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Air Rowing Machines: A Great Full Body Workout

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Pistons have been used for rowing machines since the 1970's in both the home and professional gym. Before that it was ropes, chains, and pulleys along with a moving seat that emulate the rowing motion for both training and exercise. Now the better and more popular choice is to use a fan with vertical blades for resistance and this has its advantages.

Often found in exercise bikes over the years for resistance it wasn't long until they became useful in rowing machines. The only drawback to a fan as resistance no matter what device is used is that it can get quite loud when being used.

Because the rowing motion requires the use of the entire body it is one of the best overall workout you will find using a single machine. The rowing motion incorporates the use of the abs and arms for the upper body stroke and the legs to help increase efficiency in the rowing motion. You're effectively using a single machine to replace the equivalent of at least 3 machines.

As with any piece of home equipment one concern for many people is how much room it will take up. Luckily much like exercise treadmills that can fold up an air resistance rowing machine can reduce its footprint as well. It is not uncommon to see the rowing machine to be able to fold down and slide into itself a bit to be able to be put in a closet, under a bed, or even behind a couch to keep it from being underfoot.

No matter if the space you save from a compact machine is a big deal for you the build quality of the machine should be. Because the main center beam of the machine sees a lot of stress from both the moving seat and the pushing of the legs you need a sturdily built machine. This means stick to an aluminum or steel body to ensure a machine that will last for years.

Great featur3e found on some rowing machines is the ability to use a computer to keep track of your workouts or in some cases a computer or TV to play a simulated rowing video game against a computer controlled rower. This not only makes tracking your fitness goals a breeze but also fun in the process and could help keep your motivation up if you enjoy good competition.

Rehabbing an injury is something that is tough for someone who likes physical activity because there is always a chance you could reinjure yourself if you push too hard. When using a fan as resistance a good rowing machine will make rehabbing easier because the amount of force required to row is related to how hard you pull on the fan. This is a great help to keeping injuries from happening again when you're exercising while rehabbing an injury.

One of the things that are always tough on older piston driven rowing machines is fixing them if there is a problem. Pistons are difficult to fix and often times a replacement part may be hard to find or cost almost as much as a new machine. A fan driven machine is much more simple and easier to maintain and fix if the need ever arises.