Thinking about a Water Rower? Join Me and Find Out What I Think!

[@myersjx]

I wanted a Concept 2, wife wanted a Water Rower, so we got a Water Rower. Started using it about four months ago, and really enjoy it. Row 10-15K almost daily. After I purchased the Ergatta upgrade. I feel stronger and in much better shape. The Rower with intermittent fasting which I started about two months ago, now down 26 pounds. You reference another rower who said to turn the seat around. I tried it didn’t like it. I ended up getting a silicone cover for mine. It becomes uncomfortable after an hour on the rower. Purists might look down on them. I look at it this way, rowing is rowing. Sort of like riding a bike saddle time is saddle time. Thank you for posting Water Rower videos. I’m looking forward to seeing them!!

[@jasonsteffek9265]

We enjoy our water rower and using the S4 for distance. When assembling I put the seat on the way Training Tall recommended by mistake, however there is no soreness. I wish the handle was a bit wider as well as the feet placement, although as I lose weight, it is gradually getting better, and I set my feet very low. I row as the primary exercise after a successful cardiac ablation back in June of 2022. I was at 406 lbs. 6ft 4, and have lost 136 lbs. to date eating nutrient dense foods, intermittent fasting, getting good sleep and rowing. We love the way it looks when folded up and standing against the wall as the dark wood matches a nearby hutch. We found you through a recommendation of a Facebook group and look forward to more of your videos.

[@rowalong]

Great to hear about the successful ablation. I've heard of a few people now who have had that done - and as amazing as the results are, it does seem really Dark Ages as far as procedures are concerned! I uploaded a video this morning about the seat direction, and it really did make a huge difference. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the workouts and videos here. And even though the majority of them are Concept2's in the video, you can still RowAlong on your Water Rower.

[@andgilable]

I have used a WaterRower for many years. Hey - the exercise that you properly do is the one that is best for you. So nice to row along with John on a WR today. Thanks for all that you do! 😀

[@Brockthedog315]

I got a waterrower to supplement my resistance workouts. So on my days off or as a finisher. I did not get a rower to compete with others online or to analyze my use or other metrics. It is quiet. Beautiful. And meditative. If I wanted a better monitor or the competition etc. concept 2. I love my waterrrower. Extremely happy with it. Thanks for this video.

[@davidmeredith3853]

Rotating the seat back to front ala training tall worked great great for me. Interested in the smartrow myself as a review

[@rowalong]

Yeah; I’ve just done it for tonight’s row and it was transformative!

[@pokrec]

Thank you! This is my first row in almost 2 weeks, since I caught some nasty, long-lasting cold. Still not 100% OK, but I decided to start rowing, because I feel, that my migraines start to attack without sport. 7,424m for me today. Nice, energetic row (although it supposed to be some lighter activity...). Let's hope we see each other at the next workout!

[@mattiabianuccitrainer]

This will be nice to follow, as a water rower owner 👍🔝

[@rowalong]

It's not the most entertaining of my RowAlongs as I'm just talking about the machine. But in time I'll run out of things to talk about and will get back to dinner plans and music!

[@B3503-u8t]

I’d love to hear your thoughts on the data provided by the SmartRow. As a cyclist and engineer, power meters are my lifeblood! The ability to see your power curve and make on-the-fly adjustments is meaningful. I’m the old, slow guy who rowed just over 1,000,000 meters in February. The SmartRower did a great job and the data transmission to their site was flawless.

[@rowalong]

From my quick look at it yesterday, the force curve is very easy to read, just like the C2. In fact, the graphic display is slightly better than the PM5 due to the smooth curve vs the sometimes blocky C2 curve. I'm going to do a few tests, so hopefully they'll make sense between both machines.

[@B3503-u8t]

@@rowalong You might enjoy this article, even if you can’t download the entire one. It’s not specific to the smart rower since they used a strain gauge, but it does explain the differences between a direct measurement and the C2. I am not claiming one is better than the other, but there are small differences. “Row whatcha got!”

[@rowalong]

@@B3503-u8t Have you got a link to the article? Or is it the "Power Responses of a Rowing Ergometer: Mechanical Sensors vs. Concept2 Measurement System" one?

[@B3503-u8t]

@@rowalong That’s it. Apologies for not including the link.

[@seanhenriques808]

What a perfect video for me. I own a sunny Hydro water rower and definitely appreciate you expanding your hardware options. Of course the monitor on my rower is useless so I use open rowing monitor on a raspberry pie to get me better metrics. I’m happy with this rig, but everyone else seems to use the concept to which is a drag so I definitely appreciate this. Walk on the wild side lol I’m so glad I stayed on for the entire video because the stretches at the end where a wonderful bonus. Thank you for all you do.

