Harley Young tries the budget-friendly home workout machine a for a week and shares her thoughts
Having a gym membership is great. Having a state-of-the-art fitness studio in your fancy apartment block is better. But, during peak times when that one machine you really wanted to use is being hogged, you might as well throw all that stuff out of the window.
An affordable piece of fitness equipment you can use right in the comfort of your own home not only brings the gym to you, but it also means you can use it whenever you feel like it. There’s no need to wake up at silly times of day to ensure you’ll get the most out of your workout.
MERACH kindly let me test out their R50 Rower; a sleek, easy-to-assemble rowing machine designed to make home workouts more simple and accessible. Here’s what I honestly think after having used the machine for a week.
Unboxing and assembly
The rower arrived within five working days of the order being placed online, neatly packaged in a large, sturdy, clearly-labelled cardboard box with the rower itself being supported by styrofoam blocks.
The rower itself came mostly assembled, consisting of only five parts - two large sections that connected the seat, fan and main bulk of the rower together and three small support beams - some screws and a hex key, along with a QR code that brought up a two-minute step-by-step video guide which made building the equipment a doddle.
After watching the video a couple of times, my partner and I managed to set up the rower in under ten minutes.
Features
Taking up just under two-and-a-half metres of space (95”) when in use, the R50 Rower is a solid piece of kit and gives you plenty of space for manoeuvring on the sliding seat.
If, like me, you live in a tiny apartment and don’t have much space to play with, the option to be able to fold equipment down and split it into two parts for easy vertical storage is an absolute game changer. It meant that I could have my living room back in between sessions but also easily click it back together again and be in action no time should I get a sudden jolt of energy or fancy an after-work workout.
Although this is one of the more affordable rowers on the market, the quality of the machine isn’t lacking and it doesn’t feel cheaply made. The professional grade air resistance system features ten different levels of resistance, allowing you to gradually work up your pull force to a weight of 110lbs.
Just be aware that the harder and faster you row, the noisier the resistance fan gets, so if you’re someone who prefers a high-intensity workout at the first light of day, you might want to set up your rower in a well sound-proofed room to avoid disturbing any housemates or neighbours.
The built-in LCD display shows details of your workout in real time, covering a range of different measurements including time spent, time per 500m, distance rowed, calories burned, strokes and more. If you’re looking to up your rowing game and keep track of your metrics, it’s a great and easy way to stay in the know.
Just below the display is a handy ridge for placing your smartphone or tablet, so you can still scroll through TikTok or watch your favourite YouTube channel and get double the dopamine. Unfortunately, the LCD screen gets partly covered when you do this, so keeping an eye on your metrics and watching Netflix at the same time isn’t quite as easy.
One feature that I think really sets this machine apart from other rowers on the market that hover around this price range is the MERACH app which syncs the rower up to your phone via bluetooth. Once you’ve created an account, you can keep a close eye on session metrics, follow along with scenic rows and get competitive with gaming modes and virtual races all designed to make your workout more enjoyable and stimulating.
The rower in action
Using the rower is really simple, too. Once you’ve slotted both sections of the rower together, there’s little to no set-up time and the LCD display springs into action as soon as it senses motion from the rowing cable.
The footrests can be adjusted to suit all shoe sizes and fastens with a velcro strap for extra security, so there’s no fear of your feet flying out mid-workout. The adjustable panels are a little stiff when you first, but loosen up the more you use them.
The first few times I really gave it some welly on the machine I had visions of the pull cable coming away and twanging me in the face, but thankfully that didn’t happen. My partner, who is a few stone heavier and has an extra foot in height on me, also gave it some oomph and the well-oiled chain belt didn’t even so much as judder - it just continued to smoothly glide in and out of the fan casing. Impressive stuff.
Overall thoughts
If you’re looking for a compact, easy-to-use, budget-friendly rower that will help you keep fit from home in a fun and engaging way, the MERACH R50 Rower might just be the option for you. Whether you’re heavily into fitness and are kitting out your very own home studio, or you’re just looking for a way to stay lean and get your heart racing without needing to visit a public gym, this bit of kit suits users at all ability levels.
To check out the MERACH R50 Rower or to see what other equipment is available, visit uk.merachfit.com.
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