Rowing is the classically sophisticated team sport, a favourite amongst British university students. But did you know that you can enjoy rowing from your own home and get some great exercise in too? That’s where a rowing machine comes in.

These machines are designed to provide an authentic rowing experience but how do you pick the best rowing machine? Our healthy lifestyle experts have put together this article around picking the best rowing machine, comprised of a number of useful rowing machine reviews. Read on to find out more about why a rowing machine is a great exercise option for you and how to get the best rowing machine for your money.

Our Featured Offer: Stamina Body Trac Glider 1050

Before we take a closer look at some of the different best rowing machines to fit criteria, we’ll first showcase our featured rowing machine. That featured rowing machine is the Stamina Body Trac Glider 1050.

We can safely confirm that this is the best all round rowing machine that you can buy online. It comes in at an affordable price, making it much cheaper than many of the more popular rowing machines on the market. This low price means that anyone can use it to either get some exercise or get into the sport of rowing. It’s also designed for home use, meaning that you don’t have to worry about having enough space to use the machine.

It includes a monitor that displays your time, stroke count and the amount of calories burnt. You won’t typically find an LCD display on rowing machines at this price point.

Types of Rowing Machines

As we’ve already mentioned, there’s a number of different types of rowing machine available. Each of these rowing machine types are largely targeted at different audiences. When it comes to rowing machines for exercise use, there’s three main categories that these machines can fall into. These categories are rowing machines for cardio, weight loss and to provide a full body workout. Which type machine you choose largely depends on what you’re looking to get out of your rowing machine usage.

Let’s take a look at some of the best rowing machines available for each of the different types of exercise.

Best Rowing Machine for Cardio: Stamina Body Trac Glider 1050

When it comes to getting your blood pumping with some cardiovascular activity, a rowing machine is an incredibly clever solution. When it comes to using a rowing machine for cardio, we’ve again turned to our aforementioned featured offer. The Stamina Body Trac Glider 1050 is designed to provide an endurance based workout, which is exactly what cardio is about.

When it comes to cardio, you want to keep track of exactly what you’re doing and how your exercise is working. This particular rowing machine includes its own LCD display, which provides information about your time, stroke count and calories burnt.

Best Rowing Machine for Weight Loss: Sunny Health and Fitness Rowing Machine

When it comes to using a rowing machine to lose weight, we know that you don’t particularly care about the authenticity of your rowing experience. You just care about losing weight.

Because of this, a cheap rowing machine is the best option. There’s no point spending money on a rowing experience that you really don’t need. When it comes to cheap rowing machines, they don’t get much better value than this Sunny Health and Fitness Rowing Machine, which is why it’s our choice as the best machine for weight loss.

For just over $80, this rowing machine gives you an adjustable seat so you can gain maximum comfort whilst exercising.

Best Rowing Machine for Full Body Workout: Stamina 35-1405

When it comes to finding a rowing machine to provide a full body workout, you can expect to spend a little bit more. At this point, it’s important to get a machine that has the best quality and our best choice for this is the Stamina 35-1405.

The best part about the Stamina 35-1405 is that every aspect of the rowing machine is fully adjustable. You can move the seat and other aspects of the machine in order to provide a fulfilled exercise routine for the whole body. Much like some of the other aforementioned rowing machines, this one does again include an LCD display offering multiple functions. This is perfect if you’re looking to track the effect this machine is having on your body.

It’s fair to say that most rowing machines can accommodate a full body workout, but this one does it better than any other.

Top 5 Best Rowing Machines

Brand	Stamina	easyFiT	Stamina	HCI Fitness	Stamina
Model	Body Trac Glider 1050	Cardio Gym Rower	35-1405 ATS Air Rower	Sprint Outrigger	1215 Orbital
Size	50 x 12 x 10 inches	73 x 35 x 17 inches	78.5 x 19.8 x 31.5 inches	55 x 68 x 15 inches	49 x 14 x 7 inches
Advantages	Fully adjustable and doesn’t take up much space. Plus gas shock resistance.	Stylish design with lightweight steel frame. Includes workout guides.	Designed for more experienced rowers, with plenty of mod-cons.	Includes oars to provide an incredibly authentic rowing experience.	Compact size that can easily be folded for convenient storage.
Disadvantages	LCD display provides limited information, less than alternatives.	Maximum user capacity of 250 pounds.	Large size takes up a lot of space, so may not be suited to small spaces.	Expensive in comparison to other rowing machines.	Uses cheaper hydraulic technology.

