The Best Indoor Rowing Machines (UK)
Rowing is a superb cardiovascular workout that engages various muscle groups, including the arms, back, legs, shoulders, and abs.
Today, we’re going to share our top recommendations for the best indoor rowing machines, including budget-friendly options and smart rowers with various types of resistance mechanisms (i.e., air, magnetic, and water rowing machines).
Best Rowing Machine Under £100
Body Sculpture BR1000 - £99.99
The Body Sculpture BR1000 rowing machine provides a fantastic budget-friendly option for home workouts, serving as a convenient substitute for magnetic or air resistance rowers. It is user-friendly and ensures effective exercise sessions.
With the BR1000, you can elevate the challenge of your training thanks to its 12 adjustable levels of hydraulic resistance and a customisable incline feature, allowing you to progress toward your fitness objectives. While rowing, the built-in computer tracks your performance metrics, such as time, repetitions, total repetitions, and calories burned.
Best Rowing Machine Under £200
Body Sculpture BR3010 Rower and Gym - £139.99
The Body Sculpture Rower and Gym represents an innovative foldable studio-style rowing machine with the added capability of transforming into a compact gym setup, essentially offering you two versatile pieces of equipment in a single unit.
The gym component targets multiple muscle groups, including the arms, chest, back, shoulders, lats, and abdominals. Meanwhile, the integrated computer system keeps a close watch on various parameters like calorie expenditure and rowing stroke count.
After you've completed your exercise session, the Body Sculpture BR3010 Rower and Gym can be conveniently folded and stowed away for storage.
Best Rowing Machine Under £300
GymboPro Water Resistance Rowing Machine - £299.95
The GymboPro Water Resistance Rowing Machine emulates the feel of rowing on water, offering a smooth stroke without flat spots and the soothing sound of churning water.
Its height-adjustable computer keeps you informed about your workout, and a tablet/phone holder adds entertainment. The resistance depends on your effort, adjustable by altering the water level between 12 to 18 liters. With a comfortable handle, angled footrests, and secure Velcro straps, it ensures a comfortable, prolonged workout.
Easy to manoeuvre with integrated wheels and upright storage, this rower suits all fitness levels and provides a low-impact, full-body workout.
Best Rowing Machine Under £400
JTX Freedom Air Rower - £319.99
The JTX Freedom Air Rower is a durable home rowing machine with a robust frame and monorail, supporting users up to 135kg. Its cushioned seat offers comfort and a smooth rowing motion.
It's easily foldable with transport wheels for space-saving storage (dimensions: 130cm x 55cm x 157cm). The computer console displays vital metrics and includes a tablet holder for tracking progress, setting targets, and competing against the computer in race mode. This self-powered rowing machine combines magnetic and air resistance for a personalised workout with 8 magnetic levels. The ergonomic design ensures proper form with adjustable pedals.
For heart rate training, it's compatible with Polar heart rate monitors (sold separately), offering live feedback and detailed workout statistics via Bluetooth-enabled Polar H10 Chest Strap.
Best Cheap Air Rowing Machine
TX Ignite Indoor Rower - £639.00
The JTX Ignite Indoor Rower is a self-powered, ergonomically designed rowing machine that's perfect for versatile placement. It features adjustable footholds, a comfortable handlebar, and an adjustable screen angle for a comfortable workout.
For heart rate training, it can be connected to a heart rate monitor (sold separately), providing live pulse rate feedback. The ProPerform computer console tracks various metrics and offers 8 workout modes for variation.
This rowing machine uses dynamic air resistance, simulating real water rowing with adjustable damper settings. It integrates with the Kinomap app, offers commercial-grade durability, and is easy to move and store. Plus, it includes a smartphone holder for motivation and entertainment.
Best Cheap Water Rowing Machine
JTX Flow Water Rowing Machine - £549
The JTX Flow Water Rowing Machine replicates a natural rowing experience, offering infinite resistance that adapts to your effort. Its dynamic stroke engages your entire body, promoting muscle building, toning, and calorie burning with low-impact exercise.
The machine operates quietly, with a wide padded seat for comfort. It's easy to transport and store, featuring a tablet holder. Additionally, it's self-powered and energy-efficient.
The sleek matte black design and stable base accommodate users up to 6ft 6 in height. The Keymetrix console tracks various workout metrics and allows heart rate training with a Polar-compatible monitor. It also has adjustable footplates for users of all shoe sizes.
Best Smart Rowing Machine
NordicTrack RW 900 Rower - £1,599
The NordicTrack RW 900, a top smart rowing machine, integrates a 22-inch HD touchscreen, offering live classes, scenic rows, and on-demand workouts through its iFit subscription, making it the best option for interactive rowing workouts.
