Regular exercise is extremely important if you want to lead a healthy life. However, it can be very hard to find the time to do a quality workout almost every day. A great way to save on time is to do all or most of your workouts in the comfort of your own home. Another good thing about exercising at home is the fact that you’ll be able to do a workout whenever you want.
However, it can be pretty hard finding the right exercises or equipment for indoor training, especially since if you want to keep your whole body active. Although most people go for exercise bikes and treadmills, buying a rowing machine is actually better if you want to work both your upper and lower body.
Using a rowing machine is a great way to do a full body aerobic workout indoors. Nevertheless, know that there are different types of rowers, so you should make sure that you do research on all of them or try them out before deciding on which you’re going to buy.
Water Resistance Rowing Machines
Buying a water resistance rowing machine is probably the closest you’ll get to experiencing rowing on water when working out indoors. These rowers have a water tank with paddles suspended in it. These paddles spin in the water and create resistance whenever the handle of the rower gets pulled. The resistance level is related to how fast or hard you pull the handle.
The harder you pull the handle the faster the paddles will spin. If the paddles spin fast, it will become more challenging to pull the handle, since you will feel way more resistance. Because the resistance type is naturally adjustable due to drag, these rowers are perfect for people of all fitness levels.
The rowing experience can also be adjusted by the quantity of water you put in the tank. The more water you put in, the harder it will be for you to row. If there’s a lot of water in the tank it will basically feel like you’re rowing a boat with passengers in it.
Water resistance rowing machines are known for making a fair amount of noise. Although some view this as a downside, a lot of people actually find the sound of the water to be quite relaxing.
Magnetic Resistance Rowing Machines
If you find the noise a water resistance rower makes annoying, then you should consider getting a magnetic resistance rowing machine. Since this machine produces no friction it’s basically silent.
Magnetic resistance rowers utilize a magnetic brake system in order to create resistance. In order to adjust the resistance, you can either move the magnet closer or farther away.
The resistance on magnetic rowers is not as strong as on air or water resistance rowing machines. In other words, if you’re looking for a better overall workout, then a magnetic rower shouldn’t be your first choice. However, if you don’t like the noise an air or water rower makes, then this may be the perfect piece of exercise equipment for you.
Hydraulic Piston Rowing Machines
If you’re on a tight budget, but still want a piece of indoor exercise equipment that will provide you with a great full body workout, then a hydraulic piston rowing machine is the perfect choice for you. Hydraulic rowers are without a doubt the cheapest type of rowing machines. However, they are also the worst choice when it comes to the quality of the workout they provide.
Unlike all other types of rowers, hydraulic piston rowing machines don’t actually allow you to pull in a straight line. Therefore, the rowing motion is more like having 2 rowing oars instead of a competitive rowing boat.
These rowers are ideal for people who aren’t used to working out regularly. Despite the fact that the pistons on these rowers usually allow you to adjust the resistance, rowing is never really too challenging unless you buy a slightly more expensive model. Hydraulic piston rowing machines are the only rowers that allow an independent workout for each arm, making them a great tool for correcting muscle imbalances.
Apart from the fact that they are cheap and make very little noise, hydraulic rowers are also quite compact and easy to store. However, due to their size, they are not a great choice for heavy and tall users.
Air Resistance Rowing Machines
Air resistance rowing machines provide you with a very natural and smooth rowing stroke. These rowers receive its resistance from wind that gets generated when a flywheel with fan blades attached gets spun with every pulling motion. Just like with the water resistance rowers, the only thing that you have to do in order to increase the resistance is pull harder. Once you pull the handle harder, more wind gets generated, which automatically makes it more difficult for you to pull the handle. This is great because it allows you to slow down or speed up your rowing pace whenever you want. Because of this, air resistance rowers are extremely popular for high intensity interval training.
Although its long seat rail plays a huge role in providing you with a smooth rowing experience, it also makes this piece of exercise equipment quite large. It’s worth noting that most of these rowers have the option of folding in half for storage. Nevertheless, if you have the space, then you should definitely go for an air resistance rower. In fact, professional athletes use them when they’re rowing off the water, mostly because of the realistic rowing experience they provide, as well as their strong resistance levels.
There is only one downside to air resistance rowing machines – they make a lot of noise. Each time you pull the handle, you will hear a whooshing sound created by the spinning flywheel. But if you don’t mind the noise, then you should definitely go for this rower.
There are also some rowing machines that combine air and magnetic resistance. These rowing machines aren’t as noisy as air resistance rowers and offer a smoother rowing experience than magnetic rowers.
