Concept2 One Month Report

[haha]

Congratulations W2R. I think you will be very happy having one at your disposal anytime you want. Also, it solves the gym closure problem.

Ha

 

[Katsmeow]

I couldn't stand it and just ordered a Concept2, Model D rowing machine with PM3 monitor. What a great machine! I have used them at my gym and think they are fun and challenging.

I like having one. We have it set up in the bedroom and it is easy to use while watching TV.

 

[W2R]

Thanks, haha and Katsmeow! I am pretty excited about getting my own. Hopefully I will proceed with caution and not over-do. I just think it will be so much fun and good for my health, too.

 

[F4mandolin]

I've always find it interesting how some people prefer certain exercise machines. I am a treadmill guy. I put my recumbent bicycle on an indoor trainer once in a while....but for some reason it is more boring than the treadmill. Being an ex-PE teacher....I was always around plenty of machines that I used regularly...including the rowing machines. For some reason the treadmill works for me and I will always have one in the house....at least until my body says otherwise.

 

[W2R]

I've always find it interesting how some people prefer certain exercise machines. I am a treadmill guy. I put my recumbent bicycle on an indoor trainer once in a while....but for some reason it is more boring than the treadmill. Being an ex-PE teacher....I was always around plenty of machines that I used regularly...including the rowing machines. For some reason the treadmill works for me and I will always have one in the house....at least until my body says otherwise.

As long as you keep walking on it, you may be able to use the treadmill a very long time. I thought about getting a treadmill, and may get one some day. What is your favorite home treadmill? I was looking at the Sole 85. Even though I chose the Concept2 for now, I know I do need to walk more as well. I may start walking/jogging around the block a little, before the summer heat hits.


I love my stationary bike and so far (other than weightlifting) it is my favorite machine. Still, I feel like some variety of activities in my home gym would be very welcome. The Concept2 has a lot of great aspects, and it is fun and inspirational to get on the Concept2 website and see what others like me have accomplished on theirs. It does a lot of good things for my back, shoulders, and arms, and I get a good cardio workout from it as well.

 

[F4mandolin]

As long as you keep walking on it, you may be able to use the treadmill a very long time. I thought about getting a treadmill, and may get one some day. What is your favorite home treadmill? I was looking at the Sole 85.

I have had 2 treadmills in the last 23 years. First one was a Precor....which was a beast and sold it when I went to Okinawa. Found I wanted another one so bought a Landice. The Precor was better, but the Landice is ok as well. I got online looking at treadmills about a week ago just wondering about treadmills. Over the years the treadmills have gotten better and less expensive.

 

[W2R]

I have had 2 treadmills in the last 23 years. First one was a Precor....which was a beast and sold it when I went to Okinawa. Found I wanted another one so bought a Landice. The Precor was better, but the Landice is ok as well. I got online looking at treadmills about a week ago just wondering about treadmills. Over the years the treadmills have gotten better and less expensive.

Precors are great and that is what they have at my (non-home) gym. I have heard of Landice but know nothing about them. I'll have to do some more research before buying a treadmill. It is likely to be a much bigger outlay of $$ than is the Concept2.

 

[Katsmeow]

I also have a treadmill. We like walking outside where it is a little hilly but it gets so hot here in the summer that we couldn't walk outside for several months.

So, we decided to get a treadmill. I spent weeks researching treadmills. The best site I found was:

Treadmill | Treadmills | Best Treadmill | Treadmill Doctor

We also went and looked at a lot of treadmills. Years ago, I had a Precor so was biased a bit towards it. I also looked at Landice which was very nice. However, both of those had very high prices that I couldn't justify for our use. There were some treadmills that I liked but the online reviews of the company and its products made me decide not to buy (for example, any of the many Icon Fitness companies and also Smooth Fitness). By a process of elimination I ended up buying a Lifespan TR 5000i.

TR5000i Non-Folding Treadmill | LifeSpan Fitness

We are very happy with it. We have the Concept 2 on one side of the bedroom and treadmill on the other side.

 

[W2R]

Thanks, Katsmeow. I'll check that one out, too. I like your bedroom decor! I'll bet you dream of great workouts.

