papascooby

So don't tell me to buy one

What is good for under £300 - Ideally i'd like one with all the bells and whistles and for it to be a fan one.

Am I right to want those things?

john banks

Buy the Concept 2 and sod the price. It will hold its value better, it is better built, and the action is most like real rowing. The values displayed are universally understood. You can burn calories effectively with a Concept 2 because launching at it for all your are worth doesn't threaten you with injuries from coming off or putting yourself and the machine through the nearest wall.

Concept 2 owner and ex-rower (no good rivers near me ) Used to do 1:22/500m on the machine, sadly not that good in the water.

Tiggs

join a gym....rowing will bore you stoooopid

Tiggs (ex indoor rower, used to do 1.22/500m as a cool down ......bored me stoooopid)

King RA

what difficulty setting was that on John??

hades

Personally, I'm happy with my Infiniti R80 air-magentic - i.e. an air rower with some additional magnetic resistance you can dial in if you want. Can't remember cost, but probably ~£200 new if you shopped around and got a deal. Has lasted for a long while (I've done a few 1000s of km on it since I've had it, still feels like new), is very smooth, and it can blow the air up to your face (which I find pleasant for keeping cool whilst using it). It also folds up with one handwheel to be stored in a corner

It isn't is as good a simulator of rowing as concept 2 (on a concept, the first pull is hard work, it then gets a lot lighter quicker. This effect is much less pronounced on mine). The computer only calculations speed on stroke rate, not on power of the stroke, and you can't compare your results with proper ergos (e.g. I've done 25km in under an hour this year, don't know if anyone could do that on a concept 2, I know I couldn't!). However, it's perfectly good for home use as exercise, to burn fat, tone muscles etc - which is what I want it for.

wwp8

last year i bought a 2nd hand one (ex display model )

i think it was a beny amr
the rrp was £299
i paid £149
however when i received it it had a fault
loud metal scratching noise when i pull it,
so i called the manufacturer. who took it away for repairs.
they then called me a few days later saying that they are not gonna repair it and will send me a new one instead

so i got £300 brand new rower for a 2nd hand price

-------------------------------------------------
have you clicked today
http://www.herowar.com/recruit.phtml?id=12279

imlach

The concept2 does not have a "difficulty" setting. It has an air resistance setting which alters the dynamics of the machine, but does not alter the effort expended overall.

ie, rowing 2000m at level 1 will use the same amount of energy as rowing 2000m at level 10.

ie, using setting 10 is not more difficult, it is just different. The world records are set on other levels quite often - IIRC Steve Redgrave & Matthew Pinsent for example would use level 7 or 8 I think.

john banks

I use about 5.

When I am in the habit of using it, I appreciate how much work you can do in a short time, although working out how long a mince pie takes to burn off is depressing although you don't need to put out the calories a mince pie contains to undo the damage because of inefficiency. Technique is a fair part of it as well, helping efficient energy transfer and calorie/CV fitness.

ozzy

Rowers are good for building into circuit training sessions. You can do fartlek and intervals on them with great fitness benefits. I find them a bit too boring to do any endurance training on them alone.

I can just about bare treadmills, but I get a buzz dicing with death running on one at full pelt when I know if I give up, I'll get launched off the back

King RA

I see, so on level 10 it's harder to pull, yet travels more distance with each row.

hades

That's because it simulates rowing uphill.

Too boring for endurance training? I find that is solved by that wonderful modern invention, the television. Standard session = one episode of "the simpsons", or hollyoaks on occassions. Proper endurance = try and notch up 50km during a Sunday afternoon movie (easily achievable if it's JFK!). Continuing the heavy science - as I managed to average a heart rate of just over 160 for the entire length of "back to the future 2", I consider that to be my maximum sustainable (aerobic I guess?) heart rate.

The serious advice coming from my last comment - get yourself a heart-rate monitor to go with the rowing machine, so you know and can control how hard you're training. Can get semi-decent ones (admittedly with few features) for perhaps ~£30.

imlach

Exactly that.

For 2000m, you might pull 20 strokes/min on level 10 with each stroke clocking up more meters, but 30 strokes/min on level 1 with each stroke clocking up less meters.

Your overall energy used on both levels works out exactly the same.

Tiggs

In very simple terms the bigger you are the higher the setting.

Will a big man shift more earth by using a huge bucket slow or a small bucket fast?

When i rowed i was a little over 6ft6 and 20 stone.....i found anything other than 10 reduced my performance.....but my stroke rate was very low on 2k rows (sub 6 min) and only picked up if i did some sprints for a laugh.

T (still boring)

ozzy

Even with a TV on, training indoors is very boring. I'd rather go to the gym and watch the girls.

50km is that all you should try a 5 hour run in the mountains. Now that is far more enjoyable than sitting in front of the telly on a Sunday afternoon.

Lum

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...tem=7130977138

£50 and find your nearest lake.

Philip Attaway

I've got my 2000m down to 6m42.

Cycling is my thing though. Anyone for an hour hill climb on level 20. Now that hurts