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Rowing machines are unique among cardio equipment in that while they’re great calorie burners, they also work just about every muscle in your entire body — something that can’t be said for most ... Read more
The post The 6 Best Water Rowing Machines of 2023 appeared first on BarBend.
Rowing machines are unique among cardio equipment in that while they’re great calorie burners, they also work just about every muscle in your entire body — something that can’t be said for most cardio machines. (1)(2) And while most rowers try to simulate the feel of rowing on a body of water, only water rowers really come close.
Instead of using wind or magnetic resistance, water rowers create resistance via fan blades moving through a reservoir of actual water, coming as close as you can get to the feel of rowing on a lake or river. And while all water rowers share this feature, they do have their differences. Some have large HD displays, others fold down to save space when they’re not in use, and some even double as full home gym machines. We hit the water (kind of) and tried out a series of rowers to find the best water rowing machines on the market.
The Best Water Rowing Machines
The BarBend team is made up of competitive athletes, certified personal trainers, and lifelong fitness enthusiasts, and we’ve rowed countless miles on air, mag, and water rowers for both fitness and testing purposes. For this article, we tried different water rowing machines to evaluate their feel, effectiveness, and durability, among other things.
Best Water Rowing Machine Overall: LIT Method Strength Machine
Lit Method Strength Machine
Lit Method Strength Machine
This rower from Lit Method is so much more than your typical rowing machine. It combines the cardio benefits of a rowing machine with the strength benefits of resistance band training to give you a full-body workout. If you like instructor-led workouts they have a membership which you receive three months of for free with purchase.
Shop Lit Method
Specs
In addition to using water resistance to provide that on-the-water feel and soothing swish sound, the LIT Strength Machine has resistance bands that attach to the rower’s front, middle or back sections. This allows you to do off-rower workouts using the bands for resistance. Plus, the anchored bands can also pair with the sliding seat for Pilates workouts, with the Strength Machine essentially doubling as a Pilates reformer.
Jake Using the LIT Method Strength Machine
With your purchase, you’ll also get a 90-day free trial to the LIT app, which delivers over 2,500 on- and off-rower workouts that you can follow along with. One thing to note is that this machine doesn’t have an onboard screen. Instead, it has an integrated tablet holder, so you can attach your device to follow the LIT app’s workouts. “I actually liked that it didn’t have a screen,” our tester says. “Since you’re using your own device, you can display workouts from any app you want.”
Read our full LIT Method Strength Machine Review.
Best Smart Water Rowing Machine: CITYROW Max Rower
CITYROW Max Rower
CITYROW Max Rower
The CITYROW Max Rower offers a large 19.5-inch HD touchscreen, thousands of live and on-demand workouts, and connectivity with fitness trackers and Bluetooth headphones.
Shop CITYROW
Specs
It is also one of the only rowers that offers live and on-demand trainer-led classes. In addition to rowing classes, the CITYROW GO app offers strength training, yoga, HIIT, and other classes that you can follow along with. The first two weeks of CITYROW GO are free, but after that, it’ll cost $29 a month or $348 for a year-long membership. CITYROW is constantly updating the content, so if you’re looking for a program to follow, the cost may be worth it.
Best Budget Water Rowing Machine: Sunny Health & Fitness Smart Obsidian Surge 500 m Water Rowing Machine
Sunny Health & Fitness Obsidian Surge 500 Water Rowing Machine
Sunny Health & Fitness Obsidian Surge 500 Water Rowing Machine
This rower from Sunny Health & Fitness is constructed with lightweight yet sturdy steel for solid performance and durability. The Obsidian Surge 500’s 16 hydro blades and water resistance work to mimic the movement and feel of competitive rowing making you feel more like you’re rowing on the water than magnetic or air resistance.