Stamina Body Trac Glider 1050

We’ve already heavily featured the Stamina Body Trac Glider 1050 as one of our favourites on the rowing machine scene. That’s no surprise given it’s perfectly designed for use in the home. It’s already pretty small in size at only 50 x 12 x 10 inches, but it also folds away for easy storage. It also features fantastic gas shock resistance that you can adjust to your liking.

We’ve already mentioned that the Stamina Body Trac Glider 1050 does feature an LCD display like many of the rowing machines we’ve featured. However, the information provided by this LCD display is fairly limited in what it offers. That being said, the monitor does display the basic time, stroke count and calorie information.

In all though, this is a sturdy product and offers great value for the price.

easyFiT Cardio Gym Rower

When it comes to rowing machines, you likely don’t necessarily think of them as the most stylish pieces of equipment. However, this Cardio Gym Resistance Rower from easyFiT is clearly an attempt to bring a splash of style to the otherwise bland world of rowing machines and we’d say it has paid off.

Not only does the easyFiT Cardio Gym Rower look fantastic in a contemporary black and red design, but it’s also incredibly light weight too. The rower uses a lightweight but sturdy steel frame, making it incredibly easy to fold away and transport. That being said, this lightweight frame does have its pitfalls. easyFiT advise against anyone over the maximum user capacity of 250 pounds from using the product. It’s also nice to see that this particular rowing machine throws in a few extras in the form of a straight workout bar, isolation handles and your own instructional workout poster.

Stamina 35-1405 ATS Air Rower

This particular rower from Stamina has a pretty complicated name and that’s rightly so considering it’s a complicated bit of kit. We’d definitely advise that the Stamina 35-1405 is better suited to rowing enthusiasts. That doesn’t man this rower shouldn’t be used by those looking to lose a bit of weight, but you’re also paying for a pretty authentic rowing experience.

For that price, you’ll be getting a rowing machine built for comfort. It features an adjustable and comfortable seat, with plenty of space to move around and get comfortable during your rowing experience. It also includes a multi-function LCD display, designed to provide a more in-depth analysis of your rowing performance. This added comfort and functionality does however make this rower slightly larger than alternatives on the market, so we’d only recommend it to rowers with plenty of space to store and use the rowing machine.

HCI Fitness Spring Outrigger Scull Rowing Machine

At just under $500 this is undeniably one of the more expensive options on our list of the top 5 rowing machines. However, for that money, you are getting a fantastic quality of product, with plenty of great features.

One of the best of those features and a feature that we don’t see many rowing machines use are the oars. When rowing in actual rowing boat, you’d of course expect to use oars in order to move machine. Many rowing machines compensate for this by simply using a rope pull system. However, the Spring Outrigger from HCI Fitness goes one step further by including actual oars to row with. If you’re looking for an authentic rowing experience and to give your arms that bit more exercise, this is the best option for you.

Stamina 1215 Orbital Rowing Machine

Stamina are becoming a pretty common name when it comes to great quality rowing machines and the 1215 Orbital is no exception. At $200, it’s a good quality rowing machine in its own right but perhaps it’s biggest selling point is how compact it is and how easily it can be stored when not in use. At 49 x 14 x 7 inches, the Stamina 1215 is considerably smaller than many of the other rowing machines on the market and in fact many of the machines we’ve featured.

The machine can also be folded up into a compact form factor. This means that it can easily be tucked away into a cupboard and out of sight when not in use. This rowing machine might not be the most feature heavy rowing machine you’ll find on the market, but it is undeniably compact and easy to store.

Best Rowing Machines for Home

We’ve already mentioned that one of the best things about using a rowing machine is that you don’t have to leave your home in order to practice your rowing. If you’re a rowing fanatic or just looking to get a bit more exercise, a rowing machine is without a doubt a great addition to your home.

