CR2.1 "cross-rower" - Thoughts, or reviews?

theonenonlymrssmith
theonenonlymrssmith Posts: 26 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I was pretty settled on a $200 cheep-o rower to supplement my power yoga, when DH decided to walk into a fitness equipment showroom and we came across the majestic machine known as the cross rower.

As soon as I tried it, I was in love. I immediately felt my abs working, and was breaking a sweat in under 2 minuets. But the price tag has me in shock, and I am trying to convince myself I don't need to go into debt to get fit.

On the other hand, it was fun, time efficient, and one hell of a workout- so it could be worth it? And no other rower will ever satisfy me (though I am sure they would still get the job done)

Does anyone have one they've been using and care to share their impressions? Reviews are scarce at the moment, and I wouldn't even know how to log this exercise!

Replies

  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    How much is it?

    Honestly I'd go cheap, spending a ton of money on something so specialized would make me feel uneasy too.
  • __TMac__
    __TMac__ Posts: 1,669 Member
    A professional quality standard rowing machine (a Concept2 erg) costs half that.

    I think you've just convinced me that I should pull the trigger on getting one. I was stalling because I thought $1k was too high.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    edited June 2017
    I could only watch 3 min of the demo tape before I started getting whiplash from shaking my head and rolling my eyes.

    First of all, you have to be very careful when evaluating the physical effects of a gimmicky piece of equipment after trying it for the first time (and this is the quintessential "gimmicky" machine). Because you are moving in ways you are not used to moving, it will feel "harder" than it actually is. So you will think you are getting a "unique" workout, when in fact you will quickly adapt to it and it won't be so special anymore.

    Most of the claims I listened to, e.g. "Strength and cardio at the same time", "benefits of the 'bidirectional' movement", are just marketing gibberish-they have no physiological basis, and, in fact cannot happen the way Fred says they will.

    Unless you are a newbie, you cannot effectively train for strength and for cardio in the same movement. The higher the resistance, the less the cardio effect, and vice versa. So you are basically getting a goofy-looking cardio machine with a movement that will be very limiting the longer you have the machine.

    The idea that you can "push" and "pull" with the upper body while doing a "rowing" movement defies logic and common sense. I can't even imagine how that would work, and watching Fred's awkward movements on the video demonstrated to me pretty clearly that there are some biomechanical issues with this machine.

    I've worked with "bidirectional" strength equipment before (technogym easyline), and not only is it generally "meh", it is very difficult to maintain good form (which is just one more reason why the "strength and cardio at the same time" idea is bogus).

    In the video it doesn't look particularly well made, but I didn't see it in person.

    For $1995.00, I think it is a lot of hype, but little substance. I know you said you "loved" it, so I guess this isn't what you want to hear. I just think this has some serious flaws.
  • theonenonlymrssmith
    theonenonlymrssmith Posts: 26 Member
    MelanieCN77 wrote: »
    How much is it?

    Honestly I'd go cheap, spending a ton of money on something so specialized would make me feel uneasy too.
    Too much! Lol. $1,700. However, DH also loved it. His ankle is shot (he's 32 and looking at ankle replacements right now) So the low impact is about the only thing he can do. Im trying to use that to justify the cost.
    TmacMMM wrote: »
    A professional quality standard rowing machine (a Concept2 erg) costs half that.

    I think you've just convinced me that I should pull the trigger on getting one. I was stalling because I thought $1k was too high.

    It is definitely higher than a "regular" rowing machine, but I really liked that you got resistance both ways on this. Made me feel like I was getting the most efficient use of my time.
    Azdak wrote: »
    I could only watch 3 min of the demo tape before I started getting whiplash from shaking my head and rolling my eyes.

    First of all, you have to be very careful when evaluating the physical effects of a gimmicky piece of equipment after trying it for the first time (and this is the quintessential "gimmicky" machine). Because you are moving in ways you are not used to moving, it will feel "harder" than it actually is. So you will think you are getting a "unique" workout, when in fact you will quickly adapt to it and it won't be so special anymore.

    Most of the claims I listened to, e.g. "Strength and cardio at the same time", "benefits of the 'bidirectional' movement", are just marketing gibberish-they have no physiological basis, and, in fact cannot happen the way Fred says they will.

    Unless you are a newbie, you cannot effectively train for strength and for cardio in the same movement. The higher the resistance, the less the cardio effect, and vice versa. So you are basically getting a goofy-looking cardio machine with a movement that will be very limiting the longer you have the machine.

    The idea that you can "push" and "pull" with the upper body while doing a "rowing" movement defies logic and common sense. I can't even imagine how that would work, and watching Fred's awkward movements on the video demonstrated to me pretty clearly that there are some biomechanical issues with this machine.

    I've worked with "bidirectional" strength equipment before (technogym easyline), and not only is it generally "meh", it is very difficult to maintain good form (which is just one more reason why the "strength and cardio at the same time" idea is bogus).

    In the video it doesn't look particularly well made, but I didn't see it in person.

    For $1995.00, I think it is a lot of hype, but little substance. I know you said you "loved" it, so I guess this isn't what you want to hear. I just think this has some serious flaws.

    I suppose the movement DOES look odd. But it felt like you were on a boat, and it was kind of fun with the up and down bobbing motion. It felt semi natural and I didn't think it was awkward. That said, perhaps we will go in and try it again for a longer period of time and pay better attention to the movement.

    I didn't look into any of the marketing gimmicks, so I can't say proving or refuting those would sway me. I can only attest that it used muscles in both the push and the pull direction, and I definitely felt my abs working (which I did not feel on a "regular" rower. This made me feel like I was really using my workout time efficiently.

    For the record, I prefer to do yoga/power yoga, but need to add in something more because my day job is sedentary. So the idea of getting such a work out in a short amount of time is really tempting (and why Im looking at rowers in the first place) If Im going to put time into anything, I'd rather it be yoga.

    My DH is a mechanic, and was actually impressed by how well it was constructed. (Though he didn't nit pick, it was just his overall impression)
  • paulwozniak80
    paulwozniak80 Posts: 1 Member
    theonenonlymrssmith wrote: »
    I was pretty settled on a $200 cheep-o rower to supplement my power yoga, when DH decided to walk into a fitness equipment showroom and we came across the majestic machine known as the cross rower.

    As soon as I tried it, I was in love. I immediately felt my abs working, and was breaking a sweat in under 2 minuets. But the price tag has me in shock, and I am trying to convince myself I don't need to go into debt to get fit.

    On the other hand, it was fun, time efficient, and one hell of a workout- so it could be worth it? And no other rower will ever satisfy me (though I am sure they would still get the job done)

    Does anyone have one they've been using and care to share their impressions? Reviews are scarce at the moment, and I wouldn't even know how to log this exercise!

    Hello, I was just wondering if you still enjoy the machine and the workout you get from it. I just purchased one, still waiting for it to arrive. I just hope I didn't make a bad decision. :(
  • scorpio516
    scorpio516 Posts: 955 Member
    __TMac__ wrote: »
    A professional quality standard rowing machine (a Concept2 erg) costs half that.

    I think you've just convinced me that I should pull the trigger on getting one. I was stalling because I thought $1k was too high.

    +1

    Also check craigslist. I've seen older ones with old computers go for $3-500! And they service all the old ones AND you can add the newest, fanciest computer to any of them

    OK, the Concept2 computer is the opposite of fancy ;)

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