8 Things To Look Out For When Purchasing A Home Rowing Machine 2019
A rowing machine can provide the ultimate all body workout with the benefit of being much kinder to your joints than other pieces of equipment. The motion of rowing offers great cardiovascular benefits also, which is great news for your heart and lungs. In fact some consider swimming to be the only total body workout more effective compared to rowing. With this in mind, it is of no surprise that rowing machines are becoming a must have for many home gyms around the country. But what in-fact do you look for in a rowing machine? What sets one machine apart from the others? Well these are questions that you will be able to answer by the end of this article.
SPACE
SPACEOkay, without sounding patronising, a lack of space is something that catches out more people than you might think. In the eagerness to get started, it isn’t unusual for some of us to just go straight online or out to make the purchase. This is then halted when back at home by the fact that you don’t know where to put the machine or it doesn’t fit where you had in mind. Therefore it is good practice to pick a desired area beforehand, measure it and note the figures down. You can then check the total dimensions of any machine with the confidence it will fit.
For those with limited space, fear not. There are now a wide range of rowing machines that are now made to fold. The folding function allows for easy storage and transport but be sure to look out for the folded dimensions too. It can also be beneficial to allow slightly more room than measured, taking your arms and body into account.
USERS
Another thing to think about before committing to your purchase is who is going to be using the machine. Different users are going to have different requirements for example a professional rower will likely need a high quality machine to simulate realism. On the other hand, if you need a machine for general fitness, you may not consider as many factors. You may also want to consider the the height of the intended users. If the intended users are a lot taller that the average person, or a lot smaller, you may need to take a note of the minimum and maximum user height. Users need to be comfortable enough to smoothly transition to every stage of the rowing motion. It will defiantly be beneficial for the users to try the rowing machine before purchase if possible. This give the opportunity to get a feel for the machine.
PRICE
The price of a rowing machine that is suitable for home use can range from anything between £80 – £2000. The price that you pay will obviously be highly influenced by what you can afford but also influenced by what you need out of the machine. If you need a machine that you want to use a couple of times on a daily basis, you may need to spend a little bit more to ensure the one you buy is durable enough. While the phrase, you get what you pay for may hold true for rowing machines, be sure to carefully consider the features of the machines you look at .
This will avoid you buying a machine for way over what it is worth. Like with many thing, there are always well priced quality rowing machines out there it just takes you making a little bit more effort when comparing them. Check out the JLL range of rowing machine right here:
CONSTRUCTION
The quality of the rowing machine should be a factor when deciding which one to actually purchase. It is important to inspect how smoothly the seat is allowed to slide across the rail. You should also keep an eye out on the quality of the seat because this could have a huge impact on the general enjoyment of the machine. You should also check the general stability of the rowing machine, give yourself a little shake whilst sat on the rower to see how well it has been put together. If there is a lot of movement and/or rattling then you may want one with more quality.
RESISTANCE
Believe it or not, there are actually a number of different types of rower on the market today. These consist Air resistant rowers, Water resistant rowers, Magnetic resistant rowers and hydraulic resistance rowers. So let’s take a look at the difference between each of these.
Air resistance – The resistance on these machines is caused by an influx of air that flows through the rowers flywheel
Water resistance – With these types of rower, the flywheel is immersed in water and this is what resistance
Magnetic resistance – resistance on these machines is applied by turning a knob or lever. the mechanism controls how close a magnet is to the flywheel of the machine. the closer the magnet, the greater the resistance
Hydraulic resistance – these are the more low cost versions of rowers and as the name suggests, the resistance is created via hydraulic cylinders
WARRANTY
Rowers are no different to any other investment when it comes to warranty. A longer warranty will indicate a more confident manufacturer. A confident manufacturer is likely to have gained this confidence from the quality of their product. The market standard is usually a year. Anything less than a year should raise suspicion and anything over should do the opposite.
MONITORING CONTROLS
Unless you have gone for an extremely budget or compact machine, your rowing machine should have a monitor. The monitor should allow you to track certain things such a time used, distance traveled and calories burned. Rowing machines on the higher end of the market may give even more information. This may include heart rate and so on.
LEVELS OF NOISE
If you plan to have your rowing machine in a general living space as opposed to a home gym, noise may be a factor. In relation to resistance, Magnetic rowers may be the best in terms of being the quietest. However as a general rule, the higher quality machines will usually be quieter due to a greater build quality.
So now you have a few things to look out for when purchasing your rower. For information on correct rowing techniques, check out our usage blog article:
ROWING TECHNIQUES AND BENEFITS
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