But what are the best rowing machines for home? In this section we’ll take a look at some of the best rowing machines designed for use at home and more specifically for men, women and kids.If you’re looking to find out about the best indoor rowing machines, you’ll want to pay particularly close attention to this section of the article.

Best Rowing Machines for Men: Proform 440R Rower

When it comes to rowing machines, you’d be forgiven for thinking that that either men or women can use any rowing machine without problem. However, it’s more complicated than you might think, with different rowing machines being targeted at different genders.

In terms of the best rowing machine for men, we’ve chosen the Proform 440R Rower. There’s a number of reasons why we’ve chosen this particular rowing machine as our top choice for men. One of the most prominent reasons is because it’s able to handle a greater weight than many rowing machines. It goes without saying that men tend to weigh more than women, which is why this machine is perfect for men.

Other than that, it generally has plenty of space for men and notably oversize pedals to allow for larger feet to sit comfortably.

Best Rowing Machines for Women: Sunny Health and Fitness Rowing Machine

If a larger maximum weight is required by a rowing machine for men, it goes without saying that a lighter structure rowing machine is better suited to women. Our choice in this particular sector is the Sunny Health and Fitness Rowing Machine, which is pretty inexpensive too, costing just over $80.

It features a nice comfortably seat, perfect for any lady’s bottom and nice spacing that any woman will be able to use comfortably.

You’re likely thinking that if this is the case then a woman can just use a rowing machine built for men and that’s absolutely true. However, most women will likely find more comfort in using this lightweight rowing machine built specifically for much lighter body frames.

Best Rowing Machines for Kids

Brand	Redmon for Kids	Phoenix	Qaba	Stamina	Stamina
Model	Fun and Fitness Rower	98900 Rower	Lil' Exerciser	Conversion II Rower	Body Trac Glider 1050
Size	34.8 x 19 x 7 inches	81.5 x 24 x 26.4 inches	37.8 x 13.4 x 13.8 inches	46 x 26 x 10 inches	50 x 12 x 10 inches
Advantages	Designed specifically with children in mind, so easy to use.	Fully adjustable adult rower, perfect for kids.	Built with durable materials for use by children.	Full back support, perfect for kids new to rowing.	Included oars to provide extra support.
Disadvantages	Bright colours aren’t very stylish and won’t fit into the home.	Much more expensive than most kids size rowers.	Designed for smaller children only, might grow out of it.	Takes up a lot of space, especially for a kid’s rower.	More specifically designed for larger adults.

Redmon for Kids Fun and Fitness Rower

The first of our best rowing machines is unsurprisingly a rower built specifically for children. Because of this, you can expect brightly coloured design. If you can put up with this lack of style, this is a great little rower built specifically for children. It’s incredibly safe and easy to use, perfect for kids looking to get into rowing or just get a bit of exercise.

Phoenix 98900 Power Rower

Unlike the first product on our list of the best rowing machines, the Phoenix 98900 is actually a full rowing machine built for adults. However, we’ve chosen to include it on our list because it’s easy to alter and make usable for children. You can adjust every aspect of this rower, making it perfect if you’re looking to share a rowing machine with your child.

Qaba Lil’ Exerciser Junior Rower

Another brightly coloured rower, unsurprisingly built for children. This one is more particularly targeted at smaller children, so perfect for your little ones but you might want to be careful they they’re not going to grow out of it. That being said, it is built with durable materials, designed for children. If you’re looking for the perfect first rowing machine for your kids, this is it.

Stamina Conversion II Rowing Machine

When using a rowing machine, kids often find it difficult to support their backs – which is exactly why the Conversion II from Stamina is a great choice. Its seat features a back piece, perfect for kids who struggle to find support for their back whilst using a rowing machine.

Stamina Body Trac Glider 1050

The last product on our list of the best rowing machines for kids is one that you’ve likely seen pop up a few times on this list. We also think it’s a fantastic rowing machine for kids too. Largely because it actually includes a couple of oars to provide support whilst rowing. This added support is sure to be perfect for kids and people who are generally new to rowing.

