If you’re looking to add a piece of cardio equipment to your home gym, there are several choices that might have come across your radar. Some of the top machines being treadmills, ellipticals, rowing machines, stationary bikes, and ski ergs, just to name a few. Let’s break down the treadmill and the rowing machine. Between the two, how do you know which one will be best for your home gym?
There are a few things to keep in mind when deciding which of these cardio pieces will work for you. This includes knowing what exactly your end goal is when it comes to your physical health. Factors like cost and space should also be taken into consideration, as well as how much value this piece of equipment will give you. Let’s face it, cardio machines don’t often come cheap, so, you want to get the best workout possible for what you’re buying!
Let’s take a look at the benefits of using both a treadmill and a rowing machine, and which one is best for one of the biggest gym goals out there: losing weight.
Benefits of Using the Treadmill
Based on the leading data in the fitness industry, treadmills are ranked as one of the top choices for home gym equipment. With a plethora of treadmills to choose from on the market today, it can certainly be intimidating to pick one that will give you the most bang for your buck. With prices ranging from $500 to over $5000, quality is key when choosing a treadmill that will give you all the benefits without all the hassle. With health benefits ranging from improving cardiovascular endurance to lowering stress and reducing the risk of disease, treadmills have other benefits – and one of those being that it is an efficient way to burn calories! Treadmills also have a belt on them to run or walk on, which has more “give” to it than the concrete or asphalt roads and sidewalks outside, and therefore decreasing painful impact on your joints. You can incorporate sprints, interval training, HIIT, or even recovery walks while on a treadmill, and tone and strengthen your leg muscles at the same time.
Benefits of Using A Rowing Machine
A rowing machine (sometimes referred to as an ergometer), is another popular in-home cardio machine, and a good alternative to a treadmill if you’re looking for a piece of equipment that doesn’t have any impact on your joints. With prices that can range anywhere from $200 to $2000, rowing machines can be a perfect addition to your home gym – even if you’ve overlooked this piece of equipment before. Rowing machines are a full-body workout, so you’re getting the added bonus of working your upper body along with your lower body while rowing. You can also increase your cardiovascular endurance, reduce injuries in the knees and shoulders, and decrease overall stress with a rowing machine – similar to the rush you would get if you were out rowing on a lake! Interval workouts, speed workouts, and long-distance endurance rowing are all workouts that are possible with a rowing machine, all while working your upper back, chest, quads, glutes, and abdominals at the same time.
Which Is Better for Losing Weight, Treadmill or Rowing Machine?
If your overall goal is to lose weight and burn fat, the treadmill is your best bet. According to ACE, someone who weighs 150 pounds will see a burn of approximately 158 calories after a thirty-minute rowing workout; likewise, that same person burns around 181 calories in the same thirty-minute timeframe while running. That being said, if you have an injury that is compounded by a high impact activity like running, then rowing is a close second for being a top calorie burning machine!
Is Rowing as Good as Walking?
Based off current guidelines, you should be aiming for 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week to maintain your cardiovascular fitness levels; with that being said, if you are walking at a moderate pace 5 days a week for 30 minutes, it’s going to have the same effect as a moderate pace on the rower. However, if you’re running, that bumps you into the vigorous category for exercise (needing a minimum of 75 minutes each week), and that would be more effective than the rower at maintaining your cardiovascular health.
Bottom Line
The treadmill and the rowing machine are both ideals for beginner and advanced exercisers alike – and depending on your goals, injuries, space, and budget, they’ll both improve your health and wellness journey, you just have to decide which one would be best for you and your goals.
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