# Rower vs Cross Trainer?



## Pezza4u (Jun 7, 2007)

I used to row alot but haven't for the last 6 months. I had to stop for a few weeks and lost the motivation. I was doing around 45-60 minutes a time for 5 or 6 days a week and I lost abit of weight (a stone) but not as much as I was hoping/expecting. I'm thinking of selling it and getting a cross trainer instead, are these better for burning calories though?


----------



## ivor (Sep 24, 2008)

for overall body workout I would stick to the rower you could try to alter your workouts to stop the onset of boredom do things like sprint for 100mtrs then slow and see if you can beat your times what a lot of people don't realise is that at first you will lose weight quickly as your body adjusts then it will stabilise and you need to change your routine but don't get dis-heartened with it all as nothing comes easy


----------



## liamsxa (Nov 3, 2007)

xtrainer is second to none for weightloss, the movements are simple and never over exert you, i could stay on a xtrainer for well over an hour, but after 50 mins i get numbness in the feet, but i can lose about 400 calories in 30 mins without much effort.


----------



## PaulN (Jan 17, 2008)

What rower have you got? The cross trainer will be more costly and larger to store. 

The good thing its a total body workout, but saying that a rower works both top and bottom sections of your body.

Why not get down a gym and try a cross trainer and see how you like it? Id offer you a free session but im sure theres closer gyms.

Cheers

PaulN


----------



## Pezza4u (Jun 7, 2007)

I have this rower

Had it a couple of years now and I used it for about 12 months before I stopped. After the initial weight loss I think it was toning my body up rather than helping me lose more, which ideally would be 2 stone. One thing I've noticed with this rower is my **** goes numb after 30 minutes, which makes it abit uncomfortable to use.

I've used a cross trainer before so I should get on with it but as said they're larger and you need more storage room. I think I'm gonna sell this rower anyway and maybe look for a different one if I decide to stick with it. But there are plenty of cross trainers going cheap on ebay and I can always do free weights as well.


----------



## Franzpan (Mar 2, 2009)

I have no experience with cross trainers, but ergos are great if you use them correctly. Gives you a really good all over work out, mainly legs with a bit of arms and back. The concept2 ergometer is the best about but it is not cheap =(


----------



## PaulN (Jan 17, 2008)

Pezza4u said:


> I have this rower
> 
> Had it a couple of years now and I used it for about 12 months before I stopped. After the initial weight loss I think it was toning my body up rather than helping me lose more, which ideally would be 2 stone. One thing I've noticed with this rower is my **** goes numb after 30 minutes, which makes it abit uncomfortable to use.
> 
> I've used a cross trainer before so I should get on with it but as said they're larger and you need more storage room. I think I'm gonna sell this rower anyway and maybe look for a different one if I decide to stick with it. But there are plenty of cross trainers going cheap on ebay and I can always do free weights as well.


I cant really comment on your rower mate...........

We have concept 2 rowers, Someone i know just sold one for about £150 which was a great deal for the best rower you can get.

Cross trainers are a different beast all together, ours were £5k each but they need to last and take heavy use.

My advice, get a better rower and some free weights. Go up and down the stairs for that bit extra.

PaulN


----------



## Pezza4u (Jun 7, 2007)

Maybe an air rower would be better then, although larger, unless they can be folded in half? I used them in the gym years ago and they were great.


----------



## partrir (Mar 31, 2009)

liamsxa said:


> xtrainer is second to none for weightloss, the movements are simple and never over exert you, i could stay on a xtrainer for well over an hour, but after 50 mins i get numbness in the feet, but i can lose about 400 calories in 30 mins without much effort.


Shoot me down, but if effort is low, so is calorific loss - you're only going by what the computer says, and that's a generalisation. Normally, the little computer doesn't take into account your overall fitness and strength levels, although some of the higher spec Polar heart rate monitors do periodic fitness tests, which help portray a better idea of calorific burn.

Both a rower and a cross trainer will give low impact fitness and strength improvement. I use a rower at work which is great, because I can sit in front of the telly in the gym and go on and on for ages. The rower is a concept II, and is very smooth and comfortable.

Personally though, I don't think you can beat a bit of variance - running using the Fartek method, cycling (road in summer, turbo in winter) and circuit training all help to break up the monotony.

PaulN makes a very valid point re. storage too. His comment about using stairs is excellent too - I use a 12" step to step up and down on at increasing rhythm (in fact, we have to pass a fitness test at work each year, and part of that test is doing a test using a 12" step).

Good luck - keep going!

Rob


----------



## dogs_basket (Aug 28, 2007)

For boredom have a look at the concept 2 website as it gives a load of different routines you can try out. Some are straight forward and others are brutal.


----------



## PaulN (Jan 17, 2008)

Ive just had to fork out £250 for a repair to our Freerunner and a stepper this week!!!!!

That was a good price... the parts should have been £180 alone....


----------



## dan89 (Apr 27, 2010)

Crosstrainers are brill...like them a lot more than rowers! Good for weight loss to as they use all your body muscles...and arent as nackering as rowers lol


----------



## Pezza4u (Jun 7, 2007)

dogs_basket said:


> For boredom have a look at the concept 2 website as it gives a load of different routines you can try out. Some are straight forward and others are brutal.


Good tip, loads of useful info on that site 

I'm selling the rower I have I've decided that much but I'm thinking of getting an air resistance one now instead of the cross trainer. I know when I used to go to the gym I preferred these.


----------



## Fresh (Aug 26, 2010)

I'm a rower Pezza4u and I know what you mean about the boredom factor. I would suggest getting a heart monitor (you can pick them up cheap) and build you exercise around maintaining and increasing heart your heart rate. This way you exercise will be suited to you a and your fitness level. 

I exercise to heart rate levels as well as effort levels and it breaks the boredom as well as allowing the exercise to be tailored to what you want to achieve. Eg. reduce heart rate, increase lactic threshold, reduce weight. 

You can find charts on where to pitch you heart rate to achieve these goals.

Hope this helps.


----------



## absolute (Jan 19, 2010)

x trainer wins, in a nutshell it alloys more of your body to work harder for longer. 

i only have a one bedroom mezzanine style house but that didn't stop me buying a second hand lifestyle from a gym that had closed down. 

also, i had a mate who was 22 stone, it was getting him down. he came to gym with me and i'd send him to the cross trainer. Sure, at first he'd moan after 5 minutes, then he'd do 10, then 20, before long he was on the machine for 90 minutes solid every second day. Between that and sticking to less than 2000 calories a day he was 15 stone within 4 months.... true story, that's why i've got a 20 odd stone commercial machine in my bedroom, because over the last few years of abusing jack daniels and jim beam i grew my very own beautiful pair of ****..........luckily the **** have almost disappeared.


----------



## Pezza4u (Jun 7, 2007)

Forgot about this thread...I sold the rower I had but that's as far as I got. TBH I've had alot of recently and not had time to think about exercise! Might have a look for a X-trainer after Xmas.


----------



## hulla the hulla (May 20, 2009)

go for a run it's free ! so is power walking if you can't run - try power walking and chuck in a run for 1 min then rest, 2 mins then rest etc - soon be running like Forrest ! good luck !


----------