Best Affordable Rowing Machine

Best Rowing Machine for under $200: Stamina Body Trac Glider 1050

When it comes to the best rowing machine for under $200, our best choice is the Stamina Body Trac Glider 1050. We’ve already featured this rowing machine as one of the best you can get, and considering it’s available to buy for only $114.99, it’s also one of the best for this price category.

For that price, you’re getting one of the most popular rowing machines on Amazon. It’s designed for use in your home, with a compact footprint not taking up too much space in your home. It also comes with many of the features you’d expect from a much more expensive rowing machine, including an LCD monitor and adjustable gas-shock resistance.

Best Rowing Machine for under $500: Stamina 35-1405 ATS Air Rower

If you’ve got anything up to $500 to spend on a rowing machine, you can get hold of a slightly more substantial product. For this price range, we’d again recommend a Stamina machine.

This particular machine offers a number of improvements over the aforementioned product from Stamina, so is much better suited to experienced rowers. It’s designed to provide comfort whilst you’re rowing, with an oversized padded seat. Said seat is able to comfortably slide across the product’s chrome seat rail. For only $313, this is a rowing machine that oozes quality and is well worth your money.

It takes up a little more space than most rowing machines on the market, but does fold away for easy storage.

Best Rowing Machine for under $1000: Stamina Avari Programmable Magnetic Exercise Rower

If you’ve got $1000 to spend on a rowing machine, you’re guaranteed to be buying a good quality product. However, the good news is that you don’t need to spend your entire budget to get one of the best rowing machines on the market.

This rowing machine again from Stamina features a number of built in workout programs. These allow you to jump straight into your own workout routine. All of this is managed from the machine’s high-tech LCD backlit fitness monitor. This display is designed to provide you with plenty of information about your exercise routine. The machine doesn’t just tell you information either, you can use it to adjust your workout time and the machine resistance.

If you’ve got the money to spend, this is a substantial rowing machine from Stamina.

Best Rowing Machine Brands

Best Stamina Rowing Machine: Stamina 1215 Orbital Rowing Machine

Stamina is a name that has popped up a fair few times in this article and that’s no surprise considering they’re one of the most trusted names when it comes to rowing machines. Stamina offer a pretty large range of rowing machines, so picking the best one is no easy task.

We’ve selected the 1215 Orbital Rowing Machine as our favourite in Stamina’s range and there’s one key reason for this. Unlike many of Stamina’s rowing machines, this particular product includes two free motion arms. These free motion arms essentially act as the oars you’d use when rowing an actual boat. Because of this, the 1215 Orbital Rowing Machine offers a sense of realism that you couldn’t expect to find elsewhere.

It’s also an incredibly comfortable product to use, with a thick padded seat and other features to make life easier.

Best Concept2 Rowing Machine: Concept2 Model D Indoor Rowing Machine

When it comes to the price range of rowing machines, Concept2’s products are definitely at the higher end of the scale. If you’ve got the money to spend, Concept2’s Model D Indoor Rowing Machine is without a doubt a solid choice and one we can easily recommend.

The Concept2 Model D Indoor Rowing Machine is designed with a full body workout in mind, which is why it’s considerably more expensive than some alternatives on the market. It includes Concept2’s signature Performance Monitor 5, with an aim to provide you with detailed analysis of your performance. Most monitors with rowing machines tend to provide a limited backdrop of information, but that definitely isn’t the case here. It’s pretty large seat and added features do make for this to be a fairly large product, but if you’ve got the space to store it, it’s well worth your money.

Best Sunny Health & Fitness Rowing Machine: Sunny Health & Fitness Rowing Machine with Full-Motion Arms

They may be a lesser known name when it comes to rowing machines, but this product from Sunny Health & Fitness is still a solid choice when it comes to picking a good rowing machine. We say this because Sunny Health & Fitness’ product feels a little bit more substantial than some other products at this price point.

If you don’t find yourself challenged enough by most rowing machines, you’ll love the 12 levels of resistance that this particular machine is capable of. It does also feature a thick padded seat, non-slip grip handlebars and anti-slip pedals. All of which are guaranteed to make your experience of using the rowing machine all the more easier.

