I have always been drawn to water. It might be because I grew up in Florida and if we weren't on the beach you could almost always find us at a pool. Weekends rarely passed without some sort of water sport or activity taking place. It was almost as if boating and swimming were just another part of who we were.
Having since moved away to a state that is not on the coast, I have had a craving for water sports that I'm unable to fulfill at the moment. The other day I found myself watching a rowing race on tv and being mesmerized by the boats seemingly flying over the top of some of the glassiest water I've seen in a long time. Man, did that look fun!
In order to satiate my craving for water sports, I've turned to our home workout gym room. Yea, confusing, I know. But when I saw the CITYROW Max Rower and the way it utilized water for your workout, I knew it was something I had to try!
What is CITYROW?
CITYROW started out as one boutique studio in NYC that quickly gained momentum. The founder, Helaine Knapp, actually did not have a background in the fitness industry but knew she wanted a lower impact workout that would still achieve her fitness goals. Apparently, she was on to something. CITYROW now has multiple studios across the country as well as their own app and branded rowers that allow users to get the same great workout but in the comfort of their own home.
So what is the CITYROW Rower?
The CITYROW Rower is a water rower and uses your intensity and speed to create drag within the water and tank itself. The faster you go and the higher intensity you have, the more drag and harder the workout. It’s actually a really simple concept, but one that has been proven to be effective and is one of the easiest ways to simulate being on the actual water.
As you use the machine, the water is pushed around the tank with large paddles creating the drag for your workout, but also giving off an incredibly relaxing water sound. I also caught myself on more than one occasion watching as the water swished around the tank. It's actually kind of mesmerizing!
In my opinion, CITYROW is a great rower, but that is not to say that it is perfect. A lot is going to depend on your individual situation and your preferences. Read on to see what I loved about the CITYROW Max Rower and what I hope for in the future with them.
Delivery and Setup
About a day before the CITYROW Max Rower arrived, I got an email from customer service asking when I would be available to have someone come by and set it up. I gave them a few dates and times and had a confirmation later that day. The next day the rower arrived in three separate boxes. I actually was surprised that the boxes could even hold a rower, they were so light! I easily moved them into my house and situated them in the corner until the technician came by to set everything up.
The following day, the tech arrived and was able to get it set up fairly quickly. The directions say it should take approximately 30-45 minutes for setup. It definitely took longer. The tech was in and out about an hour and a half later and I think it's fair to say that if you are setting this up on your own, it will probably take a bit longer.
Once the rower is set up, the last step is to fill the tank with water. Be sure not to overfill the tank. You may be under the impression that the more water that is in the tank, the harder the workout will be. However, this is not the case. Your intensity and speed will help to increase the drag...not more water. Make sure to fill your tank up to the specified line, as this will give you the most accurate feel of actually being out on the water. Which after all, is one of the best parts of this machine!
Customer Service
After my CITYROW Max Rower was set up, for whatever reason, the music did not work. I did the usual turn on and off, reboot, disconnect, and reconnect from wifi, etc., but alas, nothin’. It was time to do the customer service dance. Except this time there was no dance. After sending my email off, I got an immediate reply from Bethany (an actual human no less!) in about two minutes. Two minutes! It takes me longer to get my shoes on than it took for someone from CityRow customer service to get back to me. Needless to say, I was impressed. Bethany and I went back and forth a couple of times via email where she helped me through a factory reset. Her instructions were clear and helpful and by the end of it, music was finally playing on my Max Rower. Success!
Why do I mention this? Because I truly believe that a company’s customer service is a testament to how they feel about their customers. It’s about gaining trust with the consumer and CITYROW certainly earned mine.
The Rower
Before I get into the workout itself, here is an overview of the rower's specs. CITYROW actually has two available rowers for purchase and both are great options. It is going to depend on a number of factors, however, as to which one is right for you.
CITYROW Max Rower
The CITYROW Max Rower is the model that comes with all the bells and whistles, namely the addition of the 19.5" sweat-resistant HD touchscreen. This screen is going to allow you to monitor your performance data in real-time while also streaming your classes. The monitor also comes with forward-facing speakers that play both music and your instructor's directions within the class. You can also pair your Bluetooth device with the monitor if you want to track your workouts off the app or listen through your earbuds. The monitor rotates 30 degrees to allow you to maneuver it in order to watch the off-rower workouts, however, I did not find that this angle was enough. Your best bet is probably going to be setting up your mat directly behind your rower, so you can watch the monitor directly in front of you. The Max Rower will run you $2195 or $61/monthly.
CITYROW Classic
The CITYROW Classic Rower is basically the exact same machine, but without the included monitor. For this rower, you will need to have your own phone or tablet attached to the rower (or set up somewhere convenient) in order to stream and watch the workouts on your own device. It does come with a mobile attachment arm, making it easy to hook your device, however it is obviously going to be a much smaller screen and is not going to have the on-screen tracking of your workout. In order to track things like your split time and meters rowed, you will be given a small tracking monitor that will sit directly in front of you. It is fully rechargeable and the website claims you can get 30-40 hours of usage out of it before needing to charge it again. The biggest advantage I can see for this rower over the Max Rower is that it's completely cordless with a rechargeable battery and you do not need to have it near a wall outlet. The Classic costs $1495 ($42/monthly).
