Stamina Body Trac Glider 1050 Rowing Machine
Treadmill
Safety
Falling from a treadmill could be quite serious, as the running surface (the belt) usually continues to move.
Almost all treadmills sold today have some sort of a safety device. Some are equipped with safety switches which kill the motor when you press them, others have a sort of a safety key that stops the treadmill automatically when you fall.
Most treadmills are equipped with handlebars that you can use to stabilise yourself if you need.
No safety measure can guard you against a situation where you have a power outage while you are on the machine. The motor will stop immediately while you keep on running. This is an extremely dangerous (if rare) situation.
Minimal Space and Power Needs
The rowers usually occupy a very small space, and many models are foldable - to be stored away under the bed when not in use.
Most rowing machines do not need to be plugged in at all, as all resistance is magnetic. Some machines have a workout monitor that usually runs on batteries (some will use a small amount of power instead of batteries or just in order to recharge them).
In terms of space, treadmills usually require more space than other exercise equipment. Even the foldable ones are limited in this aspect, as the running surface must be wide and long enough to accommodate large gaits, and can not be folded in half.
Workout Effectiveness
The rowing exercise uses both the upper and lower body for aerobic cardiovascular work with no impact on the joints.
Using a rowing machine correctly and regularly, and with adequate exercise level, you can expect it to work your back muscles but also stretch them, helping ease pain and discomfort. Note however, that using it incorrectly may lead to back discomfort and possible injury, so you need to seek advice regarding the correct way to perform the rowing machine exercise.
Rowing machines are considered to have an excellent workout value, as the exercise they provide works on large muscle groups and does not let you slack (use momentum) while working them.
Good results are achieved quite quickly in terms of increased fitness levels, weight loss and fat burning. Results will initially show toned thighs, buttocks and firmer arms.
Note that rowing machines do not provide a good level of exercise variety - you can only change the resistance you work against, but not, for example, the chair sliding length, or the angle of the string you pull.
While treadmills provide excellent cardiovascular workout, they only work your lower body. Treadmills do not work your back muscles or any large muscle group other than your legs. However, they are still effective as a fat burning and fitness equipment.
The downside of the workout on treadmills is that this is a high-impact exercise, as your joints, knees, shins, ankles and back absorb shocks every time you put your foot down.
The surface you run on while you exercise on a treadmill is usually cushioned and equipped with shock absorbers. This way it provides less impact than concrete, but still - your body will experience an impact up to 2.5 times your body weight every time your foot lands on the treadmill's belt.
There is an injury risk inherent to such high-impact workouts.
The exercise variety that a treadmill provides is focused around changing the incline and speed of the belt. These do not provide a lot of options, but are usually enough.
Price
Fat Burning Efficiency
The rowing machine is very effective at burning fat as it uses the larger muscles of both upper and lower body. Additionally, a rowing machine does not let you easily gain bodyweight momentum, so the workout is very effective.
It is also worth noting that because treadmill is a high-impact workout, you are usually able to exercise for shorter durations (compared to other fitness equipment) at whichever level of fitness you are at. This means that you will not have the opportunity to burn as much fat as with other machines.
Having said that, the treadmill lets you easily perform short sprints, which contribute to burning fat in the post-workout recovery time.
Maintenance Considerations
On the other hand, most rowing machines have a cable which may break, and a seat that moves back and forth. These two parts require maintenance and checks to be performed on a regular basis.
Another moving part of the rower is the wheel, which usually works on magnetic resistance. The wheel compartment requires infrequent oiling, but other than that maintenance is quite a breeze.
All these moving parts may burn out, and are constantly in danger of wear and tear through use. Compared to other exercise equipment, treadmills are high-maintenance, especially the models that have motors.
Risk Free
The technique is important in order to avoid back strain. The rowing machine works on your back muscles and at the same time stretches them. This has the benefit of helping ease pain and discomfort.
When applying good technique, there is a very low injury risk as there is less pressure to knees and ankles. This allows you to exercise for longer durations, which lets you raise fitness levels and burn fat more quickly.
This impact affects the joints in your lower body (especially the knees) and the lower back. This has a direct correlation to the length and frequency of workouts, especially in the beginning, as your body will not be able to walk/run for long periods of times, and will need longer rests between workouts.
On the up side, walking is a simple form of exercise that does not require coordination, and hence a treadmill is a good choice if you have no experience at all, and need to start exercising immediately.
