Indoor rowing doesn’t have the distinctive charm of being on a skiff on a river (sigh, if only), but the best rowing machine will still give you a good workout. Luckily between smart rowers like Hydrow and industry stalwarts like Concept2, there are plenty of top-notch rowing machine options on the market. If you’re looking for a great rowing experience right at home—without the unexpected sprays of water and breeze in your hair—a rowing machine is for you.
What’s more, indoor rowing provides a slew of serious mental and physical benefits. “Rowing is truly a full-body workout,” says Paralympian and Hydrow coach Dani Hansen. “When you row, you’re engaging nearly 86% of your body’s major muscle groups, which is more than double the engagement you get from cycling or running.” There’s plenty of versatility in rowing workouts too, thanks to the resistance. You can go faster with lower resistance for a cardiovascular boost, or increase the resistance and slow down for strength training. “Even though rowing is a high-intensity workout, it’s low impact, which means it’s gentle on your joints, and it actively builds bone density,” says Hansen. “The fact that it’s both safe and effective makes it a really fantastic and accessible option for everyone.”
Indoor rowing machines have been in high demand among people outfitting their home gyms over the last couple of years, but when it comes to choosing the right rower, there are a few important points for comparison worth noting. “When selecting a rower, I think it’s important to identify what your rowing goals are upfront,” Hansen tells SELF. “Are you a beginner looking for guidance? Will rowing be your primary fitness activity or a part of your overall training plan? Where in your home will your rower be placed? What types of workouts are you looking for?” We tapped trainers and coaches who also mentioned looking at rowing resistance, machine durability, and experience level when buying a rowing machine.
Rowing Resistance:
There are four different mechanisms used by rowers to provide resistance, says Ben Walker, CPT, owner of Anywhere Fitness in Dublin. Those include hydraulic, air, water, and magnetic resistance. If noise is an issue and you prefer a quiet workout—the downstairs neighbors are distracting you, for example—then a hydraulic or water-based model is ideal, he suggests, because they are quieter.
But if you’re more concerned about performance, many people opt for an air-based or magnetic rower because they’re easier to maintain, more affordable, and less likely to break. Like other features, though, it tends to come down to personal preference in terms of how much you like the feel of the rower.
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Machine Durability:
Look for companies that have had time to perfect their design and have good reviews in terms of durability and maintenance, suggests former elite rower Maria Brezler. Quality isn’t just about financial investment, she adds; it can change how you feel when you’re doing a workout. “You can get on one machine and it feels like you’re riding in an old beat-up Toyota, while another will feel like driving a Mercedes,” she says.
Experience Level:
Are you happy with the motion of rowing and the ability to change resistance levels, or do you want to see your data, like speed, stroke rate, heart rate, and distance? Do you want a built-in LCD screen that lets you compete with others, or do you want all the extra frills, like live rowing classes led by instructors?
“Only you will know what it will take to become more competitive with yourself, and what fuels your motivation,” Brezler says. If you’re just starting out, you might need more nudges like those live classes and leaderboards. But if you’re using a rower only as a fill-in machine until you can get back on the water, you may need a more stripped-down version.
When it comes to specific brands, favorites can vary as much as they do among treadmills or exercise bikes, but we’ve talked to a bunch of rowing fanatics on what they consider the best home rowers for mimicking the feeling of being on the water and looked at bestselling models from retailers like Amazon as well. “At the end of the day, the best rowing machine for you is the one that keeps you coming back for more,” says Hansen. Read on to find 16 of the best rowing machines that will—fingers crossed—do just that.
Source: SELF