Both of these rowers are amazing machines. They have an extremely comfortable seat with grooves, so your butt doesn't hurt after sitting for more than a few minutes. The handle has a little bit of texture making it easy to grip and is also more of an oval shape rather than circular. At least for me, this helps me to keep a hold of it while rowing. The seat glides extremely easily along the single rail with the seat wheels being situated within the metal rail itself instead of on top. This seems to be an ideal place as there are minimal areas for anything to catch or cause issues with the movement of the seat.
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The CITYROW rowers also come with a great warranty giving you the reassurance that you won't be out of luck if it happens to break early on. There is a five-year warranty on the frame, a three-year warranty on all non-electric components, and a one-year warranty on the tablet.
In addition, the machine is incredibly lightweight. In fact, the rower only weighs 61lbs without water in the tank and 98lbs with the water. It also has wheels on the bottom of the front of the machine, making it extremely mobile and easy to move around.
The machine itself is also extremely quiet with just the gentle swooshing of the water. Obviously, when you have the instructor or music going, you won't hear this as much, but if you want to just jump on and row without a class, the rushing water sound is actually pretty darn therapeutic.
Which one is right for you?
So which CITYROW rower is right for you? Well, honestly, that depends. First, where will you be putting your rower? Is there a power outlet nearby? The cord length is approximately 11 feet, so make sure you have an outlet close enough that the cord will reach. If a power outlet is not close and you don’t have the flexibility to move the rower into a different room, then I would recommend purchasing the Classic. This will still give you the powerhouse rowing workout you want, just without the fancy screen.
Are you ok with working out on a smaller phone screen? Personally, I’m the type of person that hates doing anything on my phone. In fact, I’m actually a “the bigger the screen, the better” type person. I refuse to do anything important on my phone and you will never catch me watching a movie on anything other than a large television (ok actually that was a lie, I did download and watch movies on my most recent flight, but that was only after I annoyingly found out our plane didn’t have tv screens…I know, I know).
What’s your phone/tablet battery life like? Are you going to be able to stream the class and then immediately get up and run out for the day? My phone is about two years old and the battery life on it is pretty much non-existent, so having a larger screen that is connected to a power source is a great option for me.
How is your wifi internet connection? Be sure to test it out first in the room you want to put your rower in. Make sure your rower will be able to pick up the wifi and stream the classes. There can be a few buffering issues during streaming, so make sure your internet is up to the job.
Taking care of your rower
One of the great things about the CITYROW rowers is that they are extremely easy to take care of and maintain. You will be sent purification tablets with your rower that you will need to drop in every 3-6 months. This will eliminate any mildew from forming and keep your machine looking great. Other than these tablets, there is not much additional maintenance other than wiping it down after a workout.
Classes and instructors
The CITYROW Go app has hundreds of classes available. Most of these are past live classes that go into the library, but there are also some additional classes and programs you can choose to do. If you are just starting out there is a four-course beginner segment that will teach you everything you need to know about your rower and how to correctly use the machine. It will literally start from the beginning with how to get in and out of your foot straps to the correct rowing form. You will also learn the different vocabulary and what it means, so you don’t feel totally lost when it’s called out in class. In addition to this, they also have a quick form refresher class that you can take any time. It’s only a few minutes long and you can hop on to make sure your form and posture are where they need to be in order to give you the best workout possible.
For every class available, the CITYROW Go app will give you a brief description as well as alert you to any additional equipment you may need for the class. Usually, you are going to want to have your rower ready to go (obviously) as well as a mat for the off-rower workout portions. A few classes will also require weights, but these are going to be a simple set of dumbbells that you can pick up at any sporting goods store or even on the CITYROW website (they also actually have some super cute apparel that I may or may not have been sporting during a few of my rows).
All of the CITYROW classes will run anywhere from 10-50 minutes. You can search for classes by type of class, instructor, or the length of the class. Currently, they have nine instructors to choose from and each teaches a few different types of classes. This is great if you happen to find an instructor you really jive with but want to take a few different class types. I definitely found one in particular that I liked (no, I won't say which one...you have to find your own!), but honestly all of them are really great.
Yoga/Mobility
The mobility classes are the shorter 10 minutes classes where you focus on stretching your muscles and are a great way to warm up or wind down after harder classes. The 20-30 minute yoga classes are a great way to spend a little extra time being mindful of my breath and getting ready for the day. They also came in extreme handy just a few days after the CITYROW got delivered and I got the virus that shall not be named. I had been amped to try everything but was worried I would need to wait now. Fortunately, other than being absolutely exhausted and getting winded walking upstairs, (quite the humbling experience) I felt pretty good. Since I couldn’t leave the house and I really needed to get my body moving without all the cardio, I figured this was the perfect time to try those classes and relax. The restorative yoga was exactly what I needed and the mobility classes were a great way to stretch my muscles that hadn't been used in a few days.