Shop Amazon
Specs
It’s also got a big, cushy seat (great for long row sessions) and an LCD monitor that tracks time, distance, strokes per minute, calories, and more. While it doesn’t have a fancy HD touchscreen like more expensive rowers, it does have a smartphone/tablet holder, so you can stream workouts through any fitness app you like.
Speaking of online workout programming, this rower has a feature you don’t see on many other rowers — a completely free fitness app. Despite not costing a dime, this app has on-demand workouts, metric tracking, leaderboards, customized workout plans, and virtual scenic rides and rows. User reviews were big fans of this app, with one user saying, “The free app has outstanding trainer sessions which sync with the equipment.”
Best Interactive Water Rowing Machine: Ergatta
$200 Off
Ergatta Rower
Ergatta Rower
The Ergatta rower is ideal for athletes who want an elevated home workout experience. You can choose from pre-programmed workouts, games, and competitions to make your row more interesting, or you can select an open row to simply push your limits. This machine will adjust as your strength and stamina increase to challenge you even further.
Shop Ergatta
Specs
The standout game for our tester was Meteor, in which you control a ball that makes you row faster or harder to hit targets that appear. “I was trying so hard to rack up a good score that I didn’t even notice that I was sweating,” he says. “ I’d find myself going back to the rower a few hours later to try to hit the targets I missed in my morning workout.”
It’s on the pricier side, at $2,100, plus the membership, which costs $29 per month. In addition to the games, the membership offers scenic rows, live races, and thousands of on- and off-rower workouts. Between the games and the beautiful high-definition scenic rows, our tester was a big fan of this rower. If you’re looking for a way to actually have fun while you work out, this gaming rower might be your best bet.
Read our full Ergatta Rower Review.
Best Luxury Water Rowing Machine: LIT Method Strength Machine
Lit Method Strength Machine
Lit Method Strength Machine
This rower from Lit Method is so much more than your typical rowing machine. It combines the cardio benefits of a rowing machine with the strength benefits of resistance band training to give you a full-body workout. If you like instructor-led workouts they have a membership which you receive three months of for free with purchase.
Shop Lit Method
Specs
This rower comes with a set of 20-pound resistance bands that can be anchored to the front, middle, or rear of the rower, allowing users to perform full-body resistance workouts. They also work with the rower’s sliding seat to transform the machine into a Pilates reformer, turning your workout room into a Pilates studio. The bands can also be used off the rower, which our tester appreciated. “I took them down to the beach for a workout,” he said. “It’s great to be able to use it out of the house.”
The Strength Machine also comes with a free three-month trial of the LIT app, which offers over 2,500 workouts that take place...
Click here to view the article.
The post The 6 Best Water Rowing Machines of 2023 appeared first on BarBend.
Rowing machines are unique among cardio equipment in that while they’re great calorie burners, they also work just about every muscle in your entire body — something that can’t be said for most cardio machines. (1)(2) And while most rowers try to simulate the feel of rowing on a body of water, only water rowers really come close.
Instead of using wind or magnetic resistance, water rowers create resistance via fan blades moving through a reservoir of actual water, coming as close as you can get to the feel of rowing on a lake or river. And while all water rowers share this feature, they do have their differences. Some have large HD displays, others fold down to save space when they’re not in use, and some even double as full home gym machines. We hit the water (kind of) and tried out a series of rowers to find the best water rowing machines on the market.
The Best Water Rowing Machines
- Best Water Rowing Machine Overall: LIT Method Strength Machine
- Best Smart Water Rowing Machine: CITYROW Max Rower
- Best Budget Water Rowing Machine: Sunny Health & Fitness Smart Obsidian Surge 500 m Water Rowing Machine
- Best Interactive Water Rowing Machine: Ergatta
- Best Luxury Water Rowing Machine: LIT Method Strength Machine
- Best Foldable Water Rowing Machine: TRUNK Water Rowing Machine
The BarBend team is made up of competitive athletes, certified personal trainers, and lifelong fitness enthusiasts, and we’ve rowed countless miles on air, mag, and water rowers for both fitness and testing purposes. For this article, we tried different water rowing machines to evaluate their feel, effectiveness, and durability, among other things.
