3 Types of Rowing Machines – Which is best?

Whether you want to build stamina, tone muscles, or increase your cardio fitness a rowing machine should be your number one choice, why? Because you can achieve all with this amazing machine, yes thats right a rowing machine works 86% of your muscles while giving you a pro cardio workout at the same time, it is one of the only cardio machines that can provide both in the same workout.

Pros & Drawbacks of The 3 Main Types of Rowing Machines

If you want to find out which rowing machine type will suit your home and fitness level best, you must read on as we’re going to cover all the pros of each rowing machine type and its drawbacks. Let’s start with the most well-known type of rowing machine, the air rower.

Air Rowers

If you’re into your fitness and a regular at your local gym, you’ve probably come across an air rower. Air rowers were the first rowing machine to hit the markets over four decades ago, and they’ve been popular ever since. Commercial gyms love these machines, especially the Concept 2, which has revolutionized indoor rowing.

Dynamic Resistance

The big attraction with air rowers is that they use a dynamic resistance system that mimics the feel of rowing on water. There are typically no resistance levels to choose from; instead, the resistance strength is determined by the pace of your workout, just like rowing on actual water.

The natural feel of an air rower is unbeatable. It’s why most seasoned rowers love to train on-air rowers because their feel is so similar to outdoor rowing.

Use a Fan To Create Resistance – Noisy

The only drawback of air rowers is that they are noisy. They use a fan to create resistance, which can be loud, especially at high stroke rates. Also, most air rowers are equipped with a chain drive system, and while chain drive systems are desirable because of their durability, chain drives create a lot of vibration, which isnt ideal for a home gym.

An air rower is an excellent choice for a commercial gym where noise isnt an issue and for those of you who have garage gyms. But for home use, the noise level isnt ideal, and you will disturb others with the sound of your workouts.

Can Be Pricey

I’ve been reviewing rowing machines for many years, and I’m yet to come across a decent budget air rowing machine. If you want to get hold of a well-built air rower? Prices start at around $600, rising to about $1000 for a commercial-grade air rowing machine like the concept 2.

Magnetic Rowers

Magnetic rowing machines have been around for over a decade now and are fast becoming the first choice for home gyms. Even commercial gyms are starting to replace their air rowers with magnetic ones.

The reason magnetic rowing machines have become so popular is because of their whisper-quiet resistance systems.

The resistance system uses two magnets to crease resistance, and because these magnetics do not need to make contact with the flywheel to create resistance its frictionless thus, it produces little to no noise and is maintenance-free making it the perfect choice for a home gym.

Constant Resistnace

Magnetic resistance is constant; the resistance strength will not change unless you manually change it via the tension knob or through the monitor. It’s not like the dynamic resistance of the air rower, which gets stronger when you row faster. Instead, magnetic resistance is constant. It stays the same strength no matter how fast or slow you row.

Constant resistnace has its advantages. One is you can row slowly on a high resistance level ‘great for building the leg muscles’ and something thats impossible with an air rower because of its dynamic system.

Magnetic rowers usually come with 8 levels of resistance or more depending how much you spend. If you’re a beginner 8 levels is more than enough for your first rower.

Belt Drive

Most people like magnetic rowers because they usually come with a belt drive system rather than a chain drive. Belt drives are much quieter than chain drives and do not require maintenance.

Combining magnetic resistance with a belt drive system results in the quietest combination for any rowing machine type.

Cheaper Than Air Rowers

Because magnetic resistance is less costly to produce than air, the price of magnetic rowers is lower, so you can pick up a high-quality magnetic rowing machine for around $400. Even a few budget magnetic rowers around the $250 mark are impressive. The Sunny Health SFRW5155 is a good quality budget rower I’d recommend for beginners.

Water Rowers

Water rowing machines have been around for a while, but when they first appeared, they were so expensive they were out of most people’s price range, including my own. However good these things looked, I wasn’t prepared to pay $1300 for one.

Thankfully, they have come down in price over the past few years, and you can now get hold of a well-built, solid water rower for around $600. Or you can choose an equally impressive steel frame water rower, a good one for about $500.

Heavy Sturdy Build

So what is it that makes the Water rowing machine so appealing? They’re sturdy; their solid wood builds make them heavy. And heavy is a good thing because that extra weight keeps the machine planted to the floor, which is what we want from any cardio machine for home.

Also, they look great. The oak or walnut finish offered with these rowers will look impressive in any house or apartment.

Water Resistance System

But perhaps what’s most appealing about one of these machines is their water resistance system. Water resistance is dynamic, and just like air resistance, it increases in strength the faster you row, mimicking the feel of outdoor rowing. We also have the sound of the paddles pushing through the water in the tank, adding to the rower’s natural feel.

Water rowers are about as close as you’re going to get to the feel of outdoor rowing indoors, and it’s for this reason they have become so popular.

Filling The Water Tank

Still, if you want to make your workouts a little tougher you can fill the water in the tank to its highest mark to add some extra resistance.

Most water tanks come with six levels. And you need to think of these water levels as people in the boat with you, fill it to level one and it feels like your rowing in a boat on your own, fill the tank to level 3, and it’s like rowing in a boat with three people and so on.

The amount of water in the tank does make some difference to resistance strength, not a huge amount, but you’ll undoubtedly feel it. Still, as I already mentioned, the primary way to determine resistance strength when rowing on your water rower is through the pace of your workouts.

Wood Vs. Steel

It doesnt make any difference whether you choose a solid wood rower or a steel frame water rower the feel of the rowing stroke and the resistaance strength will be the same.

And regarding sturdy builds, both are impressive in that respect. A good quality steel frame water rower weighs around 90lb which is more than enough weight to help with stability, and your average wood rower weighs around the same, even without the water tanks filled. Thats another good thing about most water rowers, they are all heavy, sturdy machines, whether they are made of wood or steel.

To Sum Up

I love Air Rowers. Impressive machines, heavy-duty. Those things were always in my local gym. I used to go on one for warm-ups before lifting weights.

I have fond memories of the Concept 2’s, and I never saw one that had broken down in all the years I was there. Still, I believe thats the best place for air rowers, a commercials gym, unless you have a garage gym. Air rowers are noisy, and the chain drive system creates a ton of vibration, so they’re never a good choice for apartments.

Magnetic Rowing Machines are perfect for home use. This type of rowing machine was purposefully designed for home, and their whisper-quiet resistance and belt drive systems are ideal for home workouts. You can watch TV listen to music without the sound of the rower disturbing you.

And magnetic rowers are affordable. If you are a beginner, you dont need to spend more than $300 on one, and if you are more serious, you can get something with stronger resistance for around $400. Magnetic rowers are low-cost, quiet, and easy to use.

And lastly, the water rower – Since water rowers have come down in price, they have become another good choice for a home gym. They’re quiet machines. All you hear is the sound of the paddles pushing through the water, which isnt loud. It’s a soothing sound. You’ll love it.

Also, we get the bonus of dynamic resistance with a water rower, so not only do we benefit from a quiet resistance system, but we also have that natural feel we’re all looking for from a home rower.

If you can afford it, the water rower is the best choice. They’re well built, look great, provide that natural feel, and the noise level is low enough that they can be used just about anywhere without disturbing others.