Indoor Rowing Machines : An Overview
Unlike cardio machines such as treadmills, exercise bikes and stair climbing equipment, a rowing machine exercises your upper body as well as your lower body. The rowing stroke when using an indoor rower is composed of 65-75% leg work and 25-35% upper body work.
Other benefits of indoor rowing are getting a full body aerobic workout with one machine, and the lack of impact that is experienced when compared to other aerobic activities. When you’re jogging outdoors or using a treadmill machine, there is orthopedic trauma placed on your body every time you take a step. This is not the case with indoor rowers.
The hydraulic rowing machine may be the best way to go if space is a concern, or if you’re on a tight budget and you want an economical indoor rower. Hydraulic rowing machines receive its tension from the amount of air or fluid that’s compressed with a cylinder or piston, and can be adjusted by most models of indoor rowers.
The air or flywheel rowing machine for exercise offers a similar feel to outdoor rowing. Flywheel exercise rowing machine receives its resistance from the pulling motion, which spins a flywheel with fan blades attached. The resistance is provided by the wind. To increase the resistance of a flywheel rowing machine, all you have to do is pull harder. This moves the flywheel faster, and a greater wind resistance is provided from the fan blades of this type of indoor rower.
The Concept 2 (or Concept II) rower is among the most popular flywheel air rowing machines. This machine is used by fitness enthusiasts, health clubs, corporate fitness centers, and rehabilitation clinics as well. Along with health, fitness and rehabilitation purposes, the Concept2 is the rowing machine of choice for indoor rowing competitions around the globe, such s the Crash-B Sprints World Indoor Rowing Championships and the European Indoor Rowing Championships.