With such a range of resistance levels and features, there’s no denying that this rowing machine from Sunny Health & Fitness is a product for everyone.

Best WaterRower Club Rowing Machine: WaterRower Club Rowing Machine in Ash Wood with S4 Monitor

There was once a time when all rowing machines were based upon a wood like structure. Wooden rowing machines are expensive and have quickly been replaced by plastic or metal alternatives. However, WaterRower Club still sell a fantastic range of wood rowing machines, with this being one of their best.

For a start, the WaterRower Club Rowing Machine looks absolutely fantastic. It includes a classic “water flywheel” that looks exactly like an actual rowing wheel. It may be a wooden structure, but this rowing machine still features all the mod cons that you’d expect from a rowing machine – including WaterRower’s signature S4 Monitor.

All of this functionality does come at a price however. The WaterRower Club Rowing Machine in Ash Wood will set you back $1,160. That’s considerably more expensive than most rowing machines on the market.

Best Profrom Rowing Machine: Proform 440R Rower

We’ve featured Proform’s rowers across this article and the 440R in particular. It’s pretty much the definition of a solid rowing machine. Unlike other rowing machines, it’s largely focused on strength training. If you’re looking to build up those muscles, this is the machine for you. That doesn’t mean beginners should be intimidated though, as you can easily change the resistance.

If you’re looking for a space saving rowing machine, this is also a fantastic solution. It’s pretty narrow, meaning you can fit it into even the smallest of spaces. What’s more, it folds up into a compact form factor for easy storage.

It’s also worth noting that the LCD display on this product is actually built into the rowing machine itself. That’s a nice design choice that we don’t see regularly.

Best LifeSpan Fitness Rowing Machine: LifeSpan Fitness RW1000 Rowing Machine

Some of the cheaper rowing machines available out there aren’t exactly built with the best quality materials. This machine from LifeSpan is different; it’s been designed with stainless steel at its core, to provide maximum stability. That doesn’t make it a bulky product though, it folds to 34 x 19 x 64 inches, making this machine incredibly easy to fold away and store.

The quality of this particular rowing machine is perfectly summed up by the 2008 Gear Wars Seal of Excellence, awarded to this rowing machine. It comes with a two year warranty, meaning there’s little reason not to invest in this rowing machine.

If you’re looking for a quality rowing machine that doesn’t take up too much space like some of the bigger rowing machines. In all, the best option from LifeSpan.

Best Kettler Rowing Machine: KettlerStroker and Rower Multi-Trainer

When it comes to rowing machines, they’re not exactly the most stylish bits of kit. It can be difficult to find a rowing machine that looks great and blends into your home.

Kettler’s rowing machines are without a doubt the most stylish available on the market and this is our favourite from their range. We particularly love the LCD display incorporated into this rowing machine. It provides a wealth of information about your workout and allows you to easily track your progress whether you’re looking to lose weight or improve your rowing skills.

If you’re worried about the levels of resistance provided by your rowing machine, there’s another great reason why this product is great for you. It features a magnetic break system, allowing you to manually set the level of resistance between an index of 1 and 8.

Best XTERRA Rowing Machine: XTERRA ERG400 Rower

The last on our list of the best rowing machines by brand is a product from XTERRA. They’re a pretty new player in the rowing machine market, but that doesn’t mean their products aren’t great quality. When it comes to XTERRA’s range, our top choice is the ERG400 Rower.

In all, it’s a pretty standard rowing machine. However, that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The XTERRA ERG400 provides consistency in a product where you need it most. It’s also built with incredibly sturdy materials, mainly comprised of aluminium. What’s more, the innovative frame that this rowing machine is built upon folds up, allowing you to easily store the machine away when you’re not using it.

The ERG400 isn’t just easily foldable. It also has plenty of features to enhance your rowing experience, including an angle LCD console providing all of the analysis you need.

Best Compact Rowing Machines

Rowing machines are a fantastic piece of equipment, but they can also take up an awful lot of space. Not everyone has the space needed to keep a big bulky rowing machine. Thankfully, there are a few “compact” rowing machines out there that you can buy.

