should I buy a rowing machine?

1. Fix your diet - don't rely on exercise. It doesn't work.
2. Resistance program of some sort. Lift weights or do body weight workouts.
3. Losing weight will help. Walking is great for health and mind.
4. A potentially boring machine won't help
5. Do you swim? Ride bike? Does walking hurt? How bad are the knees? Is it just a weight issue? Can they be strengthened/fixed?
6. There's always an excuse. I have pretty much a full gym in my basement, have a gym in my office building, and belong to a couple commercial gyms. Yet I don't lift like I know I have to if I ever want to fully realize my potential.

That's a lot of money to spend on something you've never tried......

CaffeinatedConfectionist wrote: »

Instead of dropping $1000 on a rower, why not spend like $100 on a cheap one to at least determine if you'll like it and if you'll use it? You can invest in cheaper machines for a minimal investment and if it turns out to be something you won't use, you haven't made a huge dent in your wallet. I have both an elliptical and a rowing machine purchased off of amazon for under $100 each. They aren't going to last forever, but I already feel that I have my money's worth out of them. Also, for what it's worth, an elliptical is going to be easier on your joints than rowing will be.

or buy day passes to a gym to try all the mchines, See if you like a gym thatd be ideal, if not find something you enjoy using while there. Or go take a class. Or a walk. Or whatever.

for 1000$ i could but 35-40 months of gym membership where i have access to everything

I know you didnt ask OP but your post makes me think your in the semi desperate want to lose weight mode so-

To lose weight all you need is calorie deficit. Set up your MFP with your stats and goals, And eat what it tells you. Buy a food scale to keep yourself accurate and honest. Weight loss is entirely CICO- CICO is calories in calories out. If you eat less then you burn you lose weight. Your body burns calories just being alive, Exercise isnt needed but it can be helpful. The way MFP is set up your calorie goal is your minimum- As in aim for that amount BUT if you burn more exercising you should eat back 50-100% confidently ( of course its hard to calculate just how many calories you actually burned exercising, So many of us eat back half). You need to fuel your body.

Think long term, Make small changes gradually that lead to a more painless transition that will be long term. Think like, Diet pop vs full calorie pop. For most people a relatively painelss change. Or a slightly smaller serving, Or dont go back for a second plate, Or take a small walk daily, Do some stretches, Pat yourself on the back for the extra serving of veggies you eat. Small changes. Baby steps. If you go all out and then burn out you wont be getting anywhere, Baby steps are a good thing. Small healthy changes breed quickly, Youll naturally turn to healthier choices with time. Dont force it to much to fast.

Exercise doesnt need to be painful, I lost most of my 110 pounds just walking, The gym came later. If you want to lose weight stick to it and maintain that loss later, Put time into finding foods and activities you enjoy and can keep up forever. Buying a 1000$ mchine you dont even know if you like and forcing yourself to use it for an hour a day is not likely something youd keep up forever, So its not worth doing.

As for full body strength, Yes a gym and lifting heavy things is helpful for that. But you can do body weight things for free, And you can get weights cheaply if you look around.

Theres NO need to spend all your money, I promise you that you will regret that later on.

CaffeinatedConfectionist wrote: »

Instead of dropping $1000 on a rower, why not spend like $100 on a cheap one to at least determine if you'll like it and if you'll use it? You can invest in cheaper machines for a minimal investment and if it turns out to be something you won't use, you haven't made a huge dent in your wallet. I have both an elliptical and a rowing machine purchased off of amazon for under $100 each. They aren't going to last forever, but I already feel that I have my money's worth out of them. Also, for what it's worth, an elliptical is going to be easier on your joints than rowing will be.

ETA: for strength purposes you'll be much better off with some sort of progressive overload lifting program. But I'm all for cardio for, well, cardiovascular health.

There is no rower anywhere for $100 that would simulate the feeling of a C2. You could literally set the $100 on fire and learn as much about rowing as trying a cheap machine.

Azdak wrote: »

CaffeinatedConfectionist wrote: »

Instead of dropping $1000 on a rower, why not spend like $100 on a cheap one to at least determine if you'll like it and if you'll use it? You can invest in cheaper machines for a minimal investment and if it turns out to be something you won't use, you haven't made a huge dent in your wallet. I have both an elliptical and a rowing machine purchased off of amazon for under $100 each. They aren't going to last forever, but I already feel that I have my money's worth out of them. Also, for what it's worth, an elliptical is going to be easier on your joints than rowing will be.

