Rowing Machine or Treadmill?

Forzafan

Hi,

I am a 30 year old male very skinny (6 ft and 70kg) but unfortunately have coupled that with being very unfit. I recently took part in 5 a side for an hour and was blowing out of my **** after about 10 mins!

So, as much as I want to put weight on I think it just isn't going to happen due to my metabolism and health issue from birth therefore I should concentrate on getting fit which should be within my means.

Gym is out of the question due to time constraints (plus self-consciousness) so I am looking to buy myself something to use at home. I know that these type of things become clothes-horses a lot of the time but I really am motivated to use it IF I have one that's right for me.

I have a budget of £800 ish so naturally ive looked at the concept 2 (£860 on amazon) as ive tried other rowing machines before and they are rubbish so if im going down the rowing machine road that is the only one I will get, and will want it either new or perhaps hiring it for a few months. I do love the rowing machine as opposed to treadmill when I have been to the gym as I found it more fun and 'sporty'.

I would spend less money on a treadmill as I doubt the difference between them is as great as it is with the rowers so that would allow me to buy an apple watch or fitness band too.

My criteria for choosing is thus:

I do not want to get thinner so will either of these 2 choices make me that way??
I want something quiet as it will be used in my bedroom when kids are asleep
Is it possible to build muscle on rower? as if so that's a bonus
Do they all have to be plugged into mains?
Its a long shot but being a geek id love a machine whereby it made it into more of a game for you, for example a screen showing a simulated race or environment
Which would get me fitter if I did say 30 mins a day on average?
Also it having a kind of tracker whereby I can try to beat personal bests and log and access all my data would be a massive advantage as that for me would be a great motivator.

I probably have more questions but that's enough for starters I guess!

Many thanks in advance for anyone who takes time to reply.

Charlts

Personally I'd go with a rower given the choices you've offered. Neither will be especially quiet so maybe worth a look at kettlebells as an alternative, you could always add a pull up bar to a door frame and you're away.

Forzafan

Thanks I've never heard of them before so will look into them . I have a pull up bar already which is good.

Will kettle bells allow me to do cardio the same as a rower or treadmill can? I know the whole point of cardio is strengthening your heart but I wasn't sure if there were varying degrees of that. Ultimately I want to be able to run around for an hour and not feel tired. I'm not into marathons etc and never will be but I do eat loads and don't put on weight so I think I need to be fitter than I am for my size

Charlts

If you want to get better at running around, then just keep running around. Kettlebells will improve your strength, help your anaerobic capacity and to an extent your aerobic capacity too - 5 mins max reps is a killer! Have a good google around for them, they could be what you're looking for.

Showoff

I had different requirements to you, but the same decision to make a few years back and I would 100% choose a Concept 2 rowing machine.

Based on your criteria:

You'll burn fat, but also build muscle so you won't get thinner so to speak.

Either option won't be silent, but the rower with the fan whoosh and smooth glide action will be a lot less noise than an electric treadmill with the thuds of your feet hitting the belt on every step along with the vibrations that will cause. I use my rower when the kids are asleep without issues.

Yes you can build lean muscle on a rower, you are not going to get bulk, but you will get stronger.

A rower is not powered so doesn't get plugged into the mains.

The rower is a great option for the geek in you. There are loads of software programs that allow you to simulate a race and environment, you can even race against real people in events if you want. Check out this link as a starter: Third-Party Software | Concept2

In terms of which would get you fitter, the rower is well known to be one of the best all round fitness exercises you can do. Most of the power comes from your legs (like running) but it also works your core, upper body, back and arms as well, with the benefit of no harsh impacts (which you get with running) that can result in injury.

You can track your personal bests and log and access all your data on the PM3 or PM4 that comes with the C2 so that's covered as well. If you do ever visit a gym, you can even take your data card out of your machine and stick it into the one in the gym and have access to all your data there as well as record what you do onto it.

Have a look at the Pete Plan for a beginner training program: Beginner Training

Lots of variety and good way to build up your fitness.

The final deciding factors for me were that I much prefer to run outside and can do that whenever I want anyway, getting a boat onto a river for some real rowing is not so easy. Lastly there are not many commercial grade i.e. gym quality pieces of exercise equipment that you can buy for less than £1k. The treadmills in my gym cost over £4k each and the Concept 2 rowers there are the same as my one at home and are used in 95% of all gyms worldwide!

But it's your call.

Forzafan

great advice thank you for taking the time to post it. I was swaying more towards concept 2 and this thread has confirmed it for me. next decision is brand new from amazon, rent for a bit or buy 2nd hand....

Showoff

I rented for a bit first and then bought it off them at a slight discount. It's the most expensive way to do it, but I wanted new and wanted to make sure I'd get on with it.

If I did it again, I'd probably buy new as you'll only lose reselling what the rentals probably cost me as they hold their value. Buy second hand is not a bad idea though if you can find a good one fairly local to you. All the parts are replaceable, so anything warn can be swapped and you'd save a little bit of money and if you decided to sell it on, you'll probably get most if not all your money back.

sim12

So i think i`m reading this right , you want to gain anearobic fitness whilst putting on a bit of muscle .

My first question would have to be , what are you wanting to achieve as a fitness goal , you mentioned 5 aside football , is that your goal,or to run 10 miles , or are you looking to get a little more bulked up?

I have a rowing machine , but that is no substitute for running either, both good in their own right , but very different for end results. for example whilst training for a half marathon i had a 2 week break and spent 1 hour aday on rowing machine , when returning to running it took 2 weeks to get back to where i was before the rowing ,it was like my legs forgot how to run !!!

Personally i wouldn`t buy either.........
If you want to add muscle and strength free weights are the way to go and they dont cost a fortune . And you can run outside for free.

There is no quick route to what your trying to achieve so another good thing to do is give yourself a realistic time frame and stick to a training plan and diet............

Forzafan

i guess I need to look at a diet too. basically bulking up (well more like being less skinny) would be great but not sure if its achievable. what I would like is that when I chase my son around the park I don't want to be tired too quickly. people at work go to the gym after they've eaten say a cake and I don't/cant and I feel really guilty about that

hamzatm

Lol people at work think going to the gym every time they splurge totally makes up for it - they're in for a rude awakening Don't feel guilty about not joining them - especially since you want to gain weight the odd cake here an there will be alright.

Anyway, so basically you want to put a bit of mass onto your tall frame so you don't look and feel so skinny, and you also want to have some basic fitness?

Firstly putting on mass is always possible, but as you've realised you're food intake has to be adjusted or nothing will happen. I used to be 6'2" at 68kg at one point. For me, putting on weight was a matter of ensuring I'm eating every 3-4 hours; trying to eat more in each meal; and drinking as much milk as I could inbetween. Small steps are key. You could try just drinking a bit more milk throughout the day - it doesn't interfere with your meals and it will increase your caloric intake.

Fitness is a function of you running or rowing or whatever you like. If you want to be better at running about and not getting tired, then running is the more effective option. But without adjusting your diet at all, if you add in exercise you will definitely not be gaining weight. At best you'll maintain.

Options:
- eat more and run: bigger stronger legs, fitness, overall not as skinny. You'll also run about easier.
- eat more and row: bigger stronger upper body, fitness, overall not as skinny
- don't eat more but start to run/row: fitness (bodyweight may reduce or may maintain)

I mean ideally it would be great if you started going to the gym and started weight training, along with some running, along with eating more.