 

[F4mandolin]

Check the reviews...as with any new buy. If I had to buy a new treadmill tomorrow I would be looking in in the $2K range. I don't run much anymore....and may never again, so uphill walking on the treadmill works for me. No matter whether you buy a treadmill, rower, indoor bike etc.....cheap ones usually don't run very well and make the exercise less pleasurable. Now if I wasn't cheap.....the Precor at around $4K is what I would prefer.

 

[aldo]

I've been tracking the price of a Concept2 Model D with PM4 for months now at Amazon, patiently awaiting a price reduction. Reduced from $1050 to $949 today so I'll be rowing on Wednesday

 

[samclem]

If I had to buy a new treadmill tomorrow I would be looking in in the $2K range.

Or maybe Craigslist/Play It Again in a few months? Those New Year's resolutions tend to lose against harsh reality. (Lightly) Used exercise equipment is often available at steep discount.
A Concept 2 Rower? As a niche item, used ones probably aren't as widely available as treadmills, ellipticals, weight benches, etc.

 

[braumeister]

I like our Concept2 a lot, but DW prefers our treadmill, which I only use occasionally (when it's either too hot or too cold to run outside).

We have a Landice L7 Pro Sport, which we bought in 2009. Still as good as new, despite a lot of use.

 

[W2R]

I've been tracking the price of a Concept2 Model D with PM4 for months now at Amazon, patiently awaiting a price reduction. Reduced from $1050 to $949 today so I'll be rowing on Wednesday

Hey aldo, congratulations on deciding to spring for a Concept 2 also! Great choice IMO. I ordered the Model D with the PM3 because I am sure that personally I would never need or use the extra features included with the PM4.

Looking forward to delivery of mine from Amazon on Wednesday. The mat I ordered to put under it comes tomorrow, so I can shuffle things about and lay down the mat in a good place tomorrow night. There is plenty of room for it in my home gym room, but I also want to leave some open space for using my Wii Fit and for doing exercise DVDs now and then. It will be easier for me to visualize various configurations by putting the mat in a few different locations, before the Concept2 arrives.

Today is our usual gym day, so I plan to use the one at the gym today in order to start getting back into it, before I have my own at home.

A Concept 2 Rower? As a niche item, used ones probably aren't as widely available as treadmills, ellipticals, weight benches, etc.

I had been looking for one at a lower price on Craig's List here for quite some time, but haven't had much luck in that effort with only one being offered. Your description of it as a niche item would probably explain why. From what I understand, in some parts of the country where CL has taken off to a greater extent than it has here, they can be found there occasionally but probably less frequently than a treadmill.

 

[jowi]

DH and I really want to try a rower - wish I had ordered one from Amazon before our state joined many others in having to pay sales tax on Amazon

I LOVE my treadmill and would never be without one. I do all of my TV watching on it and do 50 minutes almost every day. I like to do uphill 'fast' walking on it (set it to 12% incline and 3.5 mph) - works great for me But I think adding in a few days of some rowing could help - I do the walking more for stress relief/oxygenation of the body/calorie burning. As I'm getting older, though, I realize I need to add in some muscle building activities. I just find weight lifting SOoooooo boring! /

 

[haha]

DH and I really want to try a rower - wish I had ordered one from Amazon before our state joined many others in having to pay sales tax on Amazon

I LOVE my treadmill and would never be without one. I do all of my TV watching on it and do 50 minutes almost every day. I like to do uphill 'fast' walking on it (set it to 12% incline and 3.5 mph) - works great for me But I think adding in a few days of some rowing could help - I do the walking more for stress relief/oxygenation of the body/calorie burning. As I'm getting older, though, I realize I need to add in some muscle building activities. I just find weight lifting SOoooooo boring! /

You can buy from Concept2 without sales tax in many states. Model D with pm 3 computer is $900 plus $45 shipping, which is the same as Amazon (no Prime available)

Maybe there is some advantage to buying from Amazon, but Concept2 itself is a superb company with excellent customer service.