HIIT/Endurance
These classes are going to run anywhere from 20-50 minutes and are either just rowing or rowing with on-mat exercises. When I'm in the mood to row, my absolute favorite classes are actually the pure rowing ones. But I really didn't mind getting off the rower and doing a few core exercises as well. These classes actually left me feeling like I got a phenomenal full-body workout. Rowing already is a great workout for multiple muscle groups, but adding in a few extra exercises made it that much better.
Strength
Ok, these were probably my least favorite classes, but that doesn't surprise me. Even when I go to the gym I tend to stay as far away from the weights as possible. It's not that I don't like lifting weights, I just prefer to do cardio. And I know, weight lifting is a big part of getting and staying in shape, but I just find it tedious. Part of the problem might also have been that I really wanted to row and the strength classes I did were all on the mat. I'm going to keep giving these classes a chance though as the instructors seem great and upbeat.
Facebook Group
A popular perk to many online workout machines is the growing use of social media to stay connected when off the equipment. Having a community of people around you to rely on and push you is the next best thing when you can’t (or don’t) want to head into the gym. CITYROW has its own private Facebook group that you can join and chat with other users and even the instructors. It’s actually a pretty active group and the instructors are there to cheer everyone on just as they do in the classes. While small, it's a nice touch that I appreciated having.
What are your other rowing options?
While having multiple choices for a specific product is never a bad thing, sometimes it can be hard to decide which one is best for you. We wanted to help make choosing a little bit easier, so here are a few of the other popular rowers out on the market today and how they differ from the CITYROW.
First, you are going to want to decide which kind of mechanism you want that helps to create the drag. This is what is going to give you that intense workout you can achieve on a rower. For purposes of this article, I chose to compare the CITYROW against another water rower as well as one of the popular electromagnetic ones.
CITYROW vs. Ergatta
The Ergatta is probably going to be the most similar in terms of function and style to the CITYROW. They both are water rowers that use drag from the water within the elegantly designed tank to create your workout. The Ergatta is priced at $2199 whereas the CITYROW is $1495 for the Classic and $2195 for the Max. The Ergatta and the CITYROW Max are going to be the most similar due to their high-def touchscreen options. The CITYROW does have a larger screen at 19.5” than The Ergatta’s 17.3”. You will need a monthly membership to access the online platform for both of these rowers and each of these will run you $29/month. They both also allow you to put multiple profiles on the membership for each member of your family.
The CITYROW and the Ergatta both have similar dimensions and can both be stored upright when not in use. The Ergatta is 86” x 23” x 40” while the CITYROW is 85” x 22” x 45”. If you are extremely tall, please note that the CITYROW can accommodate up to a 39” inseam and 325lbs, while The Ergatta does allow up to a 40” inseam and can support up to 500lbs.
So, what is the biggest difference between the CITYROW and the Ergatta? That is going to be their online platform. CITYROW uses instructor-led classes to bring you everything from HIIT, weights, yoga, and mobility classes. The Ergatta on the other hand doesn’t have instructor-led classes at all, but rather an innovative competitive gaming platform where you race against other users and even your own past times. Both have their advantages and disadvantages and it’s really preference as to which one you like better. Do you want the instructor-led classes that utilize additional workouts in conjunction with your rowing workout? Or is your competitiveness what gets you moving and do you need that push to get a great workout in?
CITYROW vs. Hydrow
The biggest and most obvious difference between the CITYROW and Hydrow is that they use entirely different mechanisms for drag. While the CITYROW uses water, the Hydrow has an electromagnetic system with computer-controlled resistance. With the Hydrow you are able to add or lessen the resistance depending on how hard you want to workout and the computer is able to adjust as well depending on the classes you take. With the CITYROW you will also get different resistance levels, but this is going to depend on how fast you row. The faster you go, the more resistance.
The Hydrow’s dimensions are 86” x 25” x 47” compared to CityRow’s 85” x 22” x 45”, so be sure to measure your area before purchasing. As mentioned above, the CITYROW can accommodate up to a 39” inseam and up to 325lbs, while the Hydrow a 36” inseam and up to 375lbs. So, if you are on the taller side you may want to consider these dimensions and your comfort level on the machine. You are able to store the Hydrow upright when not in use, just like the CITYROW, however you are going to need to purchase an additional upright storage kit that is attached to the wall.
The Hydrow will set you back $2495 to the CITYROW Max’s $2195. The Hydrow membership is also an additional $38/month compared to CITYROW’s $29/month. Similar to CITYROW, the membership to the Hydrow platform will also get you instructor-led classes that also include additional yoga, weights, and stretching classes.
What do I wish the CITYROW rower did differently?
There are two items on my wishlist for the CITYROW but both are more personal taste items than technical. First, I wish the live classes had a leaderboard. It’s great the teachers give a shoutout, but I’m a competitive person and I want to see who is in front of me. Second, I wish there were scenic rows. In the middle of winter with two feet of snow outside, I’d love to jump on the rower and have a leisurely row through the Caribbean or a mangrove forest in Florida. CITYROW is already, in my opinion, one of the best rowing machines and apps on the market. I believe if they added those two items to their online platform, they would leave the other rowers behind, quite literally, in their wake.
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