| If you've never seen a Water Rower before, prepare | | | | Here's how it works: |
| yourself for a revelation. The sleek design is so stylish | | | | At the front end of the Water Rower is a tank of |
| and luxurious that you'll never again see exercise | | | | water. When you row the machine, you're turning a |
| equipment in quite the same way. The machine itself is | | | | paddle wheel inside the tank. The paddle wheel's |
| a visual symphony of American hardwoods, anodized | | | | turning makes the water in the tank spin. The harder |
| steel and the smoky, fluid curves of the polycarbonate | | | | you row, the faster the water spins. The faster the |
| tank that holds the water. The classic elegant design | | | | water spins, the more resistance there is. The more |
| of the Water Rower fits right into the décor in | | | | resistance there is, the more you get from your |
| most homes, like a carefully chosen piece of fine | | | | workout. To get a more powerful workout, all you |
| furniture. It's specifically created for the home gym, and | | | | have to do is work harder. |
| designed to fit into a small space. When it's not in use, | | | | Because the resistance is geared to your ability, it |
| you can simply stand the WaterRower on end, and it | | | | increases naturally as your own strength and abilities |
| takes up less space than a dining room chair. All in all, | | | | increase. There's far less risk of overstraining yourself |
| the Water Rower looks far more like an elegant, | | | | by setting the resistance higher than your body is |
| up-scale sculpture than a serious piece of fitness | | | | ready to handle because the resistance is |
| equipment. | | | | self-regulating. You never risk working your body |
| Make no mistake, though. A serious piece of fitness | | | | harder than it is ready to work. |
| equipment is exactly what it is. The Water Rower | | | | Filling the Water Rower |
| was designed by rowers for rowers, and that shows | | | | The first time you use your WaterRower, you need to |
| in everything from the tiniest details (like the non-slip | | | | fill the water tank with water. The manufacturer |
| grip on the aluminum oar) to the patented water | | | | suggests that you use plain, ordinary tap water to fill |
| paddle mechanism that makes the Water Rower the | | | | the tank, because it contains chemicals that inhibit the |
| closest possible experience to rowing on the water. | | | | growth of algae. After the tank is filled, the only |
| That makes possible a smooth, flawless rowing motion | | | | maintenance it will need is an occasional chlorine tablet |
| that exercises all of your large muscle groups at once | | | | added (every 6 months to 2 years, depending on the |
| - without putting undue stress on joints and bones. It's | | | | amount of sunlight on the water tank.) |
| stylish, timeless, elegant - and the best aerobic workout | | | | The amount of water that you put into the tank |
| that you can find anywhere. | | | | determines how hard a workout you'll get. The |
| Short History of the Water Rower | | | | suggested amounts are: |
| Rowing machines have been around for well over 100 | | | | Children: 12-14 liters |
| years. One of the earliest patents for a rowing | | | | Women: 14-16 liters |
| machine was filed with the U.S. Patent Office in 1872, | | | | Men: 16-18 liters |
| and when the YMCA decided to add gymnasiums to | | | | There's a handy level gauge marked on the side of |
| their facilities, indoor rowing machines were among the | | | | the tank so that you know how far to fill it for each |
| first exercise machines introduced. Those machines | | | | level of workout. |
| were nothing like the Water Rower, though. The | | | | The Water Rower - As Close As You Can Get To |
| old-fashioned rowing machine consisted of a seat that | | | | Rowing Without a River |
| rode on a pair of rails as the rower pulled on 'oars' and | | | | Rowing on a Water Rower is as close as you can |
| pushed with his legs. | | | | get to rowing on the water without being on the water. |
| Since one of the key elements of the exercise in | | | | The ergonomically designed, padded seat glides |
| rowing is the drag on the oars as they pull through the | | | | soundlessly and smoothly on anodized steel runners |
| water, older rowers used bands attached to the seat | | | | attached to wooden rails. There's no clanking or |
| to mimic the water's resistance. If you wanted a | | | | banging, no mechanical sounds to break your |
| harder workout, you used stronger bands with more | | | | concentration on the rhythm of your rowing. Instead of |
| resistance. The first major design innovation to the | | | | your ears being assaulted by the hum of the flywheel |
| rowing machine was the ergonomic rower, which | | | | whirring through the air, the only sound you'll hear is the |
| replaced those bands with a flywheel that used air to | | | | pleasant, rhythmic rush and whoosh of water. The |
| mimic water resistance. Since 1981, when the | | | | rhythm, say many rowing enthusiasts, helps keep the |
| ergonomic rower was introduced, people have used | | | | pace of your workout steady, and adds to the feeling |
| air, bands, chains, pulleys and even magnets to make | | | | that you're gliding along on the open water. |
| rowing a rowing machine feel like rowing a boat. It | | | | Living with the WaterRower |
| wasn't until 1988 that John Duke, a member of the U.S. | | | | The WaterRower is designed to fit into any lifestyle, |
| National Team in rowing and a naval architect, | | | | into any style. It comes in three different "series" with |
| patented his unique WaterFlyWheel design. The | | | | several models available in each series. The Natural |
| WaterFlyWheel is the heart of the Water Rower's | | | | selection is crafted of solid ash, and stained in either |
| unparalleled rowing experience. | | | | oak, or rose and black. The Designer series is elegantly |
| Why the WaterFlyWheel Makes the Water Rower | | | | styled in different materials, including models in black |
| Unique | | | | walnut, cherry wood and stainless steel. The M series |
| One of the beauties of rowing as an exercise is that | | | | is designed for the commercial market, and features a |
| the harder you row, the more resistance there is | | | | low-rise and a high-rise model each designed in |
| against your oars. The more resistance there is, the | | | | brushed stainless steel. |
| stronger your workout. Most rowing machines use | | | | Each model is available with or without the |
| some mechanism to simulate that resistance. The | | | | computerized monitor, and there's an option to add a |
| most popular and well-known is the Concept 2, which | | | | monitor later if you choose to buy without at first. The |
| uses a flywheel spinning in the air. It's noisy, and the | | | | monitor does far more than keep an eye on your |
| resistance needs to be manually set to change the | | | | speed or your heart rate. Through a variety of |
| level of your workout. Because the resistance is | | | | functions, you can use the S4 monitor (the latest |
| artificially set - or imposed - you run the risk of straining | | | | upgrade) to monitor your progress, keep track of your |
| muscles by trying for a workout that's beyond the limit | | | | workout statistics, tell you when you're working at |
| of your capability. | | | | optimum benefit level - even tell you how fast you're |
| Not so with a Water Rower. Because the resistance | | | | rowing and how many miles your machine has been |
| in the rower is provided by water, it works the exact | | | | rowed overall. |
| same way that water does - makes sense, doesn't it? | | | | |