[@ccraigconti5345]

I have only rowed on a water rower 4times during a recent vacation where the airing had one. It seemed a bit tougher but maybe because I keep the drag factor on my C2 low it is definitely quieter which was good for the others in the house sleeping. It also felt closer to that of on the water rowing. That all said, I'm keeping my C2 when

[@TorstenThau]

Thank you for this one! My WR often sounds like a C2. But this might be due to me watching your videos… 😉 Using a WR without Smartrow, just with the S4, is not fun, though Smartrow App has some lack of features. For me the force curve was very helpful to improve my stroke. I’m excited about the upcoming comparisons because I was thinking about getting a C2 as secondary erg for the office. Thanks in advance. PS: haven’t had any issues with the seat during last 3000km. The longest rows I did were your 80 minute workout.

[@jamesray5293]

Very helpful, John. I’ve always thought the water rower was aesthetically lovely, not least the quieter sloshing of water, and gave me a feeling that was closer to rowing on the water than a C2. However, I didn’t feel as “connected” on it as I do on a C2, and less able to put in a comfortable and satisfying workout. Perhaps that was in part down to the less helpful metrics and the old position of the monitor, which your Performance Erg with SmartRow could have resolved.

[@SurftheTube007]

Mmm.. enjoyed the row apart from my butt hurting out of sympathy with you! This butter-churn you have there evokes memories of the sounds of shoveling the cow shed floor.. 🤪 the rowalong still as good as always, thanks mate

[@MrShustoke]

As a Concept2 owner, this was interesting to hear your opinions, as I know people with Water Rowers, and have often wondered how'd they'd compare. Nice work

[@rowalong]

Thanks. I'm going to jump right into some comparison videos - just to try to help out both sides of the equation and discussion!

[@chrisjbarrow]

I don't have a water rower,but enjoyed rowing along with you on my C2 listening to the comparison. This must be your first recorded row without a cool down at the end 🤔. Re the seat, maybe you should buy a seat from Concept 2 and see if you can fit that to the seat frame. Though it might just be that you need to get used to the different seat, it took a while before I got my technique right for the C2 so I didn't have any discomfort 😂

[@BrianSchwartz]

Would love to get your thoughts on the Water Rower's monitor. How to get the most out of it. It is the one thing that bugs me about the rower. The C2 monitor and functionality and user experience is so much better.

[@pommieMJ]

I’m so excited to see you on a Water Rower John. The sound difference, even though I know from first hand experience, was quite incredible. I have used the Smart Row and found it to be a load of old pants. The SR app/interface was nice and fancy but it has some major shortcomings. You can’t load up a distance based interval - you can’t follow the Pete Plan with it. How daft is that? I’ll email you my detailed review of it and what I sent to the Smart Row developers and let me know what you think. I agree that the seat is a little bit “firm” but I’ve got the seat pad on mine which makes it a lot more comfortable. I would also suggest turning your iPhone holder 180 degree so that it raises the over height and puts it in line with your eye line. I currently use the S4 monitor with the Bluetooth comm module and this gives me the best experience. And I’ve done a full marathon on it, so it’s not that bad but maybe, like you say, my backside is used to it. As for the handle have you go the wider version? There are two sizes and the narrow version is quite uncomfortable. A great video John, thank you!

[@jonhall9889]

The Performance Ergometer comes with the wider handle. SmartRow’s inability to make distance based intervals is rather silly and a common complaint from users, and personally I’d like to see a more sophisticated programming system for workouts. If one uses two devices with SmartRow, currently created workouts do not sync between them like recorded sessions do. In addition to syncing, I’d like to see import/export so SmartRow people can share workouts in the community. Let’s hope the SmartRow people improve on that in the future.

[@pommieMJ]

@@jonhall9889 The SR app has a lot of serious shortcoming. As you mention, SR workouts and history/data does not sync across devices. If you were to upgrade your phone or lose it etc. then all of your workout data is gone. No cloud syncing!! Pace times are only given every 500m. So when your rest period in a timed interval straddles a 500m split, you can’t tell what your actual 500m pace was for the interval, only for each 500m of the interval. Can’t copy intervals, distance discrepancy between the S4 and SR, no way to pause a workout, HRM connection woes, and other associated bugs. I got my money back as it was, in my opinion, unable to allow me to accurately track my workout and was worse than a notepad a pen.

[@jonhall9889]

@@pommieMJ I find SmartRow a vast improvement over the S4 monitor, and honestly, don’t use the workouts area much to make my own intervals, and instead, follow things like Rowalong here, or just adapt on the fly based on my current HR, etc. Totally fair if the workouts area does not meet your needs, and I hope SmartRow adapts and improves based on that criticism. I’d love to import some workouts created by others more talented than myself for a wider variety of workouts.

[@bghoa182]

Hi John, I would like to ask you, how you experience the difference between the waterrower and the concept2? Two weeks ago I had the chance to row on a concept2 for the first time (I own a waterrower). My 2k time is around 1:42 at the moment. On the concept2 I have not been able to get even close to that. I was rowing with the wheel around 5. On my waterrower the water is filled up to 18 liters. I am very happy with my waterrower, but the difference was very interesting to me. Thanks for all your videos. Very helpful and inspiring!

