Stamina BodyTrac Glider Hydraulic Rowing Machine with Smart Workout App - Rower Workout Machine with Cylinder Resistance - Up to 250 lbs Weight Capacity

I purchased this comparatively low-cost machine in 8/2015 to use at home because all rowing machines at my gym were the flywheel type with a single pulling T-bar, which provide neither the feeling nor the distribution of the muscle load of sculling. At the time of writing this update, the machine has been working well, without issues after 10 years of systematic use on my part, and a more occasional use by some of my children as they grew up. It is cleaned after each session, and the rolling or friction points of moving parts are lubricated every 1-2 months. It has provided a superb service. A rare find.[1] The BodyTrac 35-1050D, made by Stamina Products, Inc. (MO), is built for users of 250 lb or less. The user manual has clear step-by-step assembly instructions and the machine was easy to assemble. It folds quickly to be stored standing on one end. Once folded, it does not offer comfortable grip points to lift and move it around. -- at 35 lb, it may be a bit too heavy for some people, so adding wheels on the front stabilizer, allowing the folded machine to roll tilted, would be a good design improvement. I wear tennis or jogging shoes when rowing, and have had no issues of slippage from foot-straps (I am 6-ft tall and have a shoe size 9.5).As expected from a device whose resistance is provided by a hydraulic shock absorber, the machine is a bit noisy, and there is some squeaking from various parts until they are warmed up by friction. This, however, does not interfere with listening to music without earpods while rowing. The fluid of hydraulic absorbers heats up a lot with use; do not grab the absorber (located under the rear of the sliding beam) when folding the machine after use, as the cylinder may be very hot.[2] STROKE MECHANICS.Rowing provides a non-weight-bearing exercise for ALL major muscle groups. In this respect, a distinct advantage of the articulated arms of this machine is that --after an initial phase focused on legs and hips to create the power during the stroke, just as in a power clean lift-- you can emphasize the exercise load during the remainder of such a propelling part ('the drive' in sculling) either on the shoulders and chest, or on the mid-back, depending on the form of completing this part of the stroke. One manner is to open the arms when sliding towards the front, and then lower the hands while pulling back with the handles close to one another (they cannot be perfectly aligned since there is not enough separation between them). This focuses the main pulling effort more on the pectorals and shoulders than the back.The other manner is the reverse sequence by sliding forward while keeping both handles low and close together --that is, a motion equivalent to 'the recovery' in sculling, when the blades are brought above water towards the scull's front (bow)-- and then lifting the hands while pulling back with the handles up and apart. This focuses the main effort more on the mid-back than on the chest and shoulders. The possibility of selecting the region of main muscle load is very useful for a chest/back balanced exercise; it can also help to avoid too much muscle development of one of those regions, if so desired. This is something a flywheel with a single pulling T-bar cannot provide.[3] ELEVATING THE DEVICE.I wanted to increase the load on the rower's legs by elevating the rear end of the machine. Instead of using an elevating block or platform, which would add another item to store after a session, I chose to increase the length of the 'leg' of the rear foot, so the sliding-seat beam would form a 10° angle with the horizontal plane (see my figures). To do that, I used two thin-walled metal tubes. One, a container of children pencils, whose outer diameter almost fitted the inner diameter of the rear single tube leg of the machine. The other, a metallic flashlight with rear-end diameter a bit smaller than that of the previous tube, and a flared out front-end diameter fitting the receiving plastic well of the rear foot (see my figure with panel A).These tubes were filled with quick-setting cement in two steps: in the first one, I filled the bigger tube (with a red color in the inset of panel B before it was spray-painted black) to 2/3 of its length; and in the second step, I finished filling this tube and filled the smaller tube with cement, placing the latter inverted into the former. Then, I sealed the narrow gap between the tubes with glue to achieve a moist curing of the cement to provide a higher compressive strength. The cement was left to cure for 3 weeks. I spray-painted black this extension and tightly inserted it into the machine's rear tube leg using turns of reinforced duct tape for shimming. The new leg maintained the original 97° angle with the beam of the sliding seat (see panel B of the figure). To preserve stability, the bottom of the rear foot was shimmed along its rear edge to compensate the 10° angle also formed there.The cement-filled extension withstands my ~190-lb weight without any issue. This machine stands on the floor on three points (two in the front and one in the rear) -- while its lateral stability is inherently reduced by its narrow and elongated shape, its stability is strong as long as the center of gravity of the system is both relatively stable and low. Elevating the single rear foot as I did, however, changes that equilibrium, likely decreasing stability when the sliding seat reaches its rear-most sliding position, as this changes the dynamic center of gravity. If you were to implement the change I made, avoid sudden, large side jerking movements at the end of the stroke that might tip you over, and make sure there are no objects in the vicinity of the rear of the device that could harm you in that case.[4] SEAT CONTOUR.The seat often feels uncomfortable after long rowing sessions. Since rowing ought not be proctodynic, I added to the seat a coccyx pad, whose memory foam I trimmed and carved to a contour approaching that of a good scull seat. In my experience, such a seat has a smooth, front-to-back ridge at the middle, dividing the slightly concave halves of the seat, each of which with a tapered hollow of ~1/5 the total width to accommodate the seat bones (to locate yours, seat on your hands) plus a straight front edge and a back edge having a butterfly's hindwings-like contour to provide tail-bone comfort. It resembles a large sleeping mask with eyeholes.[5] SUPPORT.Another reason for my rating is the quality of the customer service of the company. The machine that was delivered had scratches on some components, so I contacted Stamina's customer service and emailed them pictures of the defects. They quickly replaced the affected parts at no cost, including the entire center beam and rowing arms, in less than two weeks. A good customer service is paramount for online purchases.~~

I've had this rower for over six months and use it several times a week. I bought it because I was a big fan of the hydro-rowers at the gym but can't afford the price tag nor the space for one of the 'fancier' machines that rowing snobs tout like the Concept 2. I chose this one because it uses more of a rowing motion rather than the typical pulling one you get on hydro rowers.The assembly was a little tricky but once i figured it out, was super easy , it just took a little patience. Once it was up and running, it took a little while to figure out which level to start at to give me a good workout but not feel like Sisyphus trying to push a rock up a hill.I have to say, for the price, this machine is great. I've never had any issues with the pedals nor the straps as I've read on other reviews. I just make sure I velcro my feet tight and am able to push with my legs with no issues. I did have an issue with one of the bolts coming out but that was my fault for not tightening it enough. I've also had to change the batteries in the display console once which was fine except I didn't realize I needed to until I was strapped in and ready to start rowing. It's great that you can reset each workout down to zero when you start but the machine maintains a running count of strokes up to 10K and then it resets.I bought this machine because I don't like going to the gym but I love rowing for exercise. This allows me to have the best of both worlds- getting to work out but doing so in the comfort of my own home. I highly recommend it if you're looking for a way to get a good full-body workout at your own pace but don't have the room/finances to get one of the fancier rowers. One piece of advice- invest in workout gloves; I tend to grip hard and found myself developing blisters under my middle finger but gloves solved that issue nicely.

I needed a rowing machine to be able to exercise during the harsh winter and this was an excellent want to get. Unlike the others, the arms can actually extend out to simulate true rowing as another review video showed and the foot pedals can rotate so your feet aren’t planted in one place. The straps securing the feet are quite scratchy so it would be good to have a pair of socks to wear when exercising and some of the trim pieces are lightweight plastic and arrived broken from shipment, but they don’t affect the use of it. The mechanical function is excellent and after a month of use, still functions like it did on day one. The adjustable shock doesn’t get hot and loosen up, either… It maintains the same resistance after a half hour of rowing.