s to search. Today's Top Stories. Ab Exercises for a Stronger Core. How to choose the best rowing machine Pick your mechanism. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below. Jake Smith Jake Smith, an editorial fellow at Prevention, recently graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in magazine journalism and just started going to the gym. The resistance is created through the water dragging through the tank.

The WaterRower is the original water rowing machine. It's fairly pricey but you get a realistic stroke, it looks great and you can digitally record and store all your workout information. We don't currently test rowing machines but Argos, Concept2 and Technogym are some of the most popular rowing machine brands at the time of writing. Below is a selection of different types and styles from those picks.

This budget friendly magnetic rowing machine from Argos comes with eight resistance level settings and has pivoting foot pedals that should help ease tension on your ankles. The basic console shows calories, stroke counter, distance, scan and time, and the machine is compact enough for those with limited space.

Opti offers other rowing machines, including a cheaper manual model. The Skillrow is one of the most popular high-end rowing machines on the market. Its patented Multidrive technology aims to provide you with options to do vigorous cardiovascular or resistance workouts with variable loads. It's also a smart rowing machine.

You can connect to it with your mobile and get real-time performance metrics or join ready made programs to exercise with. Concept2 created the original rowing machine in and has now made one of the bestselling rowing machines; the Model D. Used in gyms and homes, this foldable, air rower is built to handle intense, regular workouts and also comes with quite a few pre-programmed workouts and games.

You can even connect it to your smartphone so you can record and track your fitness journey. Concept2 also sells Model E , which has all the features of Model D but allows for additional user height, as well as the Dynamic rowing machine designed to meet the training needs of a competitive rower.

Rowing machines are great for working out but only if you use them correctly. Rowing with poor form will not only give you worse results, but can also cause injuries. Stay safe and improve the effectiveness of your workouts with these rowing tips.

Make sure you don't hunch your back while rowing. Hunching will mean your shoulders are left doing all the work and could lead to an injury. When you pull the handles back make sure they don't come up to your chin.

The BodyTrac Glider also has a simple and easy-to-use monitor, which features more functions than you'd expect on a machine this affordable. The Ergatta Connected Rower combines the rush of video game racing with the fitness benefits of a full-body exercise to deliver one of the most interactive rowing machines available. Pros: Motivating video game-inspired workout platform, beautiful design, features a folding design for easy stowing.

Like similar smart fitness equipment from brands such as Peloton or NordicTrack, the Ergatta Connected Rower utilizes a giant onboard screen to display its on-demand workouts and exercises. But unlike its aforementioned peers, the workouts aren't led by an instructor belting out the next movement or exercise but are instead comprised of a series of video game-inspired routines that prove just as motivating as those high-energy classes.

What this means is that the Connected Rower pits you against the machine for its goal-based plans and interval workouts, while also allowing you to compete against other Ergatta users in simulated races. Regardless of the event, the software delivers an addictive experience that drives you to want to continuously do better.

Fitness trackers found a way to gamify daily fitness and the Connected Rower follows the same path. The physical rower is an aesthetic wonder, too. Made of Cherry wood and featuring a traditional water rowing mechanism, Ergatta clearly intended for the rower to be more than just a means for getting fit — it wanted the rower to also please in terms of look and feel.

The water rowers soothing swoosh of water adds to an already enjoyable experience, as well. Perhaps its one downside is the fact the rower's not cheap. But since few interactive workout machines like are, this isn't entirely surprising. In all, the Ergatta Connected Rower delivers a full-body workout disguised as an interactive gaming experience — and it's one of the most enjoyable we've tested. Check out our review of the Ergatta Connected Rower here.

The Hydrow Rowing Machine aims to be the Peloton of at-home rowers with an immersive content experience that delivers a complete, full-body workout. Pros: Extensive library of motivating classes and rowing events, delivers a full-body workout, features quiet, electromagnetic resistance. Connected fitness equipment continues to grow in popularity — and for good reason. Not only does it provide an interactive method for keeping fit but the classes and streamed content themselves serve as powerful motivation to push on.

In the rowing space, one of the best to deliver the kind of connected content fans of NordicTrack and Peloton have come to love is Hydrow and its aptly named rower, the Hydrow Rowing Machine. Built with an aluminum and steel frame on a flat, anthracite polymer body, the Hydrow is a durable and sturdy rower. Attached to the front of the machine is an HD touchscreen where you're able to access its library of interactive workouts. These workouts include everything from on-demand routines, open swim-style free rows, whole body-specific workouts, and live classes.

The machine also comes with the ability to read your heart rate via an included monitor and features a whisper-quiet electromagnetic resistance. Hydrow does well to not only provide classes that highly motivate you to finish a row but it also creates a competitive environment where you can see how you rank with other global users or anyone else using your machine. It's worth the investment.

Read our full review of the Hydrow Rowing Machine. NordicTrack's RW combines the stimulation of instructor-led courses with the versatility of both air and digital resistance to offer one of the best at-home rowing experiences. Pros: Interactive workouts, easily folds up, utilizes a dual resistance design. Though NordicTrack may be more well known for its stationary bikes and treadmills, the company's offered high-quality row machines for quite some time — and its RW is the brand's crown jewel.

What makes the rower particularly impressive is its dual resistance. So, while rowing away during a class, an instructor has the ability to digitally adjust the resistance based on how they want you to row. But if it's either too much or you want to kick your workout up a few notches, there's the ability to manually adjust the air resistance. An easy-to-use air control is located on the wheel which allows for quick adjustments, even between strokes.

Like any workout machine with a massive touchscreen attached to it, the RW shines with what it offers in terms of workouts via its iFit interactive platform. Be it in studio routines from its roster of iFit trainers or more calming sessions in real locations around the world, the options are incredibly versatile. There are even yoga and cross-training courses to mix things up a bit. The rower also offers stat tracking which tells you how long you row each week along with calories burned and row wattage and allows for up to four different users on the same iFit profile.

The elegant WaterRower Natural Rowing Machine uses water resistance to make you feel like you're truly sculling on the open water. Pros: Gorgeous appearance, meditative whooshing sounds, and simulation of open-water rowing sensations. If the WaterRower Natural Rowing Machine looks familiar, that's because it's the base unit used by Ergatta for its Connected Rower our pick above for the best interactive row machine.

For an indoor rowing machine, the WaterRower Natural Rowing Machine comes closest to recreating the sensation of actual outdoor rowing as it features a flywheel that pushes through water in a heavy-duty tank. It even delivers soft and soothing swooshing sounds of water while rowing, too.

In addition to controlling resistance through your strokes — the harder and faster you row, the greater drag the flywheel encounters — you can increase resistance by adding water to the tank.

In essence, the more water there is, the heavier the drag on the flywheel, and the harder your workout. Maintenance of the machine is easy, too. Just fill the tank using the included siphon pump and drop in a chlorine tablet every six months. There's no need to empty the tank, even before storing it. Although the machine doesn't fold up, it's easy to store upright and the weight of the water stabilizes the erg in an upright position. You can assemble the frame without any tools, and the instructions come on an included DVD.

Because wood expands and contracts due to environmental conditions, you may need to tighten the bolts every once in a while.