[@rowalong]

It's interesting you ask that, as I've been spending quite some time filming bits for a comparison video. (This grew arms and legs when I also bought a machine with an A1 monitor, so I can compare that along with the Smart Row.) From a comparison point of view, I've not done the faster side of it yet - but what's interesting so far is that a 30minute 20spm row at 2:05 pace is pretty even in terms of heart rate. All all three machines, I average around 130bpm, and max out around 145. So I'd say for low rate, there's not much in it (C2 at 130df, one water rower at 16 ltrs, the other at 17. I'm going to fill one to 18 though, just to see if that makes any difference. The feel of the WR at 17 is much nicer that 16 - more what I'm used to on the C2. And at this low rate, the A1 monitor and SmartRow are pretty close (I have both running on the same machine and there was a 70m difference). Again, that'll be interesting to see if there's a bigger disparity when I try to go fast!

[@DaveNeve]

is it true that you can't just the resistance unless you add or reduce the volume of water? If so I don't get it as in one of my gyms, there is a krank machine for shoulders that uses water and it has a lever to reduce/increase resistance. So why didn't they use this system for the rower???

[@rowalong]

Totally true about Water rower. Never seen a weights system that was water based though. It certainly is a tougher way to adjust than the lever on a C2. But that’s just another Avenue for a video for me make!

[@gavinrowland4685]

I have a fluid rower Apollo V. Mine has resistance adjustment 1-5. It takes about 10 strokes to alter resistance. I normally do all my rows on setting 4. Whether this compares to the C2 drag factor, who only knows!?

[@twino4u]

RowAlong Treasure Hunt

[@robertbartholomew420]

Thanks for the video John. What is your water level?

[@rowalong]

17. Although I’m going to investigate what happens when I put more or less in.

[@jonhall9889]

@@rowalong It’ll be interesting to hear how you compare water level with C2’s damper settings!

[@david_4739]

Would you say a magnetic rower is quieter than a water rower? I'm thinking of getting either a Waterrower A1 or a Nordic Track RW300. I'm not interested in classes or fancy consoles, just a decent machine. My real preference would be a Concept2, but I live in a flat where noise carries, so I have to think about limiting the noise impact on the neighbours below me. I've heard the catch on the Nordictrack rowers is a little weak, so that's making me lean towards a Waterrower instead.

[@rowalong]

Interesting you ask this.... I filmed a video yesterday comparing the volume of the C2, Water Rower, Aviron (which is magentic with a flywheel) and RP3. Can you wait a couple of days for the results? Or do you want me to tell you here? FWIW though, the Magnetic and Water Rower are both quiet. Through walls, you'll hardly hear them. Through a floor though, you might. So make sure to get a sound deadening mat if you're in a flat.

[@david_4739]

@@rowalong Ha that's a funny coincidence. Oh yes, I can easily wait a few days for that - I haven't even cleared enough space in my spare room yet 😂 Yes, a mat is a very good idea. I'll look into that. Thank you very much for the reply.

[@Gump1Gump2]

You could potentially unscrew this seat from underneath and purchase a seat from Concept 2 and use that instead. Will take a bit of thinking though for sure.

[@rowalong]

Possibly. But I may try flipping the seat first. Then possibly putting on the basic C2 seat pad.

[@DanielWBates]

Still unclear if this is a belated April Fools' Day gag or not [both you on the WR and the seat orientation]. I bought my WR in 2000 and the seat is not in any way connected to the rails and hence will roll of when stored in the upright position. I never once considered placing what I consider 'thigh grooves' facing backward. Seems anatomically incorrect to me. I did watch the tall guys video long ago and was shocked folks were using the groove to mitigate cheek chafe. You're doing much better at low rates than I do and will have to cross the WR factor off of my list of excuses.

[@rowalong]

Ha ha! That would’ve been incredibly funny if I’d of posted this on April Fools’ Day. But no, it’s not a joke. I’ve been thinking about trying to expand the different machines and make these videos on for quite awhile. And the opportunity presented itself to get this water rower, and using the money that I’ve got through the Patreon thing, I was able to purchase it. I’m not sure if I’ll get any more machines though. It does seem a bit daft to start buying in random rowing machines! Looking at the manual when I put this together, the seat is on the right way round. And there are a couple of horizontal wheels underneath it on this model to hold it in place. So I need to get the Allen key back out again in order to turn it round! But I will give it a try and possibly put the foam concept2 seat pad on top as well.

[@jonhall9889]

I use a dual rail WaterRower similar to John’s and store it vertically when not in use. The seat does not fall off if on the rails correctly.

[@vauha27]

I would like to see more of those big belly videos. For people like me. Overweight, unfit, untrained. Any kind of 10+ minutes exercise is too much of a challenge. I even had to remove 4 liters down from the recommended 17 liters.

[@rowalong]

Have you spotted my “Build me up” playlist? It starts of with a 5 minute row, and builds from there.

[@vauha27]

@@rowalong Not yet. Will look into that. Thanks for the quick response.

[@trinkamcclure5582]

RowAlong Treasure Hunt