I am going to revive this thread as I am looking at buying a rower and want current opinions and advice.

I regret so bad that pre-covid I sold an entire home gym of equipment, but it was all weights.

Now really all I want is all cardio full body workout. My wife and I have had a membership at Planet Fitness for two years, but used it at first and no more. We are wasting our money with the membership. The only thing I used there was a rower and it did a great overall workout for what I am looking for. I don’t recall what brand or model they had.

I do not need anything fancy, don’t need to feel like I am actually on the water, don’t need a tv screen, etc. I just want a good rower that provides a good workout at a good price. I really don’t want to spend more than $1,500.

I am trying to go through threads as there have been many on this topic but they are dated and technology changes and see some mention Costco and I will go get a membership if I need to in order to get the right equipment at the right price. Otherwise I will order.

I appreciate any advice.

Waterrower and Concept 2 are the big players. I've got a amazon knockoff folding water rower I like a lot, who knows if the manufacture is still going. The only thing I'll recommend is get one that's taller. off the floor.

I have the Concept2 and it's a great machine. I haven't used it in about a year, mainly due to my fight with the Big "C", but I'm getting back into the swing.

I second getting the tall version.....makes it easier getting on and off the machine.

Following, a rower is on my wishlist. But I'm really space limited

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
Following, a rower is on my wishlist. But I'm really space limited

This is the specific one I've got, it'll fit anywhere.

https://www.amazon.com/JOROTO-...6DMJ/ref=sr_1_1_sspa

we'd been using the Concept2 at our community activities center off & on for several years before Covid hit. About two days later my wife ordered one for us to use at home. That was a great decision! I downloaded the Erg Data app from Concept2 and started rowing 4-6 times a week, using the app, along with a H/R monitor, to track all my stats and log all my sessions: distance, time, H/R, pace, as well as lifetime distance (I hit just over 4.2 million meters yesterday).

As for space, we set our up in the guest room. The bed there is a a Murphy cabinet bed so we have some room. The Concept2, however, is easy to fold up to move out of the way if necessary.

This is the only decent rower I've ever used so I cannot offer any comparisons but I'm planning to take this one with us when we have to move into assisted living someday.

I ended up ordering the Concept2 rower. It was cheaper overall to order directly from the manufacture than Amazon or another website. I got the taller version. It was the only piece of equipment I used at our gym. By canceling the gym membership, it will pay for itself it in two years.

I wish we had the 'taller' version but since she's barely 5' tall, and the one who ordered it we got the shorty. Overall, it came in rehabbing my knee replacement this past year but it was a real pain getting on and off!

Also, be sure to look at the Erg Data app. It will really help track your workouts. This phone mount will hold your phone and let you customize the data fields you want to see while rowing...

https://tinyurl.com/C2Phone-Mount

quote:

Originally posted by Redleg06:
I wish we had the 'taller' version but since she's barely 5' tall, and the one who ordered it we got the shorty. Overall, it came in rehabbing my knee replacement this past year but it was a real pain getting on and off!

Also, be sure to look at the Erg Data app. It will really help track your workouts. This phone mount will hold your phone and let you customize the data fields you want to see while rowing...

https://tinyurl.com/C2Phone-Mount

I will definitely use the app and also want to use the phone mount. In all the different places I was looking to order from, some showed it came with the phone mount and some didn’t say so I will just see what comes with it when I get it and order if I have to.

Bought a WaterRower a couple of months ago. The basic oak version. I'm not a gadget guy and like the simplicity and how much it mimics real rowing. The harder you pull, the more resistance, very natural feeling. I love it and use it almost daily.

quote:

Originally posted by FenderBender:

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
Following, a rower is on my wishlist. But I'm really space limited

This is the specific one I've got, it'll fit anywhere.

https://www.amazon.com/JOROTO-...6DMJ/ref=sr_1_1_sspa

Thanks FB, that's much more reasonable than I expected & looks like it gets pretty compact for storage. Might work for the limited space where I have my Peloton bike.

If you have an OrangeTheory fitness in your area, check with them to see if/when they plan on refreshing their rowers.

We just bought one they were retiring for extremely cheap. It's this model:

https://www.waterrower.com/us/...irise-rowing-machine

It's orange. Bright orange. You can get all the parts from Waterrower though. It works great. I just hit it for the first time this week and I've learned that I am a rowing slug. Holy smokes. Rowing is no joke.

quote:

Originally posted by Veeper:
I just hit it for the first time this week and I've learned that I am a rowing slug. Holy smokes. Rowing is no joke.

Yeah I worked out hard in my 20’s with weights doing different body parts everyday. Now I am 52 and was surprised at how a rower works out so much of your body and is low impact.

We will cancel our gym membership as a rower is really all we used. It will be much easier to workout at lunchtime on the rower than going to the gym and I hope to loose weight and strengthen my core for my back pain.

Good choice on the Concept2. It is what we (and all the other programs) used when I was rowing in college. Be sure you take the time to,learn the proper technique and sequences of motion. I see a lot of people who no idea at the gym.

Got it on Friday and set it up today. I really like the App with how it connects my phone to the machine and how I will be able to wear my Apple Watch and collect exercise and heart rate data.

Sad it is crammed into a now storage room. This room was once a full gym with free weights and I sold it all when we thought we were building a new home and moving…then COVID hit. Now I just have a storage room with a rower. At least it is indoors and I have a ceiling fan in that room. Also have a wall mounted TV.

I also use this phone mount to see different data fields while rowing. The phone's display is also a bit brighter...

https://tinyurl.com/C2PhoneHolder

quote:

Originally posted by Redleg06:
I also use this phone mount to see different data fields while rowing. The phone's display is also a bit brighter...

https://tinyurl.com/C2PhoneHolder

Any reason you are using that holder? Did yours not come with a holder? Mine came with a holder that can fit both my iPad or iPhone.

A rower is very versatile in that not only can you do distance, time or intensity splits, you can do arms only, legs only or one leg at a time, for various splits. I use a variation of this as my warm-up for my rowing session.

quote:

Originally posted by jsbcody:
A rower is very versatile in that not only can you do distance, time or intensity splits, you can do arms only, legs only or one leg at a time, for various splits. I use a variation of this as my warm-up for my rowing session.

I agree. I think it is the best option for low impact overall body workout. I can’t wait to get started on it. The app has lots of features I look forward to trying. I have no excuses now. I have one in my house now and my agency will give three hours a week of exercise leave. So the days I work from home, I can workout during the work day without taking any time off. I hated going to the gym and can’t wait to cancel the membership.

"Any reason you are using that holder? Did yours not come with a holder"

We ordered ours in March of 2020 and it didn't come with a holder. I'm not sure if they even had them back them. A few years later I saw that the one you have was available but since we'd moved it from the garage to the guest room with 52" TV I just stuck with the smaller one. Besides, it's easier to take on vacation and use at local gyms.