Rowing machine?

[Danny]

Im looking to buy a rowing machine to shed the christmas pounds - well ok stones!!

Anyone got one they wanna sell or know what I should be looking for?

[daverobs]

I'm in the market too.  I have been told the Concept 2 is the machine to have - it must be good at that price!!

Dave

[cng1]

Concept 2 is the one to buy, no question.  All the others are just crap and are substantial disincentive to use them.  Yes the C2s are expensive but they hold their value incredibly well.  For instance a 2 year old model 2 is 800-850 second hand plus 50 quid shipping.  A new one is 939 which includes free shipping and a heart rate interface.

The C2s last forever, every couple of years you should replace the bungy cord which costs under a tenner and eventually they'll need a new chain and possibly seat rollers.  In a domestic situation nothing will ever need replacing, even in a gym environment where they're used continuosly for 12 hours a day they'll only need a six month service which would be 15 minute job of swapping the bungy and checking the chain.  Next time you go to your gym look at how many model B and C units they've got that are still in fine nick, model Bs are anything up to 20 years old now and model Cs are 4-6 years old.  How many pieces of kit can you think of that take a pounding every day yet even after that long are still worth a substantial portion of what they cost.

I looked on my model D as an investment, yes I could have got a cheaper second hand one but I wouldn't have used it as much and all told it wouldn't have saved me that much.  Looking back on the purchase a couple of months on it was absolutely the right thing to do,  the new monitor is great and allows me to track the improvement in my performance.

Yes 939 sounds a lot of money but view it as an asset or investment in your future and it's a very small price to pay.  Perhaps if we all end up getting rowers we should have monthly meters rowed tables to give us all a bit of an incentive.

[dern]

I bought one very similar to 5QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem" target="_blank">this from ebay for about £150 quid. The fittings like the computer and the foot straps definitely feel quite cheap but the machine itself feels pretty strong. The foot straps on mine were just thin velcro straps so I made some much stronger ones up. The machine lives in the garage and the computer definitely acts peculiarly when it's cold. As a rowing machine though it's very good. It's straight forward to use, no adjustments and you work to a heart rate (you'll need a monitor) and just speed up and slow down to achieve that heart rate. I got on mine yesterday and was utterly knackered after 10 minutes as I haven't done any exercise for a few months and have a cold but once you're up to speed half an hour to an hour every few days will keep you fit. You can put strain on your back though so make sure you do some warm ups first.

Your best bet is to get down to some kind of fitness shop and have a go on some machines as buying through ebay is a risk. I'm happy with mine but when I upgrade I'll just go and buy a 2nd hand concept I think. Mine is an air rower (resistance is created by a fan) which makes it noisy. Magnetic versions are available though. Give both types a go and see which you like best.

The only problem is that they take up quite a bit of room. A pnuematic one would take up less room but I've never liked them, you don't get the impression of maintaining speed... it's like riding a bike up a steep hill if you see what I mean. If you're short on space then you might want to look at an eliptical trainer. We have one and it's excellent but doesn't build up your upper body like the rower does while getting you fit. Depends what you want though, if you want to shift some fat then both will work and the magnetic elip takes up less space and is quieter than an air rower.

None of these things is as compelling as getting out and doing something outside though. I kayak and frequently paddle from Thatcham to Newbury and back which takes me about 3 hours. I get bored on the rower after about 10 minutes and have to really force myself to break past that and then I'm fine until about an hour and then I really want to look at something other than the garage wall... you could always watch the telly I guess.

Regards,

Mark

[daverobs]

Like the bit about incentive 'cause it must be difficult to keep going at times.

Seems like an effective way of reducing the Westie's 'sprung weight' too.

Dave

[Danny]

Wow!

Was thinking of spending £100 on a second hand one!

I have seen a Carl Lewis one in the loot!

Are these not worth the money?

[cng1]

Pneumatic are horrid abominations that are as likely to injure you as get you fit, they'll certainly annoy you in any case.  I haven't tried a magnetic one for many many years but I wasn't impressed last time I used one.  The concept2 air rowers aren't noisey in normal use although if you're an olympic rower they will be somewhat louder naturally

I'd save your 100 quid and get a cheap concept model B from ebay, they can go as low as 300 pounds and will be far better than any cheaper alternative.

[Phil. S]

I'd save your 100 quid and get a cheap concept model B from ebay, they can go as low as 300 pounds and will be far better than any cheaper alternative.

Or take up jogging. £60 will get you a decent pair of running shoes, and you'll burn twice the calories per hour you would on a rowing machine. And in Spring it's really quite enjoyable.

[VX2L16V]

VX2L16V *dusts off race bike*

[pistonbroke]

I have a 2.9 mtr inflatable , don't use the oars much prefare the O/B motor  

[88xflo]

Spent some time looking at rowers before buying one a few weeks back. Agree with earlier comments that C2's are the best out there by a very long way.

Having spoken to a few people, the only other machine worth considering is a Kettler Coach, make no mistake, it's not a patch on a C2, but seems much better than most others out there.

Kettler Coach's cost around £400 new but can be had 2nd hand from about £100. They use magnetic resistance, so are quiet and mine seems very smooth in use and totally solid (unlike my physique I might add.)

Only problem now is actually making myself use the damned thing.

[cng1]

Only problem now is actually making myself use the damned thing.

That's the thing I find the concept2 model D is good for as it stores all your workout info on a smartcard so you can be shamed by comparison with your previous history, it even stores the high scores from the fish game

[S8ight]

walk, it's as easy as that.

try to do a good few miles a day about 4 times a week and keep a good pace.

if you can go somewhere hilly all the better.

[dern]

Or take up jogging. £60 will get you a decent pair of running shoes, and you'll burn twice the calories per hour you would on a rowing machine.

Where did you get that information from? Last time I looked rowing and kayaking had more or less the same calorie burn rate as jogging.

[Phil. S]

Or take up jogging. £60 will get you a decent pair of running shoes, and you'll burn twice the calories per hour you would on a rowing machine.

Where did you get that information from? Last time I looked rowing and kayaking had more or less the same calorie burn rate as jogging.

To be honest, I can't remember. Probably from Runners' World, or Men's health or something like that. I was exagerating, but I'm pretty sure that (depending on your weight) you will burn more calories jogging. If you are a skinny ten stoner it probably wouldn't make much difference, but if you're a thirteen stoner or more chances are it'll make a significant difference. Also running outdoors as opposed to on a treadmill makes a difference. To simulate the effort of real running you have to set the treadmill to a 1-2 degree incline.

This backs it up 30 minutes of moderate rowing =300 calories. 30 minutes of moderate running (10 minute miles) =436 calories for an 83KG person.