How the Water Rower Works

If you’ve never seen a Water Rower before, prepare yourself for a revelation. The sleek design is so stylish and luxurious that you’ll never again see exercise equipment in quite the same way. The machine itself is a visual symphony of American hardwoods, anodized steel and the smoky, fluid curves of the polycarbonate tank that holds the water. The classic elegant design of the Water Rower fits right into the décor in most homes, like a carefully chosen piece of fine furniture. It’s specifically created for the home gym, and designed to fit into a small space. When it’s not in use, you can simply stand the WaterRower on end, and it takes up less space than a dining room chair. All in all, the Water Rower looks far more like an elegant, up-scale sculpture than a serious piece of fitness equipment.

Make no mistake, though. A serious piece of fitness equipment is exactly what it is. The Water Rower was designed by rowers for rowers, and that shows in everything from the tiniest details (like the non-slip grip on the aluminum oar) to the patented water paddle mechanism that makes the Water Rower the closest possible experience to rowing on the water. That makes possible a smooth, flawless rowing motion that exercises all of your large muscle groups at once – without putting undue stress on joints and bones. It’s stylish, timeless, elegant – and the best aerobic workout that you can find anywhere.

Short History of the Water Rower

Rowing machines have been around for well over 100 years. One of the earliest patents for a rowing machine was filed with the U.S. Patent Office in 1872, and when the YMCA decided to add gymnasiums to their facilities, indoor rowing machines were among the first exercise machines introduced. Those machines were nothing like the Water Rower, though. The old-fashioned rowing machine consisted of a seat that rode on a pair of rails as the rower pulled on ‘oars’ and pushed with his legs.

Since one of the key elements of the exercise in rowing is the drag on the oars as they pull through the water, older rowers used bands attached to the seat to mimic the water’s resistance. If you wanted a harder workout, you used stronger bands with more resistance. The first major design innovation to the rowing machine was the ergonomic rower, which replaced those bands with a flywheel that used air to mimic water resistance. Since 1981, when the ergonomic rower was introduced, people have used air, bands, chains, pulleys and even magnets to make rowing a rowing machine feel like rowing a boat. It wasn’t until 1988 that John Duke, a member of the U.S. National Team in rowing and a naval architect, patented his unique WaterFlyWheel design. The WaterFlyWheel is the heart of the Water Rower’s unparalleled rowing experience.

Why the WaterFlyWheel Makes the Water Rower Unique

One of the beauties of rowing as an exercise is that the harder you row, the more resistance there is against your oars. The more resistance there is, the stronger your workout. Most rowing machines use some mechanism to simulate that resistance. The most popular and well-known is the Concept 2, which uses a flywheel spinning in the air. It’s noisy, and the resistance needs to be manually set to change the level of your workout. Because the resistance is artificially set – or imposed – you run the risk of straining muscles by trying for a workout that’s beyond the limit of your capability.

Not so with a Water Rower. Because the resistance in the rower is provided by water, it works the exact same way that water does – makes sense, doesn’t it? Here’s how it works:

At the front end of the Water Rower is a tank of water. When you row the machine, you’re turning a paddle wheel inside the tank. The paddle wheel’s turning makes the water in the tank spin. The harder you row, the faster the water spins. The faster the water spins, the more resistance there is. The more resistance there is, the more you get from your workout. To get a more powerful workout, all you have to do is work harder.

Because the resistance is geared to your ability, it increases naturally as your own strength and abilities increase. There’s far less risk of overstraining yourself by setting the resistance higher than your body is ready to handle because the resistance is self-regulating. You never risk working your body harder than it is ready to work.

Filling the Water Rower

The first time you use your WaterRower, you need to fill the water tank with water. The manufacturer suggests that you use plain, ordinary tap water to fill the tank, because it contains chemicals that inhibit the growth of algae. After the tank is filled, the only maintenance it will need is an occasional chlorine tablet added (every 6 months to 2 years, depending on the amount of sunlight on the water tank.)

