The Best Indoor Rowing Machines
It’s to stimulate the action of watercraft rowing for the purpose of exercise that rowing machines are used. While you might need a nice long jog to get your body up, you can pump it up in as little time as 20 minutes on a rower. It might not be easy to choose one rower while shopping since there are so many options available. While rowers are no more as expensive as they used to be, they also have many more features like digital displays, SpaceSaver designs and types such as hydraulic, air, water and magnetic.
If you can’t decide on one rower machine, go through our list of the 10 best rowing machines to have a detailed idea about all of them and choose accordingly.
Types of rower resistance
Almost all rowing machinesare one of these four resistant types: hydraulic, air, magnetic and water.
#1 Hydraulic: Hydraulic rowing machines come with 2 benefits: they are smoother and quieter than the flywheel rowers and they are cheaper. Hydraulic rowers use pistons attached to handles. As you pull against the fluid or air inside the cylinder, adjustments to the level of resistance are made by clamps or levels. As most of the hydraulic rowers are foldable and are smaller as compared to the other 3 types, they are easy to store. Therefore, if you are a person who is looking for a rower that doesn’t require too much space to fit in and is not too expensive, you can go for this type of rower.
#2 Air: Air rowers are one of the most popular types of machines used in rowing. Discovered back in the 1980s, they are still considered the best type among all the others. These machines use air flowing over an internal flywheel to produce resistance. The wheel in an air rower is connected to the rowing handle by a chain and when you pull it, the flywheel spins. The faster you row, the faster the flywheel spins through the air to produce a great resistance. These machines are also preferred because of their automatic resistance adjustment to the rower’s stroke rate.
#3 Magnetic: The resistance mechanism of the magnetic rowers makes them the quietest of all the types. These machines work by varying the distance between strong magnets and a spinning flywheel attached to the handle by a chain. These rowers have a wide range of resistance levels. They are generally smaller than the air and water rowers and require a very little maintenance.
#4 Water: One of the newer innovations, water rowers use water and paddles to create resistance. In these rowers, a water flywheel in a tank of water is connected to a chain and handles. The paddles revolve in the water when you pull back on the handle. A drag against the paddles is created by the mass of the moving water and resistance is therefore produced. These machines are quiet, smooth and stylish. The little maintenance they require is changing its water occasionally. They often come in wooden frames that are very elegant.
Here’s the list of the 10 best rowing machines:
#1 SUNNY HEALTH MAGNETIC ROWING MACHINE
Sunny Health and Fitness has helped its customers achieve their distinctive fitness goals for over the last 18 years. This rowing machine comes with a newly upgraded smoother and quieter magnetic tension system with 8 levels of adjustable resistance. Its LCD console helps you to keep track of your progress by displaying time, count, calories, total count or scan through each metric. Thanks to their non-slip foot pedals, safety straps and padded seat, the surface of this machine is very comfortable to exercise on.
Due to its foldable design, you can fold and store it anywhere when not in use. Its floor stabilizers prevent it from rocking or tipping on uneven surfaces. It also has transportation wheels that help you to easily roll out the machine without having to lift it. With so many features, the Sunny HealthMagnetic Rowing Machine is available only for $250.
#2 STAMINA ATS AIR ROWER ATS
Air Power comes with dynamic air resistance which helps it to match your pace. You can burn calories, build total body strength and improve your heart health on this machine. Its low impact rowing activates 86% of the body’s musculature which helps you achieve an overall healthier and stronger body. Its LCD workout monitor helps you to keep track of your speed, distance, time and calories burnt. Its padded seat and rowing handlealong with the adjustable footplates keep you comfortable throughout the workout.
It also has floor protectors to safeguard your work area. Its built-in wheels and folding frame make it easier to move and store. Air Rower 1403 comes with a 3-year frame and 1-year parts warranty. It’s available in two colors: black and crypto green. You can purchase it for $330.
#3 VELOCITY EXERCISE MAGNETIC ROWER
This machine has a drum magnetic control system and electronic tensions control in order to produce the optimum friction that is required to build muscle strength and enhance endurance. It has a strong aluminumframe and a padded seat for your comfort. It comes with a heart rate monitor chest strap in order to keep track of your heart rate for intense cardiovascular training.
It’s available in two colors: black and grey. Velocity CHR-2001 Rower also has an LCD display which helps you to monitor various aspects like pulse rate, time taken, number of counts, calories burnt and more. It comes with a 30-day manufacturer warranty. This magnetic rower is worth $640.
#4 CONCEPT2 MODEL D
Concept2 Model D is the best-selling rowing machine in the world for over 40 years. You can measure your progress with its reliable and comparable data on every stroke. Its workout options include time, distance and intervals presented on an LCD with a backlit display. It has wireless Bluetooth and ANT+ compatibility for heart rate monitoring or apps. You can save your workouts to a USB flash drive if you desire. It also has an inclusion of games.
