Water Rower -- Just Like a Cruise Down the River Without Getting Wet

I used to row competitively in my youth, but since then, my rowing exercise had been limited to occasional workouts on an aging hydraulic machine.

I had no idea how much technology had advanced in this area, until I was offered a trial of a new WaterRower exercise machine.

The first obvious difference that I noticed was the use of a flywheel which used paddles to connect to a moving mass of water. Just like rowing on water, the connection was fluid, with none of the jerkiness and jarring typical of other rowing machines.

The WaterRower’s flywheel has been designed to emulate the dynamics of a boat moving through water. When rowing, the workout is generated by overcoming the effect of drag as the boat moves through the water… So with the Water Flywheel the workout is generated by overcoming the effect of drag as the water moves past the tank.

Many rowing machines imitate the action of rowing, but they do so mechanically and often lack the natural dynamics experienced when a boat and crew glide down a river. When a crew row down a river they work to overcome the effect of drag which acts against the hull of the boat. The faster the boat is propelled the greater the drag and the harder the crew must work.

The flywheel reproduces these same natural dynamics.

Like other naturally performed aerobic pursuits such as swimming, running and cycling, to increase your intensity you don’t increase resistance, you simply swim, run, cycle or row harder. The faster you go the higher your intensity.

When each crew member on a boat pulls a stroke, he or she works to accelerate the mass of the boat and crew. The effort is applied evenly throughout the whole stroke, utilizing the muscles of the legs, torso and upper body in unison, exercising the whole body uniformly.

Similarly, the rowers flywheel responds to the work applied, allowing constant effort through the whole stroke. This is unlike resistance based machines where effort is high at the beginning of the stroke and fades as the resistance is overcome.

My old hydraulic rower replicates the rowing action mechanically. This harsh action (as most rowing machine users will be aware) creates a mechanical fatigue, generating soreness and aching which are not experienced when actually rowing on water. The WaterRower replicates the action naturally, and hence is free from this mechanical fatigue.

This makes the exercise as pleasant as a row down the river. When rowing, an oarsperson works to overcome the effect of drag acting on the boat. The faster the boat moves, the more drag is created the harder the oarsperson must work to maintain that speed. The limit to how much work can be done is the oarsperson, their physiology, their ability to do work. The WaterRower’s flywheel replicates this self paced dynamic.

Ask most fitness equipment users to work harder and they will immediately reach for the knob or button designed to increase resistance. Naturally performed aerobic exercises such as rowing, swimming, running and cycling dont have knobs to turn or a buttons to push, so how do you work harder?

In naturally performed aerobic exercises you increase or decrease your exercise intensity simply by going faster or slower. You do not increase an imposed resistance on yourself, you simply choose the intensity at which you wish to exercise and go at a speed which relates to that intensity.

The equipment seemed to exercise all muscles evenly, and even a brief workout should burn calories and tone your body whether you are young or old, fit or unfit, ( like me!)

Just like a cruise down the river and I did not even get wet!

Tony Wilton writes regularly on health and fitness issues at his site http://www.fitness-health-beauty.com

You Get A Full Body Workout And A Toned Torso With A Rowing Machine

One of the most complete cardiovascular exercises around has to be rowing. A proper workout on a rowing machine will tone all of the major muscle groups such as your legs, back and arms. The beauty of using a concept 2 rowing machine is first of all it doesn't involve water.

This rower doesn't get you wet, there are no early morning trips to get your machine out of the boat shed. No cold changing rooms and gale force winds for your training session. And there is definately no need to find the nearest river to row your machine on. All you have to do is set it up in an adequately spacious area and away you go.

There are lots of different machines available on the market. Although they generally fall into 2 categories:

-Water rowers -Air rowers

The water rower, which contrary to their namesake, do not end up in you getting wet after a vigorous workout. The machines are very beautifully designed and use enclosed water and paddles for resistance as opposed to air. These rowers tend to be quieter than air rowers and are just as much works of art as they are exercise machines.

Then we have the concept 2 air rower. There are many other brands available but this piece of machinery is commonly accepted to be one of the best, if not the best. They are engineering masterpieces and are all calibrated to the same standard. So, if you do a certain time on a concept 2 rower, you can rest assured that, that time will be replicated exactly on another concept 2 machine. This is the reason why the world indoor rowing championships use the concept 2.

The information that the display monitors show on the concept 2 is extensive, with the new monitors even being able to be plugged into a PC, so you can race with other rowers from all around the world.

Shopping online for a bargain rower is easier than ever. Take the hassle out of dragging your feet around the mall, put your feet up, pour your favourite drink and browse through our links and see what offers we have available.

Vanessa Cane is A Freelance Writer For 1st-For-Exercise-Equipment.com. You Can Find Lots Of Useful Information About All Kinds Of Exercise Equipment, Including Treadmills And Elliptical Machines.

