In summary: The indoor rowing machine (ergometer) is the reference ground training tool in rowing. It helps to maintain the volume and quality of the work when the water is not practical, to objectify the power and pace, and to prepare the tests and competitions of indoor rowing. For a club, a rower has to faithfully reproduce the gesture of the dash, resist intensive collective use and provide reliable data. Two resistance technologies dominate: air and magnetic. In France, Light In Fitness distributor and manufacturer of crossft and d based in Tours, equips clubs, gyms and communities with professional rowers.
Contents
Why the rower is indispensable to a rowing club
The rowing season is rhythmic by the weather, light and condition of the water body. Winter, wind, current or freezing impose weeks without exit. The indoor rowing machine ensures the continuity of the training: basic endurance work, sessions at the threshold, fractionated at high intensity and technique of the decomposed rowing stroke. It also supports the 2000 m or 6,000 m reference tests used to evaluate rowers, compose crews and track progress over the season. Finally, he opened the club to indoor rowing competitions, a full discipline.
Air or magnetic resistance: two sensations, two uses
The air rower uses a blade wheel: the stronger the pull, the more the resistance increases, as on the water. It is the technology that best reproduces the feeling of the hull and the dynamics of the dashing blow, and that of the competitive ergometers. But she's louder. The magnetic rowing machine offers adjustable, constant and silent resistance, appreciated in rooms where several activities coexist and for background sessions with fixed intensity. Many clubs combine both: air rowers for specific work and testing, magnetic for volume and beginners.
The 5 criteria for collective use
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Loyalty of the gesture: sufficient rail length for large gauges, fluid seat, adjustable pedals, ergonomic handle.
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Robustness: reinforced steel or aluminium frame, rail and bearings designed for several hours of daily use.
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Console: display of watts, time to 500 m, rate and distance; memory sessions and compatibility with training applications.
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Maintenance: accessible wear parts (angle, rail, seat), easy cleaning.
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Storage: possibility of separating or straightening the rowing machine to free space between sessions.
Example of a rower designed for intensive use
For a club or room looking for a durable and precise machine, the professional rowing machine Bodytone ZRORv3 model ALTO is designed for gym cardio-training and group training, with a chassis for daily use and a performance monitoring console.
Organize a rowing room in a club
A rowing space is conceived as a collective classroom: alignment of the machines to the same point so that the coach sees everyone, spacing of about 1.5 m between the rails for traffic, rubber cushioning ground for noise and slab protection, sufficient ventilation for intense sessions. A table or screen showing session instructions facilitates group supervision.
Current maintenance
A well-maintained rower lasts many years. Just wipe the rail after each session, check the tension and condition of the strap or chain, periodically clean the resistance wheel and check the screws. On an air rowing machine, dust removal of the turbine housing maintains the accuracy of the measurement.
FAQ
What type of rower to prepare indoor rowing competitions?
An air rower whose sensation and data are closest to those of the ergometers used in competition.
How many rowers for a club?
A rower for six to eight active licensees is a common base, to be adjusted according to the size of the club and the organisation of winter slots.
Who supplies this material in France?
Light In Fitness, in Tours, teamed since 2013 more than 500 establishments (clubs, gyms, hotels, communities) in new professional equipment.
Updated on 27 September 2026