When it comes to compact rowing machines, we have a few solid choices. The first of which is the Sunny Health & Fitness Rowing Machine This is what we’d describe as a bare bones rowing machine. This means that it doesn’t feature much more than the basics when it comes to functionality, but it also doesn’t take up much space because of this.

If this product isn’t for you, there’s a few other options available when it comes to compact rowing machines too. Most notably including the Stamina Body Trac Glider 1050 Rowing Machine and the BodyCraft VR100 Rowing Machine Even if you don’t have the space to spare, there’s still plenty of great options for you.

Best Portable Rowing Machines

Much like with compact rowing machines, it’s also often the case that you need a portable rowing machine you can easily pick up and carry with you. When it comes to the best portable rowing machines, our favourite will always be the Stamina 1215 Orbital Rowing Machine with Free Motion Arms It folds up into an incredibly compact form factor and is also pretty light, meaning you can pick it up and take it with you.

The Stamina 1215 also manages to pack in free motion arms that act as oars. These comfortably fold into the general product, which is great for such a portable machine.

This product from Stamina isn’t the only portable rowing machine though, there’s also a number of other options available too. Some of our favourites include the Soozier Adjustable Fitness Home Workout Rower Glider Machine and the Proform 440R Power which can be folded and carried anywhere.

Rowing Machine Workouts

So now you’ve got the perfect brand new rowing machine, but do you know exactly what to do with it? Let’s take a look at some of the best rowing machine workouts.

30 Minute Playlist Push

When it comes to exercise, you’ve likely heard that music can provide a great deal of motivation during the process. With that in mind, you’ll find music to be especially useful for providing motivation whilst using a rowing machine. Load your iPod up with 30 minutes of motivational music and get working. You might want to connect your iPod to a dock at home to prevent headphone wires getting in the way.

1,000 Metre Challenge

If you’re looking for a good solid distance to row using your rowing machine, 1,000 metres is a solid and popular choice. Bundle three lots of this distance together with 4 minute intervals in-between and you have a solid session.

Rowing Machines by Size

Best Rowing Machine for Tall People: Concept2 Model D Indoor Rowing Machine with PM5

It goes without saying that when it comes to buying a rowing machine for tall people, you’re going to need plenty of space. The problem is, most rowing machines are designed to take up as little space as possible, which is why you might struggle to find a rowing machine that fits your needs. The Concept2 Model D Indoor Rowing Machine is an exception though.

This particular rowing machine offers plenty of leg space and enough room for adjustment too, meaning even the tallest of users will be able to use the machine. It features a 14-inch seat height, which is definitely at the highest end of the market. However, this larger size means that the rowing machine will take up considerably more space in your home, requiring a footprint of around 9 x 4 feet in total.

Best Rowing Machine for Small People: Sunny Health and Fitness Rowing Machine

If tall people need a rowing machine with plenty of space, you can safely assume that smaller people are going to need a much more compact rowing machine.

Our best choice to fit this description and a rowing machine we’ve already featured for compact storage is from Sunny Health and Fitness. Its base isn’t as long as many rowing machines available on the market and you can adjust all aspects of the machine to suit the size of your legs. Meaning you could also still share it with a taller person.

One of the best things about rowing machines designed for small people is that they take up an awful lot less room too. If you’re small and don’t have much space for a rowing machine in your home, you’re in luck with this product from Sunny Health and Fitness.

Tips on How to Install a Rowing Machine

If you’ve bought a shiny new rowing machine, it can be a little difficult to install that rowing machine, especially if you’ve never used a piece of equipment like this before. Thankfully, we’ve put together a few handy tips to accompany this article and help you get set up with your rowing machine right away.

When it comes to installing a rowing machine, the biggest piece of advice we can offer you is to find a good space to put your rowing machine. Rowing machines are pretty large and cumbersome pieces of kit, so they can take up a fair bit of space. You’ll need to make sure you find a good place to keep your rowing machine, so that it doesn’t get in the way. But you’ll also need plenty of space around your rowing machine in order to use it comfortably.