Vanessa Cane is A Freelance Writer For 1st-For-Exercise-Equipment.com. You Can Find Lots Of Useful Information About All Kinds Of Exercise Equipment, Including Treadmills

Rowing Machines Are New Age Phenomenon

Rowing machines are one of the few pieces of gym equipment that exercise practically every single muscle group you have. They are a new age phenomenon. They are one of the best types of fitness machines that you can use if you want to get a full body workout. They are also great for strengthening your back and core-strength in general. One major attraction of fitness machines is that the exercise doesn't involve any impact on joints, such as running for example.

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.

As far as non-impact exercise goes, only swimming comes close, and that requires real perfection of technique (breathing underwater is, problematic. If you have only one exercise machine, rowing equipment is an ideal choice. One of the major advantages of exercise equipment rowing machines is that the motion doesn't involve any impact on joints, as does jogging for example. A good quality rowing machine will include an adjustment for people of different heights, as well as adjustable resistance for increasing or decreasing the difficulty of the exercise. The use of rowing machines as exercise and competition units is widespread with many units available for the purpose.

Indoor rowing machines are a very popular form of exercise machine. It has now become so popular that there are a large number of championships around the world. using rowing machines, is a popular and low-impact exercise, and it's great for building cardiovascular strength (ie, increasing fitness) and for helping to work every major muscle group of the body. One of the most well known units is the Concept II Model C Indoor rowing unit that is the subject of U. Sports Development Week 2007 is staging the world’s first Sports College Indoor Rowing Championship in which up to 200 students are expected to compete.

This will allow the user to use the machine as a rower unit and a paddled one in the same workout if he or she desires. What is also needed is a device that easily and quickly installs on a rowing machine and, at the same time, be easily and quickly removed from the rowing machine when desired by the user. The simulated single blade, seated position canoe paddling that is created by the paddling adapter attachment apparatus allows the user to work on the form required for this purpose. It is very important that the rowing machine fits the user’s frame.

One of the big advantages of an indoor rower is that because of the sitting position, the users body weight is removed from the areas of the body that are injury prone, such as the hips, knees and ankles. The rowing machine uses an electronic device to monitor the user’s performance. When purchasing a piece of home fitness equipment , your choice should be based on the fitness level, physical make up and general interests of the user. Some of the treadmills and ellipticals are built to accommodate users who weigh up to 600 pounds, allowing users of any fitness level to use them. Generally the design of rowing machines is such that the user sits on a bench and, leaning forward, takes hold of handles with both hands. The user then pulls back along with the handles against a source of resistance that is hydraulically connected to the handles.

Of course, most of us are aiming for a nice toned body. Working on developing your upper body strength. You can get a great full body cardio workout in 20 to 30 minutes. The greatest advantage of rowing machines is that they work all major muscle groups of the body. A good tip to remember when using rowing machines is to keep your elbows tight to your body. When exercising on a rowing machine our body moves in a natural way, one just has to sit on an adjustable seat and push the handle back and forth with the help of arms and legs.

Besides strengthening and stimulating our muscles, exercising on rowing machines is considered the best form of aerobic training. A robust training schedule on this machine can do wonders for our lungs and heart. "We set out to design a training device for oarsmen that would be less expensive than the existing rowing machines, which sold for about $3,000, but better than the cheap exercise-type machines a rowing machine suitable for an oarsman but priced so that an oarsman could actually own one," Peter says. It's a steady year-round market with peaks of rowing machine sales in September, when people begin to think about winter training regimens, and again in January. All major muscle groups including legs, arms, back, abdominal and buttocks get a training effect while rowing. Rowing also provides aerobic conditioning and strength training which makes rowing a very time efficient exercise. Now anybody can take advantage of the world’s most carefully researched and successful physical fitness training program. Rowing Machines of exceptional design, quality and styleOffers a unique rowing machine for training purposes.

A rowing machine having a frame composed of a beam assembly extending substantially along the entire length of the frame, a seat adaptable to travel along the beam assembly, at least one oar pivotally mounted on the frame, and resistance means for resisting the stroking of the oar, an improvement comprising:

Let’s take a look at some criteria that should be used when evaluating any piece of exercise equipment:*Safety – rowing machines are relatively safe, but care must be used in learning the proper exercise form. If you are a die hard rower, than you will enjoy that the workouts with rowing machines are self paced in that you can row as hard as you want or as easily as you like. And while rowing machines are very popular pieces of equipment for people who row during the warmer months but want to stay in shape during the winter months, just about anyone can benefit from one of these machines.

The Hydraulic Rowing Machines are usually cheaper and a great way those with less money looking to own their own personal Rowing Machine. The lower level entry of Water Rowing Machines is also a plus. Water Rowing Machines are said to be more smooth and elegant in their design and use, and are quite no matter the. Air Rowing Machines are easily stored and do not take up as much room as the Water or Hydraulic Machines do, this is a valuable since many have limited space.

by Alex Wong
The website can be located at Kettler rowingmachine