Stamina Body Trac Glider 1050 Rowing Machine
Treadmill
Stamina Body Trac Glider 1050 Rowing Machine
based on 209 customer reviews
Feel factor: 8
Stamina Body Trac Glider 1050 rowing machine
(Score 5/5)
This is a good device, quiet, does the job. For the money, its a good deal, I have a stationary bike,
and ride off road on a 29er single speed, a lot of out of the saddle, the stationary bike only does legs,
hips down. On that you spin, heart rate is easy to get up. Using both, you can do it all. I find the
stationary bike boring and painful. This I find I can get in a zone and do it longer.
This does the whole body, small of back, critical to me, and lower ab's, to strengthen back problems, it
does get the arms, legs, knees, its as if it just gets the standing out of the saddle part of a bike, and
that feeling of a pushup on a road type bar, and holding it when pedaling, it does not get the legs like
a good spin, but it gets everything else except tension against balance on a rough trail. I am talking about
how the body feels, not the motion. Balance is a big thing, anything stationary is not as good, but this is
good enough. It does get the lower ab's better than a bike.
I got it to get something of what off road does for me when weather is bad, it does that well. You have to
do it longer, at a higher tension for a good workout, but cardio is different, you want that, you have to
drop the tension setting and pull faster. I am more interested in a long, slow, against the current feel of the
rowing, (I have done rowing on rivers), solo canoe, where the heart rate maxes out about the time you are starting
to feel the burn, then a short sprint, and a cool down. So I set the tension to 8, it seems about right compared to
what I feel on a single speed. I cannot put in the same times yet, but I can see, it being very good to do on off days
to help the cyclings.
It surprised me. Its a pretty good machine for its cost. Its portable.
Posted on: 2010-07-31
By Ink Stain
Practical
(Score 5/5)
Easy to use and store, takes up very little space, am very pleased with this product.
Posted on: 2010-07-27
By JOHN JAQUES
Good Surprises and Bad
(Score 4/5)
Having read all the reviews before purchasing I was a little nervous. I have to say I am seriously impressed with how sturdy the rowing machine is built. And while I scoffed at people saying that it was put together (I consider myself a master assembler), I too had difficulties. Mostly because the instructions are verbose in all the wrongs ways. Instead of just labeling things "Part A" it has a ridiculously long name that causes more confusion than clarity. But really, you only assemble something once so who really cares.
It provides a great upper body workout, that's for sure. But, one of the reasons I bought this was because its touts a full body workout. Here it falls short. Sure, my legs are pushing off for the "drive" portion of the row, but with no resistance at this step its just window dressing. Its great for what it does, but I'm going to have to buy another piece of equipment for the lower body.
Posted on: 2010-07-18
By E. Cummings
Easily Assembled, Compact, Simple Rowing Mach
(Score 5/5)
This rowing machine was easy to build right out of the box. I used only the picture portion of the directions in the manual and was able to assemble the machine in less than 45 minutes with the tools provided. Immediately upon completion of the assembly, I rowed for half an hour and worked up a good sweat and plenty of muscle fatigue. Although it's not as strenuous as a cable-resistance machine like at a gym (I had the resistance on ten), I really liked that I was able to row in my own room which is rather small (I only have room for a twin bed and watch TV on my computer). For me, this machine was the ideal choice because of it's small storage footprint (stores upright in about a 2ft footprint that's approx. 4ft high) and because I can row in the comfort of my room and watch TV to entertain myself while I work out. One thing I should mention is that at first I was a little concerned because the extension arms are not at the same level from the factory, but it doesn't affect the performance of the machine at all for them to be a little out of flush. Additional rave reviews are that the the machine arrived in ONE DAY with free shipping from Amazon and the price for the value is amazing at $150.00 USD (it was the deal of the day when I purchased it, I think it's typically $175.00 USD). Definitely a phenomenal purchase!
Posted on: 2010-07-16
By T. Saffell
Helpful index: 100%
Great machine
(Score 4/5)
I received this about 6 weeks ago and with the exception of the foot pedals the machine is excellent.
I drilled the holes in each pedal as shown in another customers picture, put in an old pair of boot laces from my workboots and have had no problems at all with slippage.
7000 strokes later its running smooth, quiet and gives me a real good workout. I have been doing 15 minutes to warm up, then my bowflex routine then another 15 minutes to cool down. Love it !!
I do have a question for anyone in the know. Every website I have visited says that even a moderate 30 minute workout on a rowing machine is burning 240 ish calories. Yet the counter on this says anyplace from 85 - 96 after 30 minutes of rowing.
Any idea whats real ?
