It’s imperative that the rower you buy fits comfortably into your allocated space. Measure the length, width and height of the available area. When measuring, make sure you allow extra space for getting on and off the machine. Fluid rowers store vertically to save space, so be sure to bear that in mind. The magnetic resistance is very convenient to adjust from the console and it stays steady and smooth. Output, another common rowing metric, is a measure of your power in watts. The higher the number, the better. Like pace, output can help you gauge your intensity throughout your workout. The best way to increase your output is to push harder with your legs, but again, increasing your stroke rate can assist here. A quality rower will feature well-finished, solid construction with an aluminium seat rail. Duel rails are quieter than single rails. The machine shouldn’t be unsteady when you sit on it. Another sign of a high-quality machine is a decent seat runner. To test this, move the seat to one end of the rail and tilt that end of the rower up a couple of inches. A good runner and rail will allow the seat to roll freely to the other end with minimal tilting.

Evidence shows that rowing works 86% of the muscles in the body, from your calves and glutes to your pecs, abs and obliques,’ says Pelé Zachariah, head of performance at ROWBOTS. Our Men's Health Labexperts covered countless kilometres on each rower, trying every feature and setting on offer to test their ease of use, design, functionality and performance. Here's what they looked out for.

NordicTrack RW900

The 19 pre-installed programs are a huge bonus, but the console could benefit from a re-think as it isn’t the most intuitive to use. Everything considered it is a good rower from a trusted brand, but is it a good value for money versus its competitors? Let’s take a look… First Impressions

The rower comes with a 2-year warranty which is fantastic value for money for a budget rowing machine. These rowing machines provide resistance by blowing air through a flywheel. They are able to automatically adjust the resistance and replicate the rowing action of being on the water.’ Men's Health Lab Approved The set-up is relatively straightforward. Like lots of Reebok equipment, the manual mainly pictures, which wasn’t too bad as the Rower doesn’t have that many parts to put together. We did use our own spanner, but it took less than an hour. If you want a premium at-home rowing machine, it's hard to beat the Hydrow. It measures 86 by 25 by 47 inches (LWH), weighs 145 pounds, and supports riders up to 375 pounds with a 36-inch maximum inseam.There are many foldable hybrid rowers on the market so if you have a limited workout space you can easily fold them and store away when not in use. CONS If your equipment is intended to be used extensively, regularly and continuously for many hours each day, a commercial grade warranty is a must.