Rowing as an exercise has been present since the times of the Greeks and the Romans. It is an Olympic sport as well as a very effective form of aerobic exercise. The more muscles you exert while exercising, the lesser time is required to achieve the complete body workout. The process of rowing provides a non impact workout and thus ensures that there is minimal strain on joints like knees and elbows. Moreover, it stretches all the muscles of the body including the arms, legs, chest, heart and lungs. All in all, fitness rowing machines provide the best workout possible.

Fitness rowing machines are mainly used indoors and are manufactured by a plethora of companies. Rowers generally tend to prefer the rowing machine compared to treadmills and cycles. Moreover, they go easy on the back, thus enabling people with back problems to enjoy a workout as well. Fitness rowing machines these days provide a movable seat which imitates the actual action of a rower thereby satisfying both rowers, who don't want to ruin their technique, and non rowers alike, who are concerned with an effective workout.

Fitness rowing machines basically originated and gained fame and popularity under the name of Concept 2, which was a company started by two brothers Pete and Dick Dreissigacker. The Concept 2 Model A was first brought out in 1981, made out of bicycle parts and priced at 500$ when their nearest competitor was priced at 3000$. From then on there was no looking back and now the Model D and Model E rowers are one of the best exercise machines in the world.

When buying a machine for yourself, be sure to know the intricate details about the machine and its characteristics. Always check for its grip on the floor, whether the seat moving transition is smooth and whether the machine can handle heavy strain for long durations of time. Fitness rowing machines are available for prices as cheap as 300$ to about 3000$. Each machine comes with a performance monitoring system which helps the user to keep track of the distance rowed, time and other such stats. Some famous machines available on the open market are manufactured by Concept 2 (also known as Dreissigacker), Proform and Kettler. These machines are either hydraulic resistance systems or air resistance systems, which users can choose according to their own convenience. You can read more about popular models at

Though machines provide a very effective cardiovascular as well as aerobic workout, there are also a few disadvantages to using them. While exercising on the machine, one has to ensure correct posture or one could incur injuries ranging from small strains and pulls to major muscle tears or back disorders. It is always advisable to take the guidance of a professional trainer while exercising on a rowing machine. Still, the advantages that the machine offers overshadow the disadvantages and rowing still remains one of the most popular forms of exercising.