The amount of water that you put into the tank determines how hard a workout you’ll get. The suggested amounts are:

Children: 12-14 liters
Women: 14-16 liters
Men: 16-18 liters

There’s a handy level gauge marked on the side of the tank so that you know how far to fill it for each level of workout.

The Water Rower – As Close As You Can Get To Rowing Without a River

Rowing on a Water Rower is as close as you can get to rowing on the water without being on the water. The ergonomically designed, padded seat glides soundlessly and smoothly on anodized steel runners attached to wooden rails. There’s no clanking or banging, no mechanical sounds to break your concentration on the rhythm of your rowing. Instead of your ears being assaulted by the hum of the flywheel whirring through the air, the only sound you’ll hear is the pleasant, rhythmic rush and whoosh of water. The rhythm, say many rowing enthusiasts, helps keep the pace of your workout steady, and adds to the feeling that you’re gliding along on the open water.

Living with the WaterRower

The WaterRower is designed to fit into any lifestyle, into any style. It comes in three different “series” with several models available in each series. The Natural selection is crafted of solid ash, and stained in either oak, or rose and black. The Designer series is elegantly styled in different materials, including models in black walnut, cherry wood and stainless steel. The M series is designed for the commercial market, and features a low-rise and a high-rise model each designed in brushed stainless steel.

Each model is available with or without the computerized monitor, and there’s an option to add a monitor later if you choose to buy without at first. The monitor does far more than keep an eye on your speed or your heart rate. Through a variety of functions, you can use the S4 monitor (the latest upgrade) to monitor your progress, keep track of your workout statistics, tell you when you’re working at optimum benefit level – even tell you how fast you’re rowing and how many miles your machine has been rowed overall.

The Water Rower gives you all the benefits you’d get from taking a scull out on the river – a full, low-impact aerobic workout that works the arms, chest, back, shoulders, legs, thighs and glutes – all in the comfort of your own workout room. It does it with a machine that’s so well-designed and stylish that it fits into any room style and décor. Beauty, utility and unparalleled quality all rolled into one compact fitness machine. It just doesn’t get much better than this.

Kristopher Gardner is a freelance writer and home exercise enthusiast providing information about indoor rowing machines at http://www.All-Rowing-Machines.com.

Visit the site to see the pro’s and con’s about the WaterRower!

Rowing Machines Are An Excellent Fitness Machine That Should Be Included In One's Routine

Rowing machines are an excellent fitness machine that should be included in ones routine. They are the perfect fitness equipment both for loosing weight, improve stamina, burn calories and as well to rehabilitate muscles, ligaments and joints after an injury.

If you are looking for a low-impact piece of exercise equipment that can provide everything from fat-burning cardiovascular aerobic workouts to anaerobic strength-training workouts, you should consider purchasing a rowing machine. There are numerous brands and styles to choose from, and there is a wide price range as well. They are great for a home gym, and some are even compact enough to be stored underneath your bed or couch. It's no wonder that rowing machines born of the Great Boom of the early 80s are now a staple of so many yard sales ($15 and not a penny more). They are to rowing what the first running machines were to running; essentially unrelated. These days, technology has moved many exercise machines much closer to the motion they are intended to mimic, and rowing machines make a particularly good case study.Whether you have real-life (meaning, on water) rowing experience or not, using a rowing machine is a great way to stay active and healthy.

Fitness

Rowing helps me maintain fitness, and my weight, and it allows me to be injury free. Fitness rowing machines based on magnetic resistance are available utilizing only magnet resistance or a combination of magnetic and air resistance. If you go to your local Gym or fitness centre, you will probably find rowing machines. You should be exercise equipments fitness gymn home erie luxury homes customer reviews on gazelle fitness equipment debt consolidation rate wholesale fitness equipment.

