Collection: Foldable Rowing Machine

Rowing works your whole body, but most of the power comes from your legs. A rowing stroke is roughly 60% legs, 30% body and 10% arms in terms of power contribution, and using proper technique helps reduce unnecessary strain on your lower back. The drive sequence is legs, then hinge at the hips, then pull with the arms — legs–body–arms — and the recovery reverses it.

With proper technique, you are training quadriceps, glutes and hamstrings on the drive; lats, rhomboids, trapezius and erector spinae through the body swing and pull; biceps and forearms at the finish; and the abdominals and obliques continuously as the stabilising link.

That makes it an effective full-body workout that strengthens your legs, back and core while remaining low-impact, because your feet never leave the footplates. The practical implication for buyers: poor rowing technique can put unnecessary strain on your back, so a machine with enough room for a full leg drive matters.

They solve different problems. Water resistance is self-scaling: the harder you pull, the more the paddles push against the water, so the machine matches your effort stroke by stroke and produces the swooshing sound most people find motivating rather than mechanical. You can row gently for an easier workout, although adjusting the resistance may require changing the water level or using a built-in adjustment system. Magnetic resistance lets you select a resistance level, which is useful for steady-state work, gentler workouts, or interval sessions where you want more control over the intensity. It is also generally quieter than water resistance.

That is why the WM10 (£599) and WM20 (£899) combine water and magnetic resistance — water for the feel and the natural scaling, with adjustable magnetic resistance for more control over your workout. If you want the authentic feel and the lower price, the WR3L (£399) and WR20 (£699) are pure water rowers, and the WR3L offers up to 40 kg of maximum resistance. with up to 40 kg of instantaneous resistance. If several people of different strengths share the machine, dual resistance can be worth the extra cost.

That is one reason people hesitate to buy a rowing machine, and it is the specific problem our TRIFOLD™ design solves. Unfolded, the WR20 and WM10 are approximately 206 cm long, with 1,250 mm rails for a full leg drive. Folded, a WR20 or WM10 collapses to 735 × 480 × 580 mm, taking up about 0.35 m² of floor space, and critically, you can fold them without draining the water tank, making storage quick and easy. The WR3L folds smaller still, to approximately 700 × 570 × 345 mm.

Two design points matter more than the folded dimensions. First, the WR20 and WM10 fold into compact, stable units, while the WR3L can be stored flat or upright, giving you more flexibility depending on your space. Second, the WR3L can be fitted with an optional tabletop, so the footprint is not dead space.

For most people, yes — and it is a better question than it sounds, because rowing can provide an effective full-body workout in a relatively short time. Twenty minutes of continuous rowing at a moderate rate works the legs, back, core and arms simultaneously and can burn more calories than walking for the same amount of time, depending on the intensity. That is exactly why it suits people who are short of time rather than short of motivation. A realistic structure: five minutes easy to warm up and let your technique settle, twelve minutes of steady work at a pace where you can still speak in short sentences, three minutes easy. Three or four of those a week can help improve aerobic fitness and strengthen the muscles used in rowing over time.

Where twenty minutes may be too much initially is when you are still learning the technique — start with shorter, slower sessions until you feel comfortable with the movement, because a rushed stroke learned early can lead to poor habits and unnecessary back strain. Two practical markers: try around 20–26 strokes per minute as a starting point rather than as many as possible, and if your lower back rather than your legs is what tires first, check your technique — drive with the legs before the body swings.

Rowing can be a good choice, provided the machine fits your height and weight and the movement is comfortable for your knees. Height: the limiting factor is rail length, and a rail that is too short forces a shortened leg drive. Our tri-fold rowers accommodate different heights, from 225cm on the WM20 and 200 cm on the WR3L to 225 cm on the WR20 and WM10 — worth checking before you buy. Weight: the WR20 and WM10 are rated to 150 kg, the WM20 to 180 kg and the WR3L to 180 kg, so check the weight capacity of your chosen model.

Knees: rowing is low-impact — your feet stay strapped to the footplates and there is no repeated landing impact as there is with running, although your knees still bend and straighten with each stroke. The condition is technique: knee discomfort on a rower can come from over-compressing at the catch, where the shins go past vertical and the knee closes too far. Set the footplate height so the strap crosses the ball of your foot, and stop the slide when your shins are vertical. If you have an existing knee or lower-back condition, check with a clinician first — that is a medical judgement, not a specification one.

Very little, but the water does need attention. The tank is designed to resist leaks, but the water can develop algae over time, particularly in warm conditions. The fix is to use a suitable water purification tablet when recommended in your model's instructions, following the specified dosage and maintenance schedule. Follow the instructions for filling the tank, and replace the water if necessary rather than simply topping it up.

Beyond that: wipe the rail after sessions to keep the seat moving smoothly; check the footstrap stitching periodically; and keep the machine out of unheated garages, where freezing water in the tank can cause damage. The WR3L offers five water-resistance levels, while its tinted, leak-resistant tank helps reduce maintenance. A common misconception worth correcting: water volume can affect resistance, but you can also vary your workout intensity through how hard and fast you row. Follow your model's instructions when setting the water level.