YOSUDA Rowing Machine 100 review – erg your bod!

REVIEW – Rowing machines can provide a full-body workout that improves cardiovascular endurance, strengthen muscles, and burn calories. I have a YOSUDA Rowing Machine 100 to review that uses water-free magnetic resistance and folds for easy storage. Read on to see what I think!

What is it?

The YOSUDA Rowing Machine 100 is a magnetic resistance rowing machine that provides a workout similar to that obtained by a rowing shell. The user sits on a sliding seat and anchors their feet to stationary foot pedals. The user then pulls a handle attached by a nylon band to a resistance and flywheel. The rowing stroke works many major muscle groups each time a stroke is made. To complete a stroke the user first extends their legs in coordination with a tight core, then pivots their body at the hips at the end of the leg stroke, finishes the stroke using the arms, shoulders, and back, and then returns to the starting position by pulling with the legs. The resistance is adjustable to permit the best balance between cardio and strength training. An onboard computer keeps track of the time, count, calories, distance of the current exercise session, and the total count of strokes made on the machine.

What’s included?

• YOSUDA Rowing Machine 100
• Assembly tools
• Two AAA batteries for the onboard computer.
• Installation guide and user manual

Tech specs

Design and features

Unboxing

The YOSUDA Rowing Machine 100 comes in a rather large cardboard box. The box dimensions are 46.5″ L x  27″ W x 8.25″ H. The box is easier to carry and move around since it is secured with plastic bands. One long side of the box is taped close so I opened it, but observed that the instructions were down on the other side. I emptied the box contents by pulling quickly on the box.

The components inside are held in place with precast styrofoam blocks. Each item is individually wrapped in protective plastic.

Assembly, Installation, Setup

The specifications on the website indicate that the assembly time should be 20 minutes. I quickly unwrapped the plastic from each item, set the items to be assembled in place, identified the fasteners, inserted the items, and used the supplied tools to complete the step. Still, it took me 35 minutes to assemble the entire item. Perhaps, if I repeated the assembly I could do it faster, but I believe completing it in 20 minutes from a closed box would be a challenge.

The assembly was easy thanks to the plastic-wrapped fastener kit that identified each component used in each step. Assembling the rowing machine with a ratchet set will permit faster assembly than using the supplied multi-tool.

Once assembled I noticed a strong rubber/sulphur smell from the unit but this disappeared after a few hours.

Design

The YOSUDA Rowing Machine 100 is like many other rowing machines sold today. The rowing handle is a foam-coated straight bar that measures just short of 18″ long and 1.33″ in diameter.

The unit has a fairing in front that hides a flywheel and nylon belt recoil assembly.

The top of the fairing holds a stand for a tablet or mobile device. The stand is about 4″ x 6″ and has a back angle of 57 degrees. While the dimensions may seem small the stand adequately held my 15.6″ Samsung Galaxy Book3 360.

The front of the fairing has an exercise computer and a knob to adjust the magnetic resistance. The exercise computer is a basic model and only provides the time, count, calories, distance of the current exercise session, and the total count of strokes made on the machine. The display only displays one metric at a time but a scan function can continually rotate the measurements.

A computer that can at least display strokes per minute or splits may only cost a few dollars more and would provide tremendous value to the product. As it is, my Amazfit T-Rex Pro has a rowing sport mode that captures more data than the computer.

The magnetic resistance knob has a faucet-type design to permit easy grip. The settings click into place. The resistance is split into 16 decisions. I put a luggage scale on the nylon cord and attempted to pull at a consistent speed across the resistance settings to characterize the intensity range. At the lowest setting, the scale registered a resistance of about 15 lbs, and at the highest setting, the scale registered a resistance of about 33 lbs. Of course, the faster the stroke the more resistance is felt.

The YOSUDA Rowing Machine 100’s seat is a firm yet comfortable synthetic rubber coated foam. The seat slides back and forth on nylon rollers with steel bearings. The tension of the roller can be adjusted by tightening a jack screw that supports the bottom roller axle.

Between the seat and the front fairing is a knob that drives a finely threaded bolt into the seat rail.

When the bolt and a set pin are removed, the seat rail may be lifted into a vertical position.

The bolt is reattached into another hole to support the seat rail in this elevated position. When the seat rail is elevated the front of the rowing machine is supported by the front feet and a third leg behind the elevated seat rail.

Moving the YOSUDA Rowing Machine 100, when the seat rail is either stored or deployed, is easy because roller casters are attached to the front support leg that touches the floor when the rear of the machine is lifted. When set on the ground each foot has a built-in leveler to ensure a smooth exercise experience.

The YOSUDA Rowing Machine 100 has a few design elements that differentiate it from other rowers or a rowing shell. The two main differences are the inclined seat rail and the swinging foot restraints.

The seat rail on the YOSUDA Rowing machine is tilted about 5.8 degrees towards the foot restraints. A purist may argue that this is bad for power since the effort to raise the seat against gravity, F*(deg(5.8)), is not applied toward pulling the belt. However, this number is relatively small. I do not notice the rise when I am sitting on the machine and I do not notice that I am pulling the bar towards my stomach because the seat is rising.

The foot restraints are solid blocks that pivot on a bolt just behind the balls of the feet. A foot stretcher on a rowing shell, in contrast, is generally fixed in an unmovable position.

The rotating foot restraint, while offering more comfort when towards the front of the stroke, again can rob the rower of power at the beginning of the stroke, because the big leg muscles (glutes, quads, and hamstrings) cannot push against the angled foot as effectively as they can off of a flat foot. Similarly, it is more difficult to jump up on an inclined hill than it is to jump up on a flat surface.

Performance

The YOSUDA Rowing Machine 100 provides a wide range of resistance settings so that users can customize their exercise experience. I think the seat is comfortable but it can feel a bit firm after prolonged use.

There is always tension on the rowing handle so that the start of the stroke is very smooth.

The ergonomics of the rower permit a typical stroke, but because the foot restraints are lower, there may be a tendency to hyper extend on the finish. I think I’m probably too far back here but it felt fine.

What I like about the YOSUDA Rowing Machine 100

• Quiet
• Smooth
• Effective workout

What needs to be improved?

• Computer

Final thoughts

A rowing machine can provide a thorough workout but can also lead to injury if proper form and attention to core muscle groups are neglected. If you are new to rowing see if you can get some pointers from local rowers and trainers. Start slow and easy and have fun! Rowing and rowing machines are great exercise and rowing machines like the YOSUDA Rowing Machine 100 can also be used very effectively while watching TV since the head position is in the normal upright position. So stop being a couch potato and get moving!

Price: $314.99
Where to buy: YOSUDA and some models available on Amazon
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by YOSUDA. YOSUDA did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.