I Tried a $2,500 At-Home Rowing Machine For 10 Weeks to Find Out If It's Worth It

The large touchscreen is easy to reach from the rower's seat and includes built-in speakers on the bottom of the screen. To ensure you have the space in your home, it's important to know the Hydrow rower's dimensions: It's 86"L x 25"W x 47"H and weighs 145 pounds (197 pounds boxed), so it'll take two to three people to carry it to where it needs to be set up. Hydrow offers an option for in-home assembly, but you'll need to pay an additional charge, and it's only available in certain locations. The weight limit is 345 pounds, and it fits heights up to a 36-inch inseam.

The 22-inch touchscreen is easy to reach from the rower's seat and can pivot 25 degrees left and right, so you can see the screen when doing non-rowing workouts or exercises next to the rower. You can also connect earbuds or a heart rate monitor to the Hydrow via Bluetooth, or play audio through the built-in speakers on the bottom of the touchscreen.

After turning on the Hydrow (there's a switch on the base in the front of the rower), you can select a profile and choose a workout based on athlete (aka instructor), workout duration (up to 75+ minutes), workout type (strength, mobility, yoga, etc.), or workout style (beginner, cardio, HIIT, instructional, etc.). You can mark certain workouts as favorites so you can go back to them later. If you don't feel like doing a guided workout, you always have the option to do an open row.

There are two types of rowing workouts and all take place on water: Some are led by an instructor (or two), which feel similar to a rowing fitness class. The instructor chooses the type of music that goes with the workout, or you can choose the genre of music you'd like within the Hydrow platform. There's also a no-music option if you want to listen to your own workout music or to the instructor's voice on its own. The other type of rowing workouts have no instructor, and use a first-person viewpoint (either on the front or back of the boat) so you can feel like you're actually in a boat rowing on water. You can even pick one of these workouts based on location, taking a sunset row down Indian Creek in Miami or through colorful Vermont in the fall. These long, open-row workouts are actually my favorite because I often catch up on Netflix while working out in the morning.

I love that there are so many ways to filter through the huge library of workouts, too. It was so inspiring in the first month of using the Hydrow because I could try a new workout every time based on how much time I had, my energy level, or the type of workout I wanted to do. This really pushed me out of my comfort zone. I'm used to rowing long and slow, and this got me excited about short, fast-paced workouts.

One of the best parts of the Hydrow rower subscription is that they have a variety of workouts besides rowing. In addition to rowing, they also offer bodyweight strength workouts, workouts using resistance bands (sold separately that I attached to the sturdy base of the rower), pilates, and mindfulness sessions. They were filmed outside in gorgeous settings, and it was a great way to complement all the rowing I was doing.

My go-to Hydrow workout stack: a yoga warmup, then a rowing workout, and then one of the strength classes. After 10 weeks of using the Hydrow, I never felt bored because they were always adding new workouts. (If you don't want to buy a Hydrow rower or you already have a rower of your own, you can also stream the workouts through their app with a Digital Basic Membership for $20 per month.)

I've had experience with a Concept 2 rower and an Ergatta rower, and the Hydrow rower felt quite different — not to mention, it looks sleeker, since it doesn't house a fan or water vestibule. The seat is high, and I liked that it felt like I was sitting up taller. There are several more inches between the footbeds (six inches as compared to 2.5 on the Ergatta), so having the extra space between my feet felt a little weird at first, but I got used to it. I did notice that after rowing for 10 minutes or so, or if I was really pushing my pace, the foot straps would loosen while rowing (more than while using other rowers, in my experience), but I remedied that by wrapping the end of the strap underneath the strap that went across the top of my foot.

The giant touchscreen is incredible. During guided workouts, the screen shows different camera views, which made the experience feel more exciting and realistic. You can also see your stats right on the screen, such as your split (pace), strokes per minute (S/M), and meters rowed. The instructor will tell you how many S/M to aim for, and for how long. I liked that I didn't have to keep track of interval times, since they would call out each one. I did find that the S/M they recommended often felt too slow for me, so I just adjusted my pace to make it feel harder.

As far as the actual feel of the rower, the seat movement is extremely fluid and smooth, and it's really quiet, since there's no fan or water swishing around. The handle is comfortable, and you can adjust the drag to make it harder or easier to pull — although Hydrow suggests keeping the drag set to 104 to simulate being on the water. At that setting, I definitely felt like it was harder than other rowers I've used, but that just made me even more mindful about my rowing form, ensuring I was really pushing with my heels to avoid straining my back. After my first few workouts using Hydrow, my upper body and butt were super sore, even though I was used to rowing on a different machine.

The one thing I would improve? I wish was possible was to pause a workout. Sometimes I'd need to wipe sweat or hair from my face, or tend to my dog or kiddo. If I was working on beating my overall time for, say, a 10K row, I knew it wouldn't be accurate if I was taking a break from rowing and the time just kept going.

When you complete a workout, a screen appears to show how many meters you rowed, your split, time, average strokes per minute, your heart rate in beats per minute (if you connected a heart rate monitor via Bluetooth), and your watts, which measures the amount of power per stroke.

As a numbers geek, I find it so satisfying to see these stats, because they help inspire my next workout. Some days I want to row more meters or faster, and some days I want to row longer to improve my endurance.

This progress-tracking calendar is one of my favorite features, because it's what motivates me to keep coming back for more rowing workouts. I'm able to see which days I worked out in a calendar layout, as well as the total number of meters I rowed in the past seven days, the last 30 days, and overall (lifetime). I love seeing all the blue circles staring back at me, and it makes me want to ensure I do a little movement with the rower a few times a week, even if it's just a five-minute yoga session.

A Hydrow Rower costs $2,495, which is slightly more expensive than the Ergatta ($2,200), and more than double the price of a Concept 2 ($900). Once you order, it usually ships within two to three weeks and comes with free shipping and a one-year warranty. Note that this price doesn't include the $38/month membership fee you need in order to access the library of workouts.

Hydrow also offers bundle packages with other accessories, such as a floor mat or heart rate monitor. The Hydrow Works Package ($3,045, on sale for $2,895) also includes earbuds, resistance bands, and some other workout gear.

I used to be a runner, but after trying rowing five years ago, I'm officially hooked. I love that I feel like my entire body is getting stronger, but because it's low-impact, I can row five to six days a week, and I don't feel any negative side effects like pains or tightness. Rowing makes me feel stronger during my other workouts, too, including climbing, hiking, yoga, and strength training. I've slowly been doing longer and longer rows (I rowed two half marathons!), which makes me feel proud and more confident. Using a Hydrow has become essential for my mental health and physical well-being.

A Hydrow rower may be pricey, but it costs just a bit more than the gym membership I'm no longer paying for (which was $2,100 a year). And for all the amazing benefits of being able to exercise at home whenever I want, without having to spend time commuting, and for how amazing I feel, and the fact that my husband and kids can use it too, it's a million percent worth it for me!