ETA: for strength purposes you'll be much better off with some sort of progressive overload lifting program. But I'm all for cardio for, well, cardiovascular health.

There is no rower anywhere for $100 that would simulate the feeling of a C2. You could literally set the $100 on fire and learn as much about rowing as trying a cheap machine.

I bought a “cheap” rower to try it out to see if I liked it. My “cheap” one was $300. Using that was a little like sliding on a 3-wheeled skateboard that was bungee corded to a door that didn’t really close and using a smart phone propped up on the door handle for a monitor. It was dreadful.

I bought a concept 2 because I do like rowing and I do use it quite a bit and can justify the cost.

But “rowing” on the cheap rower lacks any parallel to rowing on the concept 2 except that they both are rowing machines. The setting the cheap one on fire to learn about rowing is 100% accurate.

That said-I wouldn’t drop $1000 on anything if I didn’t know I liked it and would use it. And I’m pretty impulsive. I would definitely second the idea of day passes at a local gym to try it out first.

I have a C2. I use it in Winter, when I can't row a real boat (rivers get crunchy here). The C2 is great.

Some things you haven't thought of:

1. Rowing is technical. You won't get a good workout unless you learn to use it correctly. Most people in most gyms are not getting a good workout. There are good instructional videos on the C2 site, and you could video yourself to check your form, but competent instruction/feedback is more helpful if you can find it. Most trainers at most gyms don't do it especially well, either. So, there's a time investment in learning.

2. Rowing is full body, but unbalanced. You push with your lower body, and pull with your upper, in one plane of motion. For fun calorie burning exercise, this may not be a big deal, but for all-round fitness, it is. A lot of muscle groups miss out on the fun, with rowing, even though it uses more of them than other machines. At very high volume over a long period of time, imbalance also becomes a potential injury risk.

3. The C2 online community, with its challenges and forums, can be very motivating, if you enjoy that sort of thing. There are also races in the real world you can enter for fun or bragging rights.

4 It's not at all like kayaking, but both kayaking and rowing are fun. The waterway has a certain role in the fun factor, though. Last I knew, you could buy an aftermarket paddling add on for the C2. (It's expensive, too.)

Me, I'll never stop rowing until my aging body totally breaks down (which will happen much later on account of the rowing ), but I'd vote with those who say you ought to try to find a way to try it before spending a whole summer's worth of hard-earned $$$. It will readily meet all your workout goals, but only if you actually use it, and that's tightly linked to whether you enjoy it.

Best wishes!

I have a C2 rower and currently row 10k meters/day for an hr/day and burn 550 cal/day on it.

I have used all kinds of cardio equipment and it is the best piece of cardio equipment I have ever used. You cannot go wrong buying it in terms of the quality of construction and the quality of the workout.

HOWEVER, I agree that you should NOT buy one unless you are sure you are going to use it.

I bought a LeMond RevMasterPro Spin bike, which cost as much as the C2, b4 I bought the C2 but seldom used it and stopped using it almost entirely after I bought the C2. The spin bike just sits there now but I don't need to sell it because I've got more money than sense.

I also only used the C2 sporadically when I 1st bought it 2 yrs ago putting only 400k meters on it in a year and had put only a few 100k meters on it this year until I began to use it seriously 5 months ago and have put 1.2 million meters on it since then. My goal is to reach 2 million lifetime meters by the end of the rowing reason on April 30th, which I am certain to achieve.

The reason for the major change in useage was a change in my need/aporoach to training and eating. I eat more and do cardio to burn cals to keep my net cals and weight at maintenance.

Given your limited finances and unfamilarity w/rowing, I'd suggest you find a gym w/a rower (any type will do) and go there regularly to use it to see if you enjoy rowing more than other types of cardio.

If you do, then buy one provided you have the space (at least 3x9') to put it where it won't get in the way and the commitnent to use it.

If you can't find a gym w/a C2 rower and want to take the risk, AnnPTT77's point above is a good one. If you buy it for $940 (including shipping from C2) and decide w/in a year or less that you really don't like it, you should be able to sell easily it for $750-800 on Craigslist, which would only be a $190 loss (or cost of use) at most.

Good luck!

