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A Rowing machine is one great Possibility of for a more effective Full body workout for your own four walls. Rowing machine can you thereby help, Muscles build up, the Ausdauer to improve and at the same time Calories to burn. However, there are a few things you should bear in mind when choosing a rowing machine. This article summarises them for you.
Before you buy your rowing machine, you should be sure which type of rowing machine suits you best. There are many rowing machines on the market and you may not even know which one is right for you. There are basically 6 different types of rowing machine:
1. The construction method
2. The braking system
3. The screen
4. Is it suitable for my body?
5. the quality and the price
The dynamic rowing machine would possibly be the right choice for you if you are a professional rower and have a lot of space at home. The dynamic movement of the entire rowing machine makes the whole movement more dynamic and therefore more similar to the feeling of rowing, especially when catching and reversing backwards. But beware: this is not for beginners, as the movement becomes much more complex. You also need a lot of space as the equipment is significantly larger than conventional equipment. If you belong to this category, then take a look at the RP3, the Concept2 Dyno and the Biorower.
For most athletes, we recommend the classic rowing machine with handles and drawstring. The long path of the handle allows you to perform the movement fully. There is indeed a slight spin when paddling on the water, but that's not your goal. You want to move healthily on the rowing machine. The motion sequence is quickly learnt (with a little help) and depending on the braking system, rowing feels very realistic. We'll come back to the braking system in a moment.
If you don't want to spend too much money on a rowing machine, then a machine with rotating handles could be the best choice. But be careful: don't let the marketing talk you into it. Just because it's a circular movement, the dynamics of these machines have nothing to do with the movement on the water. We also recommend that you look at the price-performance ratio before being swayed by the low price.
When rowing, a lot of energy is generated with each stroke. On most machines, this energy is transferred to a flywheel mass. To make this feel as realistic as possible, this braking mass must be slowed down realistically. The rowing machine can be divided into different braking systems: Pneumatic, wind, water and magnetic.
Wind-braked rowing machines have become particularly popular with professionals and in gyms. The main advantage is a very smooth pull that gives you the feeling of moving the rowing boat. In addition, these units are usually so robust that you only need to clean the brake units occasionally to restore full resistance. The disadvantage here is obviously the mass. The roar of the "propeller" can motivate you in a rowing club, but in the gym, especially at home and in apartment blocks, it is annoying and you should check with your neighbour beforehand.
Water brakes have been around for a long time and have become really popular in recent years. The unit is much quieter than the wind brake unit. The bass volume is somewhat at the expense of the feeling of rowing. This does not feel very natural, although the simulation of rowing a boat on the water with the locks would actually suggest this. In addition, the resistance cannot be adjusted at all (water rower) or only to a small extent. The tank needs to be maintained as the water "breaks" quickly and needs to be replaced regularly or the choir balance needs to be adjusted with chlorine tablets.
Rowing machines with magnetic brakes are generally very quiet, so they are recommended for unrestricted use at home. Unfortunately, they usually do not feel the reality at all. Either you miss the resistance at the beginning of the stroke or the resistance is unusually high at the end of the stroke, making it difficult to get into the "flow". These devices are usually very simple in design and correspondingly cheap to buy.
Rowing machines with a controlled magnet utilise the advantages of the magnetic rowing machine, so they are very quiet. However, they control the pulling resistance every millisecond. This means that they can simulate almost any pressure curve (at least if they are well programmed) and thus come as close as possible to the feeling of rowing on the water. Probably the only disadvantage is the rather high price of the devices, as the control is quite complex.
Pneumatic rowing machines generate the pressure via a pneumatic piston, which creates the resistance. These are mainly rowing machines with a rotating handle. Although the machines are often advertised as having an "even pulling sensation", this is also the problem: the pulling sensation is absolutely even and there is no momentum. Over the course of a workout, you don't feel like you're pushing a rowing boat. It feels more like you have forgotten to push the boat into the water and are rowing on land. The boat comes to a complete standstill again after each arduous stroke. Only a few people keep regularly do this kind of training. It gets boring and tedious so quickly that hardly anyone lasts longer than 10 minutes. But make up your own mind and try it out in a shop before you buy.
Compared to the braking system, the differences in the display of a rowing machine are simpler. Of course, you should make yourself aware of what is important to you in terms of the screen on your device. The displays of rowing machines on the market can be divided into 3 groups.
You should definitely find out in advance whether the rowing machine is suitable for your physique. Unfortunately, this is not a matter of course. Some machines are so compact that many athletes are unable to perform a full rowing movement. This may not bother you so much at first, as you probably haven't quite mastered the technique yet, but you will notice it after a few sessions. We recommend that you test the device on site so that you are sure that it fits. In the following overview, we have summarised all the important points that you should bear in mind:
Of course, it is tempting to opt for a very cheap device. However, we would like to warn you about one trap: there are some comparison sites (some of which are well positioned in Google searches) that only compare extremely cheap devices. These sites make their money through affiliate marketing and earn money with every purchase on Amazon etc. This is not wrong at first, but the problem is as follows: These sites mainly advertise cheap rowing machines and sometimes even praise them as "test winners". Of course, you buy such a device much faster than a more expensive one. That's why these sites make a lot of money. In the end, it looks as if you can actually buy a good rowing machine for less than 500 euros. Unfortunately, this is not the case. On a cheap machine, the few last a week. YouTube rowing tutorials are full of comments saying that the correct technique is not even possible on many machines (because they are simply too short, for example). In many cases, cheap equipment quickly degenerates into a clunky and rather expensive clothes rack. After a while, a jacket or something is placed over it and it withers away in the corner. The same applies here: Quality (and function) has its price. We do not recommend spending less than 800 euros and even this would still be an extremely cheap appliance. There are also significant differences in the quality of appliances costing over €800. Some use mainly plastic, others use a lot of wood or stainless steel. In any case, take a good look at your appliance and think about what is particularly important to you personally. Check whether you are offered a sufficient guarantee and which parts may need to be replaced after some time and whether these can be easily purchased (e.g. in a spare parts shop) even after the guarantee has expired. Even if it's easier said than done, don't pay too much attention to the price at first. Find out which device convinces you the most. After all, it should be a good investment and you certainly want to use it in the long term, right? Then decide whether the price-performance ratio is right for you or whether you need to look for a cheaper alternative.
In conclusion, a rowing machine offers an effective way to perform a full-body workout at home. When buying, you should pay attention to quality, ease of use, space requirements and warranty period. Correct rowing technique is essential to avoid injuries and ensure an effective workout. If your chosen rowing machine fulfils these points, you can be all the more confident with your purchase.
Are you interested in a direct comparison? Our Olympian Lars has created a video for you in which he compares several different rowing machines and explains the advantages and disadvantages. You can find the video here.
We wish you lots of fun rowing! 🚣 🤗
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