Rowing Machines: What You Need To Know

So you’ve purchased fitness equipment in the past. You have that home gym sitting in pieces and taking up space in your garage because you need a part that you can’t find in order to fix it. And then there’s the mountain bike your told your spouse you’d use gathering dust in the garage as well. Jogging hurts your knees and despite of all your previous equipment buying fiascos, you still want to pursue fitness training.

It might seem like you would be throwing your money away, but wouldn’t a rowing machine be a good idea? I don’t mean those pneumatic piston things you buy through the mail or over the internet, that don’t feel anything like actual rowing and that break in less than week, like the home gym machine that’s gathering dust in your garage. I mean good equipment, similar to your mountain bike; the difference is you can use it every day for a few minutes indoors while looking at television instead of getting a sunburn outdoors.

Exercising on a quality rowing machine feels like you’re actually rowing a boat on water. It is also so quiet that exercising while watching TV is no problem, though you may need to increase the volume a bit, as they are not completely quiet. No need to worry about disturbing your spouse in the next room, either. Another benefit is the low impact to joints.

But the best part is that rowing is a full-body activity. It uses all the muscles in the legs and back and biceps. Add in a few pushups to work the chest and triceps for balance and you’ve got a complete workout.

A rowing machine can fulfill almost all of your exercise goals. If you are looking to become stronger, you can substitute a workout for lifting. Simply increase the resistance to maximum and perform several quick repetitions. Conversely, if you are looking to build endurance, you can crank down the resistance and stay on the machine longer. Modern rowers even let you compete against the computer, or others as a way of keeping you interested and involved in your routine.

If you are in the market for a rowing machine don’t discount the possibility of a gently used rowing machine. While you can pay a lot of money for a new rowing machine you may be able to pick up a used one that is just as good. If you must purchase new, consider buying from a company that has a strong track record in providing rowing machines. Newer companies often don’t carry the parts to fix your machine should it have a minor break down.

For more information on Rowing Machines check out http://rowing-machines-help.info, a website that specializes in providing helpful home fitness tips, advice and resources to include and more.

- Edson Buchanan