I asked my wife about this. She says you have to subscribe to the monthly update to get all the options. She heard that some people haven't been able to use their treadmills without the monthly subscription. Just something to be aware of before purchase.Originally Posted by rob_s
They are pricey but the various motorless treadmills are nice. You have to physically move the tread so the work output is much higher for a given speed. Would but super nice for walking and light jogs.
Concept 2 Rower folks what is your opinion now that you've rowed a bit?
Would you buy this again, or some other piece of gear?
Thanks
How can you govern a country which has two hundred and forty-six varieties of cheese?
Charles de Gaulle
I'm very happy with the Concept 2 rower. It's robust and easy to maintain, store and move around. I've been using it almost daily for the past year and a half for quick, 20 minute, workouts and it shows no appreciable wear.
I don’t have one at home, but I went to a gym at least 4 days a week for 7 years before Covid, that had one. My thoughts:
They are fairly ubiquitous at gyms now. I would try to visit one for a couple of days and try it out. Some people love them and some people don’t like them at all.
As part of doing the above try to either get some coaching or at least check out the concept 2 form videos. There are some non intuitive form elements that will make the experience much better.
If you can use them pain free they are great. Even with coaching I found my lower back struggled a little probably from flexibility issues, which took it out of “great” and into “ok to use every other time” territory.
IMO you need a TV in front of the thing. The reciprocating nature means you cannot read or use a tablet, and they can be boring.
The Concept2 is a great and versatile tool for the home gym. When I get bored with rowing for a period, I go to kettlebell and sandbag cardio workouts.
It's good to have options.
There's nothing civil about this war.
My concept 2 has been in the corner for a while.
I really like it, but...
My wife has tailbone issues and it hurts her butt so she never used it. Set up, it takes up a big space. Folding it up each time adds just enough friction to the workout routine to make me not think about it.
The workouts are quite boring and I agree 100% with the above that you need a TV or something.
The workouts would benefit greatly from a Peloton treatment. As cheesy as it is, it works. I wish Peloton would come out with some rower workouts that play with the Concept 2 via bluetooth. That'd be outstanding!
We got a peloton bike last year which my wife also hasn't used but I've been making the most of it lately. It would be nice to be able to switch between it and the rower.
--Josh
“Formerly we suffered from crimes; now we suffer from laws.” - Tacitus.
Depends on what the role is. For cardio... depends what your preferences are. If it's specifically rowing, I would consider a purchase of anything else to be an investment in "lets roll the dice and hope for the best". I've used Concept 2 rowers since about 2002 or 2003, either at a rowing club or a gym and have come across some other brands/models in the process, but not many. I've occasionally looked at buying one, but usually find the drive to the gym to be less painful than opening the wallet, and have yet to come across something that was lower cost without a significant sacrifice in quality. (FWIW, most of the club ones had several years and a LOT of miles (or meters, whatever) on them, and had many more to go - the machines last a long time if you take care of them).
If there weren't one readily available, I'd get one and strongly recommend coaching/form work. It's easy and intuitive to use one incorrectly.
I often found heavy metal on headphones to be a non-negotiable part of a rowing workout (and given the nature of the machine, I set the playlist before starting because changing songs while rowing isn't a happening thing).
Grab your gun and bring in the cat.
I’ve been looking at sandbags. Do you have a specific routine?
The gym we share with the FD has one. I use it to warm up before lifting, plus once a week I do an hour on it since my knee won’t let me run anymore. I plan on buying my own when I retire.
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