For many people, a rowing machine is the ultimate piece of exercise equipment. A common misconception is that an indoor rower is only useful for people who are training for professional sports, while the truth is that a rowing machine is an excellent source for a full body workout routine that tones muscle tissue and increases stamina. Rowing exercise is ideal for people of all ages and it does not matter whether you are a professional athlete or a fitness enthusiast, rowing will strengthen your cardiovascular system leading to better health and fitness.
One of the benefits of rowing machine includes exercising the entire body - even the legs are part of the exercise program because a rowing machine has a sliding seat to simulate a boat's movement in the water, and that means pushing with the legs in concert with working the back, abs, and arms.
There are four basic types of rowing machine mechanisms, Water, air, magnetic, and piston. Each one offers a specific set of features, and many rowing machines will incorporate more than one type into their design, for maximum advantage.
Many professional athletes prefer water resistance mechanism to other types, because they say it more closely emulates the feel of rowing a boat on water.
In a piston resistance rowing machine, the force of resistance is generated using hydraulic cylinders. Because the cylinders are generally very compact, a hydraulic rowing machine is often an ideal choice where there are space considerations to be made.
The newest type of rowing machine is the magnetic rowing machine. The way it works is really quite simple, and yet it is a very popular mechanism. As the user exerts more force to pedal faster and harder, they are generating current through powerful electromagnets, and the result is increased resistance in direct proportion to the force being applied.
An air rowing machine uses air resistance as the primary source of getting a good workout. As with other types of rowing machines, the more a person exerts themselves, the more resistance the machine returns, making the workouts progressively more strenuous as the exercise program goes on.