With an air-resistant flywheel respond to every stroke, you can manage the intensity of your workouts as you please. You can easily alter its damper level between 1-10 for a controlled air flow. With its smooth feel and minimal noise, it really makes your workoutsbetter. Concept2 Model D is easy to assemble with only 8 screws. It rolls smoothly on its caster wheels and separates into two pieces for storage. It connects with a wide range of popular fitness apps. You can purchase this rowing machine for $900.
#5 NORDICTRACK RW600
With NORDICTRACK RW600, you can enjoy an interactive personal training at home powered by iFit. It lets you relish a full-access iFit trial membership which allows you toexperience the personalized trainer-led global and studio workout experiences in the comfort of your home. It has an adjustable console angle so that you can connect to iFit with your own phone or tablet. Its silent flywheel is powered by SMR Silent Magnetic Resistance to provide you a smooth and quiet workout experience.
Thanks to its SpaceSaver Design, you can fold the machine vertically for a compact storage. Its soft ergonomic handles and cushioned pivoting pedals that have adjustable foot straps, provide you comfort throughout the exercise. RW600 comes with a 2-year manufacturer warranty and costs you $1,000.
#6 PROFORM 750R ROWER
With 750R power, you can get a gym-quality workout in the comfort of your home. To upgrade your exercise with interactive personal training sessions, you can get an iFit membership. With its silent magnetic resistance, you can cycle through the different resistance levels quietly. It has a 5”multicolor backlit display screen which helps you to keep track of the distance traveled, time elapsed and the number of calories burnt. It has an oversized steel seat rail that provides you complete support and comfort as you improve your cardio endurance.
Its pivoting pedals come with an adjustable strap that keep your feet comfortably locked in one place while you exercise. It has soft touch handles that keep your palms safe throughout the workout. With its SpaceSaver design, you can fold the machine and fit it in compact storage places. You can purchase this rower for $1,000.
#7 WATERROWER OXBRIDGE ROWING MACHINE
With its patented water flywheel, WaterRower gives you realistic and consistent rowing strokes. Built using handcrafted solid Cherry wood frame and finished with 3 coats of Danish oil, this rower is extremely durable. Its polycarbonate water tank makes it virtually indestructible. Your comfort and stability are given priority with its molded footrests and ergonomic seat. Its QuickStart and QuickSelect options help you to quickly start your workouts with the use of a single button. The AutoStore and AutoPreview options allow you to store the last 9 workout settings for easy viewing and recalling.
You can set your intensity, stroke-rate and heart rate zones with its Zone and ZoneBar features. To preset and count down your workout, you can use the Distance and duration workout feature. By using the interval workout option, you can set up 9 work intervals which are separated by rest durations. This rowing machine comes with a 3-year frame warranty and 1-year components warranty. It’s worth $ 1,495.
#8 NORDICTRACK RW900
You can get interactive personal training sessions at home with the 1-year free iFit membership that comes with this rower. It has a smart touchscreen HD display with an adjustable console angle. Its ergonomic molded seat makes your workout comfortable. It has 26 coach-controlled resistance levels that match trainer recommendations and mimic real-life water resistance. Its inertia enhanced flywheel and Silent Magnetic Resistance help you perform quiet and smooth workouts.
With its Space Saver design, you can fold up the machine for simple storage. Its transport wheels further make it easier to move the rower while working out or for storage purpose. NORDICTRACK RW900 is worth $1,600.
#9 THE ERGATTA ROWER
This rower is built from oiled cherry wood frame and clear water reservoir and provides an adjustable level of real-feeling resistance to each stroke. It has a touchscreen tablet display with an easy-to-navigate interface. It can be connected to a pair of Bluetooth headphones and you can listen to one of the six available music options: hip-hop, classic rock, high-energy pop, dance, mid-energy pop or no music. If you have a heart rate monitor already, you can also connect it to the machine using Bluetooth.
Ergatta offers you a $29 monthly subscription, wherein you can access a range of workouts. Unlike a lot of air resistant rowers, this one with its water resistance functions quietly and smoothly. With the wheels on its back, it’s very easy to move for storage purpose. While it has a 5-year warranty for its frame, it has a 3-year warranty on its parts and 1-year warranty on the tablet. Worth $2,200, the machine is assembled, delivered and installed by a professional.
#10 HYDROW STARTER PACKAGE
Hydrow’s starter package basically comes with everything that you need to experience the best workouts as it is a full-fledged rowing system and not just a rowing machine. Along with the premium electromagnetic rower with a 10-roller track, you also get a 22” touchscreen display and forward-facing speakers. You also get an under-machine mat and a Polar heart rate monitor in addition to everything else.
Hydrow also offers a set of JayBird Tarah Pro wireless headphones for you. You can never go wrong with this starter package if you’re looking to stimulate your workout routine. You can buy this starter combo for $2,520.