CaffeinatedConfectionist wrote: »

Azdak wrote: »

CaffeinatedConfectionist wrote: »

Instead of dropping $1000 on a rower, why not spend like $100 on a cheap one to at least determine if you'll like it and if you'll use it? You can invest in cheaper machines for a minimal investment and if it turns out to be something you won't use, you haven't made a huge dent in your wallet. I have both an elliptical and a rowing machine purchased off of amazon for under $100 each. They aren't going to last forever, but I already feel that I have my money's worth out of them. Also, for what it's worth, an elliptical is going to be easier on your joints than rowing will be.

ETA: for strength purposes you'll be much better off with some sort of progressive overload lifting program. But I'm all for cardio for, well, cardiovascular health.

There is no rower anywhere for $100 that would simulate the feeling of a C2. You could literally set the $100 on fire and learn as much about rowing as trying a cheap machine.

I stand corrected! I'm not going to set my cheap one on fire, but I'll admit to having a lot of curiosity about the C2s now. The only other rowers I've used have been at the gym and were different models.

If you are serious about erg rowing, there is nothing better than a Concept2 available for home use. I learned this long b4 I drank the kool-aid and became a rowing fanatic myself.

I believe that you get what you pay for and have no problem paying more for a quality product. However, the C2 Is actually cheaper and more reliable than some other hi-end rowers, which makes it an even better value.

My C2 and Lemond spin bike simply are the best made products in their class. They will last much longer than I will and will be a legacy gift to my heirs if they are smart enough to keep and use them after I'm gone.

Many of the gyms I have been in had either a C2 or a very similar competitive model. (the "fitness room" in my apartment building has a C2, and the gym I lift at has a dozen of them too)

I would VERY strongly suggest that you go to a local gym that has either a free trial or a cheap drop in fee and try out at least a 15 minute session on one (trust me a 15 minute row is a serious workout for a novice!) and see if you think you like it (or at least tolerate it) enough that it doesn't become a very expensive laundry rack.

I would further suggest that there are a lot of dusty rowing machines (and every other piece of exercise equipment) with clothing hanging on them in at least half of the houses in your town. My cousin just bought a C2 that couldn't possibly have had a half hour of use on it for 450 a few months ago. Some judicious use of the internet can probably cut your cost at least in half if you decide you actually want one after trying one out.

Sometimes the gym is a good investment. Numerous machines and weights and opportunities to vary exercise. Treadmills, elliptical, bikes, rowing machines, weights. All for one monthly price that can be renewed or cancelled. Also the gym maintains the equipment if defective or broke.

1horsetown wrote: »

I LOVE a rowing machine. Seriously. But my back HATES rowing machines!! 20 minutes on a rowing machine will have me hobbling for weeks. Don't buy one until you've had a chance to use one a few times to see if it's really what you want.

Good point that it can aggravate some pre-existing issues.

Even in people without pre-existing issues, poor technique can cause problems. Specifically, allowing the spine to curve (slumping, arching) under load is a Bad Plan.

Modern coaching (US, at least) is to keep the spine straight, engage the core, stay tall, and pivot from the hip joint to get the body swing in the rowing stroke.

(Back in the "olden days" - say 1970s-80s and earlier - there was more common coaching of a C-shaped back. You'll see it in some elite rowers of the era. Many of them have back problems now. ).

We got one about a month or so ago and I'm rowing 5,000 or 6,000 m most days, 30 to 40 minutes. Im a.walker, and what I love about the rower is it works more of my body, I really feel the exertion.

My first machine would be a stationary bicycle - one of the simple ones. Easy to move, takes little space, can take it into the garden to cycle outside. Good re - sale value once I get fed up with it.

I love my concept 2 and have used it for an hour every other day for 2.5 years, BUT... I would never spend $1,000 on something like a rower if that was a significant portion of my savings. Sounds like the OP is looking to lose weight, as others have said you don't need any exercise equipment to do that.

If anyone is interested in buying a concept 2 another way to save a few bucks is buying one from a rowing competition. A lot of larger cities have rowing competitions once a year that feed into the CRASH-B competition. They will buy 100's of brand new concept 2's to be used that one day and then they sell them for a few hundred dollars under the going price for a new one. They aren't brand new, but have only been used for a few races for one day. The other plus is no shipping costs, you pick yours up from the race site.