“I’m a Former Competitive Rower, and the Hydrow Rower Healed my Complicated Relationship with Indoor Rowing.”

Coming from a competitive rowing environment in high school—longer ago than I care to admit—I am no stranger to rowing machines. Each winter we had “indoor training,” aka rowing basically everyday, with a 2-kilometer test once a week. It was intense, and if I’m being honest, it made me a little hesitant to ever want to erg again. 

But when the opportunity popped up for me to test the Hydrow Rower, with the selling point that it allows for self-paced rows, I was excited to test the waters and heal my relationship with the workout. 

Hydrow Pro Rower

$1795

18% off

Shop at Hydrow

About the Hydrow Pro Rower

Featuring a sleek frame and HD touchscreen, the Hydrow Pro Rower stands out in the rowing machine market. Becoming a member is optional, but for $44 a month you can unlock thousands of workouts that range from classic on-the-water classes to circuit training. Without the membership a limited range of classes are available, but they do showcase on-the-water rows from stunning locations around the world. 

The rower itself comes as one piece so a super large and heavy box (almost 200 lbs, with the machine weighing around 145). I scheduled my delivery through a service, and the driver helped get the box into my basement gym and then helped connect the screen. Once that was attached all you had to do was plug it in and run through the set up screens, making a profile and getting started was very easy there. 

What I love 

The slide on this rower is so smooth, from catch to finish I was gliding through my stroke. This is because of their electromagnetic resistance, creating the most authentic feeling of being on the water. The slide from the seat is very quiet and rolls on the track with ease. The handlebars are ergonomically designed to reduce strain on the wrists, however the material is slightly firmer than others I have used so I have to be careful of blisters if I'm on there for a while.

My first class was a scenic lake row, where I had a view of mountains as I rowed as if I was actually on the water. You can see and hear the drag from the oars with each stroke because the speakers face you instead of being in the back of the machine. The 22-inch HD touchscreen provides a crystal clear picture, and I was surprised how steady the camera on the boat was—it really just added another level to the experience. I will say the display sits a little lower than I would like at the highest setting. But I do like that all the important metrics are displayed, as well, like time, stroke rate, distance, and split time.

What I don't

The Hydrow Membership is really where a huge amount of the value is. Without it, you still have an impressively-smooth and high-caliber rowing machine, of course; but you don’t have the thousands of on-screen workouts (that honestly, do a great job keeping you engaged–-especially if you’re new to rowing). 

This rower is also quite long, taking up a bit of space. Hydrow does offer an upright storage kit ($80) which could be worth the investment to free up some space when the rower isn't in use. 

The biggest difference with this rower compared to the more traditional ones I've used, there is no way to change the resistance since the magnetic design is meant to change and adjust with your stroke. 

My final thoughts on the Hydrow Rower

After using this rower for a few months, I can now say I look forward to incorporating it into my workout plans. The design and elevated feel really adds to my home gym and, while an investment, I do feel this is a top at-home rower. The thought put into the construction and all the elements of the rower has changed my attitude toward rowing machines; perhaps in the future I will opt into their monthly membership, but for now I'm enjoying the calming rows at my own pace. I actually look forward to hopping on and gliding, taking me back to the feeling of actually being on the water without having to leave my house.