I’ve been a gym rat my entire adult life. I started going to the gym in college and have belonged to a health club or Crossfit gym ever since. There’s something I love about walking in the door and being present in my workout.
But it’s just hard to find the time to get to the gym, shower, and go to work each day. I have kids, a wife, business, and so many demands on my time. Fitness is important, but so are the other things, and time is short. In the past year I’ve tried running more. I’s a good workout, gets me outside, etc., but it seems like something always breaks down on me when I run with any regularity. My knees, my calves, something gets tweaked and lays me up for a couple of weeks.
Yet I’m not ready to back down on my fitness goals. Fortunately I’ve found a great solution: Indoor rowing. Specifically, a NordicTrack Rower with the iFit subscription. It’s in my basement where I can go and get an amazing workout whenever I want. It’s so convenient I’ve even managed to squeeze in a few double workout days.
I’ve done some rowing with my Crossfit, so I’m familiar with the movements. It’s a total body workout that combines pushing with the legs and pulling with the arms, as well as hinging your midsection. You work a lot of muscles. And here’s the great thing ... have you ever heard of anyone having a “rowing injury”? I sure haven't. It’s super low impact.
The rower itself is great. It's solid and durable and even folds for storage. But the key to my enjoyment and continued usage is the iFit experience. The best part of the rower is the 22 inch monitor facing you. Once you subscribe, you get on-demand workouts with some of the best trainers and rowers in the world. I recently met one of the trainers, Gideon, in person. He was as energetic and enthusiastic in real life as he is on the screen. And this excitement transforms your workout from a grind to practically a party.
The rowing classes are super-varied. They range from rowing across lakes in Africa, to in-studio sessions where the coaches get you off the rower for cross training, yoga, and more. And if you’ve never rowed before, no worries. The workouts include a host of beginner sessions, as well as advanced ones that range from 10 to 60 minutes or more. And don’t scoff at 10 minutes! Any workout is better than none.
One of the really neat features is that the rower resistance will vary automatically based on the class and the instructor's cues. No fiddling with the settings. The instructor says “turn up the resistance” and voila, you feel it getting harder. You can override this if you need to, but it does increase the intensity of your workout.
Here's a secret about the gym industry. Most gyms hope you become a member, and then they hope you never show up! Those $20 a month gyms? If all the members showed up they'd be full to the rafters. Don't fall for that trap. Working out at home is a great solution. The NordicTrack RW900 is available for $1,599, which includes a free one-year iFit membership ($39 per month thereafter). A typical Crossfit membership is $150 a month, and my local gym is $79. So the RW900 will pay for itself in a year or two. So if you are looking for an in-home fitness option, this is an excellent, budget-friendly choice.
Overall, the NordicTrack RW900 is a sleek, well-built machine that’s entertaining and effective. The ultimate proof for me? After just two months with the NordicTrack RW900 at my home, I retested my two kilometer time-trial row back at my old Crossfit Box and beat my lifetime best by almost 30 seconds.