Best Water Rowing Machine Overall: LIT Method Strength Machine
Lit Method Strength Machine
Lit Method Strength Machine
This rower from Lit Method is so much more than your typical rowing machine. It combines the cardio benefits of a rowing machine with the strength benefits of resistance band training to give you a full-body workout. If you like instructor-led workouts they have a membership which you receive three months of for free with purchase.
Shop Lit Method
Specs
- Price: $1,549
- Display Type: None
- Dimensions: 84” L x 20” W x 20” H
- Weight Capacity: 450 pounds
- You can also use this rower for resistance band and mobility workouts.
- If you aren’t interested in free weights, this functions as a full home gym.
- The LIT App offers thousands of on- and off-rower workouts.
- There’s no screen, so you’ll have to use your own device to follow along with workout programming.
- The low seat may be difficult to get into and out of for some people.
In addition to using water resistance to provide that on-the-water feel and soothing swish sound, the LIT Strength Machine has resistance bands that attach to the rower’s front, middle or back sections. This allows you to do off-rower workouts using the bands for resistance. Plus, the anchored bands can also pair with the sliding seat for Pilates workouts, with the Strength Machine essentially doubling as a Pilates reformer.
With your purchase, you’ll also get a 90-day free trial to the LIT app, which delivers over 2,500 on- and off-rower workouts that you can follow along with. One thing to note is that this machine doesn’t have an onboard screen. Instead, it has an integrated tablet holder, so you can attach your device to follow the LIT app’s workouts. “I actually liked that it didn’t have a screen,” our tester says. “Since you’re using your own device, you can display workouts from any app you want.”
Read our full LIT Method Strength Machine Review.
Best Smart Water Rowing Machine: CITYROW Max Rower
CITYROW Max Rower
CITYROW Max Rower
The CITYROW Max Rower offers a large 19.5-inch HD touchscreen, thousands of live and on-demand workouts, and connectivity with fitness trackers and Bluetooth headphones.
Shop CITYROW
Specs
- Price: $2,195
- Display Type: 19.5-inch HD touchscreen
- Dimensions: 83.5” L x 22.25” W x 20” H
- Weight Capacity: 375 pounds
- It pairs with the Apple Watch and other fitness trackers to track your heart rate and calorie expenditure.
- The CITYROW GO app offers trainer-led rowing workouts as well as yoga, HIIT, and strength training workouts.
- The large HD touchscreen is bright and responsive.
- You’re paying for all that tech — this rower starts at over $2,000.
- The 375-pound weight limit is lower than you’ll find on other rowers.
It is also one of the only rowers that offers live and on-demand trainer-led classes. In addition to rowing classes, the CITYROW GO app offers strength training, yoga, HIIT, and other classes that you can follow along with. The first two weeks of CITYROW GO are free, but after that, it’ll cost $29 a month or $348 for a year-long membership. CITYROW is constantly updating the content, so if you’re looking for a program to follow, the cost may be worth it.
Best Budget Water Rowing Machine: Sunny Health & Fitness Smart Obsidian Surge 500 m Water Rowing Machine
Sunny Health & Fitness Obsidian Surge 500 Water Rowing Machine
Sunny Health & Fitness Obsidian Surge 500 Water Rowing Machine
This rower from Sunny Health & Fitness is constructed with lightweight yet sturdy steel for solid performance and durability. The Obsidian Surge 500’s 16 hydro blades and water resistance work to mimic the movement and feel of competitive rowing making you feel more like you’re rowing on the water than magnetic or air resistance.
Shop Amazon
Specs
- Price: $500
- Display Type: LCD screen
- Dimensions: 80” L x 22” W x 34” H
- Weight Capacity: 300 pounds
- At under $500, it’s one of the least expensive water rowers you’ll find.