It might even be worth investing in a rowing machine that can fold up and store away, if you’re strapped for space.

Rowing Machine Accessories

There’s also a number of accessories that are perfect for use alongside your rowing machine. We’ve detailed some of these accessories and our favourite products.

Heart Rate Kit

As with any exercise, it can be incredibly useful to closely monitor your heart rate whilst using a rowing machine. This is fantastic if you want to track how your heart rate is improving or just want to make sure that it’s staying within a safe range. You could just count your pulse, but that’s not very effective, is it?

A heart rate kit is a pretty effective solution for keeping track of your heart’s activity. These such kits are available in a number of forms and varieties. Our favourite choice is a simple watch like device that fixes to your watch, like this one from PulseOn It does all of the hard work for you when it comes to measuring your pulse and clearly displays the information on a large easy to read display on your wrist. Perfect for any method of exercise.

Workout Gloves

If you weren’t already aware, there’s a lot of gripping involved in using a rowing machine. You’ll need to grip onto the machine’s oars or lever, much like you would with the actual oars on a rowing boat. However, this can quickly become painful and you might start to notice blisters on your hands. That’s where workout gloves come in.

These gloves allow you to easily grip on to your rowing machine and exercise for longer without getting in too much pain. Our top choice when it comes to workout gloves for use with workout gloves are the Harbinger 143 Men’s Gloves A perfect all round choice when it comes to gloves for use with a rowing machine.

Rowing Machine Mat

As we’ve already mentioned, rowing machines can be large and pretty cumbersome pieces of kit. Depending on the surface floor you’re storing your rowing machine on, it might slip around or even mark your flooring. That’s where a rowing machine mat comes in. Many users of rowing machines at home choose to pick up a specialist mat with their machine, to place the rowing machine on.

As our top choice for rowing machine mats, we’ve yet again chosen a product from the popular rowing machine brand Stamina. Their Fold-to-Fit mat is designed so that you can fold the mat to a size that works for your rowing machine. The mat isn’t just reserved for use with rowing machines either though, you can use it with any exercise equipment.

Why buy a Rowing Machine?

So why exactly should you buy a rowing machine? The reasons to invest one of these pieces of kit are incredibly clear, but you might not already be aware of them. One of the biggest reasons is to support a passion for rowing. It might be the case that you already enjoy rowing or you’re looking to get into it. If that’s the case, rowing can be pretty inaccessible if you plan on practicing regularly. Which is where a machine like this comes in.

On the other hand, rowing machines also provide fantastic health benefits. It’s great exercise and 20 minutes on the rowing machine tends to burn more calories than that equivalent time on a treadmill or exercise bike.

What to look for in a Rowing Machine?

When it comes to buying a rowing machine, there’s a number of different aspects that you should look out for. The various rowing machines available on the market are more different than you might think, which is why it’s important to make the right choice.

There are three main varieties of rowing machine and which one you choose largely depends on what you’re looking to get out of using the machine. Magnetic rowing machines are without a doubt the most sophisticated variety available, giving a smooth action that makes you feel like you’re actually rowing on water. Perfect if you want to practice your rowing skills or train for an event. Hydraulic rowing machines on the other hand tend to be much cheaper, so provide a less authentic rowing experience. That being said, you might find this variety perfect for losing weight.

The other main variety of rowing machine is the sculling. This type of machine uses a swinging lever instead of a bar and cable. This makes the machine much easier to use and perfect if you’re just looking to get into rowing.

There’s a few other features to look out for when it comes to picking a rowing machine. Some machines include an LCD display, whilst others don’t. This isn’t a necessary feature, but is handy if you’re looking to track your speeds and distances.

It’s important to make sure that you try sitting on a rowing machine before buying. You’ll need to make sure that you feel comfortable. If the machine isn’t correct for you, you could do yourself an injury. Likewise, it’s important to make sure the machine fits in the space you have in your home. You might be limited in terms of space, so will have to be careful when it comes to picking a machine.

Conclusion

In conclusion, this guide should have provided everything you need to know about rowing machines, including information around the best rowing machine and a number of useful rowing machine reviews to help with your purchasing decision.