7 Best Rowing Machines, Tested by Men’s Health Editors

It’s a common misconception that rowing is just an arm workout; in reality it targets your entire body. In the main drive, it utilises the posterior chain, engaging your hamstrings, glutes, calves, and spinal erectors, with your quads, forearms, biceps, and lats also put to work during the full movement.

‘Evidence shows that rowing works 86% of the muscles in the body,’ says Pelé Zachariah, head of performance at ROWBOTS. ‘This means that even if you’re short on time, you know you’ll be getting a brilliant full-body workout.’

Zachariah adds that rowing will not only help you build strength, it can improve your conditioning and your posture, too. It can also boost your aerobic ability, increase your heart and lung health and smash through the calories. And, best of all, it’s lower impact on your joints than running.

Aside from the impressive fitness-boosting portfolio, rowing machines are particularly versatile. Perfect for those long cardio sessions, as well as sprints at maximum effort. There’s a reason they’re a favourite among the CrossFit community, as they fit perfectly into those punishing WODs.

What to Consider

Resistance

When considering an indoor rowing machine, you’ll be faced with the following resistance systems to choose between. Physical therapist and personal trainer Vikash Sharma walks us through the differences:

• Magnetic: ‘These use strong magnets to create resistance. Because there’s no friction, they’re generally very quiet. They’re often more compact, foldable and low maintenance, too.’

• Air: ‘These rowing machines provide resistance by blowing air through a flywheel. They are able to automatically adjust the resistance and replicate the rowing action of being on the water.’

• Water: ‘Water rowing machines use a drum that’s full of water and resistance is created by paddles that turn as you row. They offer a smooth rowing motion and they’re also a good option for quiet workouts.’

Noise

As just touched upon, if you live in a flat, share a wall with a neighbour, or would generally prefer a quieter machine, a magnetic rower is your best bet. These boast the quietest operation, as magnets alter the resistance against the flywheel as opposed to air and water, which create loud whooshing sounds. The downside to less noise is that magnetic machines lack the dynamic feel of air rowers, which produce sound comparative to the power you put into each stroke, giving you a better feel for your technique and effort.

Storage

Like a lot of home gym equipment, rowing machines can be bulky, heavy and generally take up a lot of room. If you have limited space, some rowers fold in half into a vertical position, making use of the height of your room as opposed to taking up all your floor space. For those who have plenty of room to play with, you have the luxury of being able to go with more sturdy machines which, while not quite as portable, don’t have to be set-up each time you use them. Regardless of which applies to you, transportation wheels will make moving your rower around your space much easier.

How We Tested

Our team of fitness experts have put in the kilometres on each rower, trying every feature and testing their ease of use, design, functionality and performance. We also considered practicality, rewarding machines with wheels and the ability to fold. Only rowers with exemplary scores in all the following areas earned a place in this guide. Here’s what we looked out for during our tests.

Ease of use: We looked for rowing machines that you can hop on and start using with minimal fuss. Ergs earned extra points for simple set-ups, easy-to-access workouts and well-presented performance stats. We also rewarded ‘Just Row’ functionality where the machine automatically starts tracking your stats when you start pulling.