Posted on: 2010-07-15
By Hondo
Treadmill
based on 206 customer reviews
Feel factor: 7
So far so good...
(Score 5/5)
For those of you that don't want to read a 9,000 page review of a bloody treadmill, here is my short analysis.
- Easy to assemble, took me about an hour and a half. The most difficult part is moving it where you want it and guiding the electric wires through the left pole.
- Its exactly as advertised, it feels sturdy, it stores well. Being able to put the deck up keeps it out of the way to you dont have to give up too much space for the thing.
Overall it works well and you will get exactly what you expect from this treadmill, no need to reiterate what the product says about itself or go into a pretentious in depth review of a piece of work out equipment. Want a treadmill that works for this price, is sturdy and has these features, get this.
Review over.
Posted on: 2010-07-27
By Rockman
Great running surface ... terrible display
(Score 4/5)
I purchased this treadmill about four weeks ago. I received the treadmill within a week and it was easy to put together. I've been running on it for about 3 weeks now, approximately 4-8 miles a day.
The good:
It has a great running surface, I have put thousands of miles on commercial quality treadmills and this treadmill is easily comparable. Based on that I would give it 5 stars. The running surface is spacious (width and length) which is good for me because I like to drift around a bit. Also, one thing that I have noticed on other treadmills is a tendency for the belt to "stick" when your foot strikes down. I have not noticed this at all on this treadmill. This is a solid treadmill to run on.
The heart rate monitor seems to work well as long as you stay near the display area (if you drift a bit towards the back of the treadmill the connection will be lost). I have a few different brands of heart rate monitors and they all seem to work well. Also, programming it isn't too complicated and I've made use of a few of the programs so far.
The not so good:
The display for this treadmill is one of the worst I've seen. They've combined a lot of the display items and buttons which makes for a compact viewing area but the lack of any logical programming in the display is a definite annoyance. The display likes to show me what I don't want to see (heart rate when not wearing a heart rate monitor and the static information like pace and calories burned per hour) and seems to not show me what I want to see (distance/time run). I am constantly having to flip through the display to keep it where I want it.
In addition, the enter button is also the cool down button, so you have to be very careful while using the numbers to adjust your speed or you may end up cutting your run short (pressing start to resume as the display states actually seems to end the run). The fan does not provide much cooling at all, even at high speed.
Overall I'd actually give it 3.5/5 stars but I'm not sure I would buy the same treadmill again. I'd probably go with the Nordic Track Commercial 1500 (same price) or the Nordic Track A2750 for about $400 less.
Posted on: 2010-05-27
By Anthony E. Nocchi
Helpful index: 100%
NIGHTMARE !!!
(Score 1/5)
DO NOT PURCHASE ANY BOFLEX EQUIPMENT. CUSTOMER SERVICE IS A NIGHTMARE, IF YOU LIVE IN A CERTAIN AREA, YOU CAN NOT GET ANYONE OUT TO WORK ON IT. MINE QUIT WORKING AFTER ONE YEAR, AND SEVEN MONTHS. DO NOT BUY!!!!!!!!
Posted on: 2010-04-28
By kelly carlton
Helpful index: 50%
bowflex series 7
(Score 4/5)
the machine seems to be working great so far. When we recieved it however the fan was completely broke off. We had to take the back off and remove it and are still waiting for a replacement that they say they will replace.
Posted on: 2010-04-09
By chris holland
Fine, until it broke suddenly
(Score 1/5)
We got the treadmill in February. The delivery company arrived at the time I scheduled, and quickly moved the box into place. Set up was not very hard or time consuming, but it's best to have 2 people for this task.
Pros: Good incline options, good wireless chest strap for heart rate monitoring, long treadmill for bigger strides, and seems wide enough. It seems good quality for a person of average weight to use. It does not feel cheap.
Cons: Sometimes, it needs to be turned off in order to start a new program - it's like the memory needs to clear. Not a big deal, because the power button is on the front console. The power switch is on the front of the unit, near the floor. I turn it off here after using it.
I don't have a treadmill mat - it's on carpet in the basement and that seems fine. I am not giving it 5 stars at this point because I haven't had it very long. We will see!
UPDATE: Afer 3 months of light use, the treadmill does not work. It gives an error code of LS and will not operate. The call center technician was helpful,but after over an hour on the phone and trying different things to troubleshoot the issue, the treadmill still does not work. The parts needed to repair it are on backorder, and I will be without the treadmill for at least 1 month, but likely 6 weeks.
Posted on: 2010-04-02
By Steve H.
Helpful index: 100%
