Row, Run, Repeat: How I Unlocked an Active Lifestyle With Hydrow

This blog is a guest post from Hydrow member Thomas Saunders.

Like many, my journey with Hydrow began in the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic. With grocery stores picked over, frozen pizzas and dinosaur chicken nuggets became my dietary staples for the better part of the year, leading to my health declining rapidly. 

Towards the end of the pandemic, I knew I wanted something to help get me started toward a healthier lifestyle. I had never been very athletic or very involved in exercise, so when I came across rowing machines online and saw they worked 86% of your muscles in just one workout, I thought, “Yup, sign me up!” 

In the months leading up to deciding to buy my Hydrow—and even when it arrived at my home—I was concerned it would become a large paperweight after a couple of days which I would have to eventually sell. 

Fortunately, it became so much more: a cornerstone in my fitness routine, and the catalyst for my newfound passion for running. 

Why I chose the Hydrow rowing machine

I spent about six months researching rowing machines online as I vetted three brands: Hydrow, Aviron, and Ergatta. I’m a gamer, so I liked that Aviron had video games on it that would hopefully make my workout just fade into the background. I also liked that Ergatta had actual water in its machine. 

However, the turning point for me was Hydrow’s workout library of fresh, new content. My concern was that I would get bored of Aviron’s video games faster than they would release new ones, and I didn’t like that Ergatta’s screen was so limited. I liked that Hydrow’s library had a variety of content and that new workouts are released seemingly every day. 

My Hydrow experience

When I received my Hydrow, it was my first time using a rowing machine. I learned the basics of the stroke, then slowly started picking it up from there. At the beginning, I was working out on my Hydrow three or four times a week. Then, when I started seeing some serious health benefits, it picked up. 

Hydrow’s milestones, badges, and challenges have helped me stay on track and motivated. At the beginning of last year on New Year’s Day, I decided to make the resolution of one blue dot (completed Hydrow workout) a day. I actually managed to do that last year, and was on track to do the same this year until one extremely tiring day of traveling to South Korea and Japan broke the streak. I am also on my way to 4 million meters right now!

While I primarily do rowing workouts at home, I’ve appreciated having access to the on-the-mat workouts, especially when I’m traveling. It helps me keep going toward my goal of one blue dot a day. 

Enjoying the best of running and rowing

Hydrow has definitely given me a jumping-off point to do other activities. Before the pandemic, I had friends who wanted to get me into running with them, always talking about things like the “runner’s high.” 

I tried twice to get into running by going straight from the couch to running outside. But I would, get winded after one block and then not enjoy the rest of the run. Each time I tried, I kept it up for about a month or two, then gave up. 

However, after rowing for about six months on my Hydrow, I discovered I had the base level of fitness I needed to feel more comfortable running. Some of my friends invited me to do a 5K, and I actually managed to scrape through with a 30-minute run! Sure, I was in pain for the next week because I didn’t stretch properly, but I decided that it really wasn’t so bad. 

So then I started to do another one, and another one, and another one. I’ve run around 20 to 30 5Ks, several 10Ks, and my first half marathon a couple months ago. It’s all thanks to Hydrow that I’ve gotten to that point.

Initially, there was some level of guilt because running was taking time away from my Hydrow. But now I’ve been able to incorporate both into my routine by rowing for 10 minutes in the mornings, then alternating between longer rowing and running workouts in the evenings and on weekends. 

I even run on vacation! While a lot of people use vacation as an excuse not to work out, my running friends and I have a tradition of doing a 5K wherever we go on vacation. The first one was unfortunately in the Maldives in 100-degree weather, but our more recent runs were in downtown Jeju, around the Imperial Palace in Japan, and across the Banpo Bridge in South Korea. 

Rowing being a low-impact workout makes it easier to participate in both sports at once. I was actually doing really well with running in the summer of last year and wound up injuring myself pretty badly as I began to aim for a sub-20-minute 5K. And so while I was recovering, I was still able to use my Hydrow because it wasn’t activating the same muscles I had injured.

Finding fitness with Hydrow

When you’re looking to buy a piece of at-home fitness equipment, you have to really know what you’re looking for. For me, the Hydrow fit because I saw myself as a lazy person. I saw this machine that worked out the majority of your muscles in one exercise and that really spoke to me. 

My advice would be to figure out how something like this would fit into your lifestyle and how to make it work around you. You don’t want to necessarily go out and blindly buy workout equipment without making sure it’s the machine for you. 

I don’t see Hydrow as this magic pill—nor did I expect it to be. But I think I was able to be so successful with it because it fit so well with my lifestyle and aligned with my needs and goals.