I have a Concept2 model B rowing machine that was made in the late 1980s. It has a bladed flywheel for resistance and is quite noisy, but its rowing action silky smooth and the design is a rock solid. It will probably last longer than me.
This past August I decided I needed to get in better shape and started out with little 6 or 7 minute sessions at average power levels around 110 watts. Since then I've worked up to slightly more than an hour a day at around 135 watts six days a week. Not spectacular (not to mention 0.13 kWh almost kills me and is disappointing when I consider it is not quite two cents of electricity), but real progress nonetheless.
The manufacturer is famous for supporting people at all levels - rank beginners to Olympic class athletes. A community exists if you want to use it.
Support groups and carefully prepared exercise programs probably make a lot of sense, but I have better luck with people I know and an athlete friend has been helping. She sends suggestions and well timed bits of encouragement that turn out to work well. I don't know if it is optimal given my personality, but the progress has been good.
$900 may seem like a lot for a piece of exercise equipment, but something like this is going to last at least twenty years and probably longer. Even if you aren't terribly serious, spending a half hour a day three or four times a week will probably make a difference. Just use an iPod and find someone to encourage you - a friend or the community that has formed around the machine.
highly recommended!
Comments