Top 3 Best Indoor Rowing Machines – One For Every Budget

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3 of the Best Indoor Rowing Machines

In order to get the most realistic experience of rowing, you’re going to need a boat, and easy access to water, which is not something many of us have, so the next best thing would be to use an indoor rowing machine.

We have put together 3 of the best indoor rowing machines if you’re looking to get one for your home.

Rowing machines arent only great for cardio as many would think; they can provide a full-body workout through resistance too.

We’ve included one for every budget. Low budget- mid-range and the high end packed with features you wouldn’t think a rowing machine would have.

And we’ve considering all of the important factors for each product.

The Best Indoor Rowing Machines:

High End:

The WaterRower Natural Rowing Machine

This one might be familiar to those of us who have seen the Netflix series ‘House of Cards’ This is the very same model from the show, the WaterRower Natural. The WaterRower has a really interesting looking water capsule at the helm, why?

Why The WaterRower is Different

Here’s why we consider the WaterRower one of the best indoor rowing machines. The WaterRower uses ‘Self – Regulating Resistance’. What this means is that resistance instead of being selected is infinite by using the water. Think of it like this- if you are rowing a boat on a lake the boat does not apply resistance to you, you apply work to the boat and it moves the boat at a speed which is equal to the amount of drag you overcome.

Which in practice means that you set the pace depending on your level of fitness as opposed to you trying to keep up with the machine’s demands after having set it on a difficulty level that was too high to start with. So this means no matter what level of fitness you are or how strong you are you can row on this machine and get a good workout. Clever stuff.

Wood has been used in the construction of the WaterRower Natural for it’s ability to absorb sound and vibration. Ideal if quiet operation is one of your requirements.

Another great thing we found about the WaterRower is how easy it is to store. It can be stood up and stored against a wall pretty easily. It doesn’t have to be laid flat in it’s operating position all of the time taking up lots of space in your garage or home gym. It even has built in dolly wheels which allow it to be moved around so you can row outside (weather permitting) then wheel it back inside.

The WaterRower comes in a range of styles and colours. We liked the Ash wood (natural) finish most but they are also available in walnut (classic) and Cherry wood (Oxbridge).

More info…

Mid Range

The Hammer Cobra XT: £429.95

Hammer is a name synonymous with high quality and excellent build quality across pretty much all of the products they make, maybe it’s a German thing, so we had to include it in the top 3 best indoor rowing machines. Their magnetic resistance Cobra XT is probably their highest selling model for those reasons.

For it’s price the Cobra XT moves surprisingly quietly, a lot of engineering has obviously gone into the movement motion, getting the noise down by stripping away needless parts, not everybody in the building needs to know you have just started rowing!

The Cobra XT has 10 different resistance levels, and adjusting the settings on the electronic display is easily done as they have done away with those small fiddly buttons that can make it difficult to understand exactly what you’re doing.

Put all of that with a comfortable ergonomic seat, a very sturdy construction and it’s ability to be folded for easy storage and you have an exceptional rowing machine that will last for a very long time.

More info…

Basic

The Body Sculpture BR3010: £99.99

It’s important to note that even though this is a rowing machine that costs less than the other two this rowing machine still packs a pretty impressive punch. In fact it is advertised as more than just a rowing machine. This is a gym which can be used to do arm curls, lateral movements, chest isolation exercises and lots more, but don’t worry it comes with a DVD that shows you the full variety of exercises possible.  It folds too, which is always a welcome addition with space being such an issue for many.

The BR3010 has a very basic screen read-out, which gives you all of the bare necessities such as stroke count, calories burnt and total count. Contrary to my first assumptions it actually has adjustable resistance and while being used actually feels a very sturdy piece of equipment, no weird creaking sounds while using it which is reassuring as I weigh 100kg.

More info…