The best abdominal exercises Indoor rowing machines - now close to perfection Rowing machines are the business for calorie burnIs there an alternative to the Concept 2 indoor rowing machine. Rowing machines The term "rowing machine" has come to mean a machine used indoors for exercise or training purposes and which simulates the motion of rowing a boat using a pair of oars and a sliding seat. They exercise muscles in your arms, back, abdomen and legs. Rowing exercise offer both aerobic (heart and lungs) and anaerobic (muscle strengthening) benefits. They are an intense calorie burning exercise. They are fruitful in attaining fitness in true sense Fitness is dear to every one in the present era. Rowing also provides aerobic conditioning and strength training which makes rowing a very time efficient exercise. Rowing is also one of the few exercise machines that can strengthen the back. They offer you the chance to increase the tension setting and speed to challenge you. They are amazing for their gliding on water feel. Rowing MachineHome> The fitness benefits of a rowing machine are countless.

Health

Health, October 2003 Rowing Machines Offer Total-Body Workoutby Dina Mishev One of the least-used gym machines may be just what you need for toned arms, shoulders, and thighs. I had rowed my way to heart healthiness and was given a clean bill of health by my physician and taken off blood pressure medication. Dieting is only a small part of the whole weight loss / health regime. Eating healthy for the sake of feeling good and practicing moderation and enjoying foods is way high up there in the tree. I am proud of myself for prioritizing my health. I’ve been thinking about the whole weighing in thing with this my renewed effort in getting healthy. General manager Tom Carter says: "We are trying to help young people understand the benefit cardio exercise can have and how integrating gym work into a healthy lifestyle can reap fantastic benefits. We've been told that BMI is a good measurement of your weight and health status and that by just losing weight we'll be healthier and live longer.Luckily for me the gym had two Concept 2 rowing machines. Indoor rowing is one of my preferred forms of exercise so I’d love to have a rowing machine in my home- this would not only be convenient, but the one in my gym is a piece of junk. If anyone has any experience with rowing machines I’d love to hear some thoughts.

Indoor rowing is one of my preferred forms of exercise so Id love to have a rowing machine in my home- this would not only be convenient, but the one in my … […]on 09 Aug 2007 at 1:47 am Rowing Machine » WaterRower Club (S4) Rowing Machine. When I researched rowing machines I became convinced that a magnetic rower was the perfect fit for my home. The air resistance mechanism ensures a smoother ride than the piston resistance machines. With the Proform R400 rowing machine you can work all the major muscle groups with one machine. It is a solid machine and it appears to be one that will last for years. (Report this) 5 of 5 people found the following review helpful: This rowing machine ROCKS.

After having purchased an inexpensive piston rower (which was not so bad, by the way) I tried in a fitness shop some magnetic rowers and I found them much better. So I shopped around and I tried the Tunturi R30, The Kettler Coach, the Fitness Quest Integrity 3000, the Water Rower,the Lifecore R900, the Life Span and the Body Craft VR 100. I found that the Body Craft has the best value for money ratio. It is built very well, its ergonomics are handsome, the workout is fantastic, and the price is very acceptable. I particularly like the position of the footpedals and of the handle-bar,which I think is perfect.It also looks like it is very durable and it will last forever. I am very much satisfied, and would recommend it to everyone looking for a classy rower at a very honest price.

Conclusion

Rowing machines are an excellent fitness machine that should be included in ones routine. When you are looking for rowing machines in a store or online its important to buy the best machine for you on the market. The rowing machines are supplied with detectors of time, tempo, distance and burnt calories control. Cardiovascular machines ? steppers, treadmills, stationary bikes, elliptical and rowing machines are aimed at improving cardiovascular and respiratory systems. Exercising with Rowing machines is a complete exercise that is satisfying, enjoyable to do and provides a balance of fitness benefits.The secret to a good rowing machine workout is to get your legs involved. Secure your feet with the straps. Start your motion by pushing back with your legs, then pull back on the handles. With double handles, just follow the track. With a single handle, bring it toward your lower chest. Slide forward to the beginning position and repeat. Rowing machines are easy to use with just a little practice.You may think of rowing as more of a sport than an exercise. It's actually both. Rowing machines are relatively low cost pieces of aerobic equipment that can give you a great dry land workout and condition your muscles for on-the-water rowing, if you want to do that. Rowing machines take up some space when in use, but many can be folded for storage, making them good for home workouts.

by Alex Wong
the website can be located at Kettler rowingmachine