This magnetic rower is designed for all fitness levels, featuring 26 levels of magnetic resistance, ensuring a challenging and varied workout. Ideal for home use, its ergonomic seat and adjustable footrests provide comfort during long rows, while the easy storage feature makes it suitable for small spaces. With silent magnetic resistance, it's perfect for living room workouts.
The RW900 enhances strength training for both the upper body and lower body, supporting a full-body exercise regime with a smart touch.
Best Affordable Smart Rower
The Echelon Row-S distinguishes itself as one of the best budget smart rowers, perfect for those looking for high-quality, connected fitness at an accessible price point.
This magnetic rowing machine is equipped with 32 levels of resistance, offering a wide range of intensity options to accommodate various fitness levels and workout preferences. It is designed for a smooth and quiet operation, ensuring a low-impact workout that is ideal for maintaining good form over a long time.
Tech features include a device holder that integrates seamlessly with Echelon's proprietary fitness app, allowing users to participate in live and on-demand classes and turning routine exercise into an immersive experience.
The Echelon Row-S is a great choice for family members with different body types, thanks to its adjustable starting position and ergonomic design. It can fit into small spaces due to its ability to fold vertically, preserving valuable floor space in any home.
Best Air Resistance Rower
The Concept2 is one of the most popular rowers in the world.
It features a performance monitor (PM5) with a simple LCD display that tracks essential workout metrics, including distance, speed, pace, calories burned, and watts, offering an effective tool for weight loss and fitness monitoring. This air-resistance rower adjusts the resistance according to the rowing intensity, making it ideal for both high-intensity and low-impact workouts.
It's celebrated for its durability and is a mainstay in both home and gym settings due to its minimal floor space requirements and easy storage capabilities. It supports a high weight limit, ensuring it is accessible to a wider range of body types. With capabilities to connect to heart rate monitors and on-demand class apps, the Concept2 enhances any at-home workout, delivering performance and versatility admired by rowers worldwide.
Best Compact Water Rower
The Hydrow Wave stands out as one of the best rowing machines for those who value a compact, water-based rowing experience.
It features a sleek design with a water tank that simulates the feel of open water rowing, making it a top pick for realistic training. This machine is designed for users of all fitness levels, offering adjustable resistance levels to cater to both beginners and seasoned rowers. The Hydrow Wave is equipped with Bluetooth connectivity, allowing users to monitor their heart rate and engage in online classes through a subscription service, enhancing their workout routine with guided sessions from professional trainers.
The ergonomic handle and smooth performance monitor ensure good form and effective tracking of basic metrics like stroke rate and total time, making it ideal for low-impact, at-home workouts in small spaces.
Best Interactive Water Rower
The Ergatta Rower is one of the best rowers for those seeking a blend of technology and aesthetic appeal.
This water rower utilises the natural resistance of water to provide a smooth, realistic rowing experience, mirroring the dynamics of rowing in open water. The Ergatta stands out with its game-based workout platform, incorporating video games into the exercise routine that are driven by personal performance, adding an engaging twist to traditional rowing workouts.
Designed with a sleek wooden frame, the Ergatta Rower doesn't have to take up much space thanks to its ability to be stored vertically, making it an excellent choice for users with limited living space. It features a simple LCD screen that displays all crucial metrics, facilitating easy tracking of progress during workouts. The monthly subscription offers access to a wide range of on-demand classes, making it a versatile machine that caters to various fitness levels and workout preferences.
Best Overall Rowing Machine
JTX Freedom Air Rower - £319.99
The aforementioned JTX Freedom Air Rower emerges as the best overall rowing machine, excelling across multiple grading criteria.
It blends air and magnetic resistance mechanisms, offering versatility for different fitness levels and body types. This model's foldability and robust weight limit make it ideal for varied home environments, from small spaces to larger workout areas. Its popularity stems from its dual-resistance system, ensuring a smooth rowing experience at a slight angle, which enhances ergonomics.
The JTX Freedom Air Rower stands out among the main types of rowers, making it a top choice for those seeking a high-quality, adaptable, and durable rowing machine.
Final thoughts on the best indoor rowing machines
Rowing machines are available for all budgets and spaces today, and you will find that so many of these home rowing machines can be put away into your cupboard when they aren’t in use. Irrespective of how much you have to spend on a new indoor rowing machine, you’ll find an option on our list to suit your needs. Rowing is an excellent form of exercise, and you’ll find that by tracking your progress, you’ll be inspired to keep training regularly on your new piece of home workout equipment.
If you want advice on your form, reach out to a personal trainer with a background in rowing on our site.
You might also like these articles on the best folding exercise equipment, home gym flooring, and making an at-home gym.