- The SunnyFit app offers on-demand workouts without an added subscription fee.
- This rower stores upright to save space when not in use.
- The LCD screen may not satisfy rowers who want a more high-tech experience.
- This rower’s weight capacity is only 300 pounds, which is lighter than you’ll see on other rowers on this list.
It’s also got a big, cushy seat (great for long row sessions) and an LCD monitor that tracks time, distance, strokes per minute, calories, and more. While it doesn’t have a fancy HD touchscreen like more expensive rowers, it does have a smartphone/tablet holder, so you can stream workouts through any fitness app you like.
Speaking of online workout programming, this rower has a feature you don’t see on many other rowers — a completely free fitness app. Despite not costing a dime, this app has on-demand workouts, metric tracking, leaderboards, customized workout plans, and virtual scenic rides and rows. User reviews were big fans of this app, with one user saying, “The free app has outstanding trainer sessions which sync with the equipment.”
Best Interactive Water Rowing Machine: Ergatta
$200 Off
Ergatta Rower
Ergatta Rower
The Ergatta rower is ideal for athletes who want an elevated home workout experience. You can choose from pre-programmed workouts, games, and competitions to make your row more interesting, or you can select an open row to simply push your limits. This machine will adjust as your strength and stamina increase to challenge you even further.
Shop Ergatta
Specs
- Price: $2,099
- Display Type: 17.3-inch HD touchscreen
- Dimensions: 86” L x 23” W x 40” H
- Weight Capacity: 500 pounds
- There are plenty of gamified workouts to add some competitive fun to your training.
- The big 17.3-inch monitor is bright and responsive.
- This rower’s attractive cherrywood frame makes it look like a high-end piece of home decor.
- At $2,099, this is a pricey rower.
- You’ll have to kick down more money for a subscription to access the games and workouts.
The standout game for our tester was Meteor, in which you control a ball that makes you row faster or harder to hit targets that appear. “I was trying so hard to rack up a good score that I didn’t even notice that I was sweating,” he says. “ I’d find myself going back to the rower a few hours later to try to hit the targets I missed in my morning workout.”
It’s on the pricier side, at $2,100, plus the membership, which costs $29 per month. In addition to the games, the membership offers scenic rows, live races, and thousands of on- and off-rower workouts. Between the games and the beautiful high-definition scenic rows, our tester was a big fan of this rower. If you’re looking for a way to actually have fun while you work out, this gaming rower might be your best bet.
Read our full Ergatta Rower Review.
Best Luxury Water Rowing Machine: LIT Method Strength Machine
Lit Method Strength Machine
Lit Method Strength Machine
This rower from Lit Method is so much more than your typical rowing machine. It combines the cardio benefits of a rowing machine with the strength benefits of resistance band training to give you a full-body workout. If you like instructor-led workouts they have a membership which you receive three months of for free with purchase.
Shop Lit Method
Specs
- Price: $1,549
- Display Type: None
- Dimensions: 84” L x 20” W x 20” H
- Weight Capacity: 450 pounds
- This rower actually doubles as a home gym with resistance bands and a pilates reformer.
- The bands can be anchored anywhere, so you can do workouts outside the home.
- Our tester (and other user reviews) praised the soft, cushy seat.
- There’s no screen, so you’ll have to supply your own smartphone or tablet.
- The seat is lower than on other rowers, so some people might have a hard time getting on and off the rower.
This rower comes with a set of 20-pound resistance bands that can be anchored to the front, middle, or rear of the rower, allowing users to perform full-body resistance workouts. They also work with the rower’s sliding seat to transform the machine into a Pilates reformer, turning your workout room into a Pilates studio. The bands can also be used off the rower, which our tester appreciated. “I took them down to the beach for a workout,” he said. “It’s great to be able to use it out of the house.”
The Strength Machine also comes with a free three-month trial of the LIT app, which offers over 2,500 workouts that take place...
Click here to view the article.
