So you've purchased fitness equipment in the past. You have that home gym sitting in pieces and taking up space in your garage because you need a part that you can't find in order to fix it. And then there's the mountain bike your told your spouse you'd use gathering dust in the garage as well. Jogging hurts your knees and despite of all your previous equipment buying fiascos, you still want to pursue fitness training.

It might seem like you would be throwing your money away, but wouldn't a rowing machine be a good idea? I don't mean those pneumatic piston things you buy through the mail or over the internet, that don't feel anything like actual rowing and that break in less than week, like the home gym machine that's gathering dust in your garage. I mean good equipment, similar to your mountain bike; the difference is you can use it every day for a few minutes indoors while looking at television instead of getting a sunburn outdoors.

Exercising on a quality rowing machine feels like you're actually rowing a boat on water. It is also so quiet that exercising while watching TV is no problem, though you may need to increase the volume a bit, as they are not completely quiet. No need to worry about disturbing your spouse in the next room, either. Another benefit is the low impact to joints.

The nice thing about a rowing machine is that it gives almost all the muscle sets a workout. If you include some push ups, then you are completely done. If you use this routine, you will regularly work out all of the major muscle groups in your chest, arms, legs and back.

The sport of rowing can provide numerous fitness benefits. Rowing can increase your physical strength while improving your endurance when you customize your workout to meet your fitness goals. If you thrive on competition consider entering into a rowing machine competition. The act of competing against others will step up your fitness training while also providing a fun way to keep you motivated.

Invest well and beware of diminishing returns. A new company out to sell a $1000 rower may or may not be a great deal, however, a reliable and established company is likely to have a stock of replacement parts. When in doubt, it is best to buy used. People who love rowing seldom give up their rowing machines. But at times this machine breaks down and the owner is not aware that it can be still be easily fixed.