Ha

 

[happy2bretired]

I received my Concept2,model D rower yesterday. After dragging thru the house and down the stairs then putting it together, I rowed very little yesterday....whew. But, this morning I've had two short sessions on it. I have a small screened tv with Apple TV with Netflix set up down in my basement. Now maybe I can have some exercise variety with my treadmill and Pilates reformer. I've really turned into a slug this winter, since I'm not traveling anywhere this winter and stay home most of the time.

 

[W2R]

I received my Concept2,model D rower yesterday. After dragging thru the house and down the stairs then putting it together, I rowed very little yesterday....whew. But, this morning I've had two short sessions on it. I have a small screened tv with Apple TV with Netflix set up down in my basement. Now maybe I can have some exercise variety with my treadmill and Pilates reformer. I've really turned into a slug this winter, since I'm not traveling anywhere this winter and stay home most of the time.

Great! So glad you received your Concept2. I didn't ride mine the first day, either. I wanted to review proper form and such.

I discovered that my home gym room was too poorly lit for me to see the C2 monitor after dark, so I could only ride it during the daytime. To solve that problem I ordered a floor lamp designed for a 50/100/150 watt 3-way bulb and got that assembled yesterday, and placed it where it is needed. It provides lots of light, so now I can ride my C2 after dark.

I am still just riding the C2 for short periods of time, but I can feel it in my back and arms so I know it is doing me some good.

DH and I really want to try a rower - wish I had ordered one from Amazon before our state joined many others in having to pay sales tax on Amazon

I think the C2 provides a lot of value for the money. Amazon didn't charge me sales tax, but even if I had had to pay sales tax it would only have added $79 and I think that would still be SO worth the money.

My gym is scheduled to re-open on Saturday, unless the ice storm slowed down their renovation progress. I am looking forward to going there again because it has been hard to establish new exercise habits. I am constantly thinking, "oh yeah, I forgot to exercise, better do that..." instead of just doing it automatically.

 

[Katsmeow]

Even in the bedroom with all the lights on I can't easily read the display on the Concept 2. That is the only thing I don't like. I have a small pen flashlight that I kept in reach while rowing and I just shine it on the display whenever I need it. A floor lamp though might be a good choice also if I can talk DH into it.

 

[W2R]

Even in the bedroom with all the lights on I can't easily read the display on the Concept 2. That is the only thing I don't like. I have a small pen flashlight that I kept in reach while rowing and I just shine it on the display whenever I need it. A floor lamp though might be a good choice also if I can talk DH into it.

I got a cheap one for under $100 on Amazon, and I suppose you get what you pay for since it is somewhat shoddy/cheap and made in China. However it does seem to solve that problem for me and that is all I wanted. I put it right next to the C2 and those 150W really brighten up that monitor.

Before I bought the lamp, all I had was the lights in the ceiling fan and they weren't bright enough to suit me.

 

[haha]

It doesn't seem to need a lot of light, the light just has to come from behind or at least quartering behind. Since I moved mine out of the bedroom into my main room, I can see fine, although in the bedroom at night I needed to use a little light I clipped onto the window ledge.

Congrats Happytoberetired on your new exercise helper. Maybe the best thing about it is that it is very sturdy, and always ready to go. The only regular upkeep I find is keeping the rail clean.

Ha

 

[braumeister]

It's a little pricier, but I got the ErgBuddy app on my iPad, and with the Wahoo Key plugged into it I have a nice wireless connection and a big, bright display instead of the rather dim display on the PM4.

 

[happy2bretired]

I'm having a light problem too. Good idea with the lamp. I'll just move my sewing lamp over a little.


Oh, notice my old clogs in the footrests...it's easier just to leave the shoe there and slip my feet in each time I row.

 

[Katsmeow]

It's a little pricier, but I got the ErgBuddy app on my iPad, and with the Wahoo Key plugged into it I have a nice wireless connection and a big, bright display instead of the rather dim display on the PM4.

Tell me about this. I have an iPad so what does the above do and how do you do it?

 

[W2R]

I'm having a light problem too. Good idea with the lamp. I'll just move my sewing lamp over a little.

Oh, notice my old clogs in the footrests...it's easier just to leave the shoe there and slip my feet in each time I row.

Lovely workout room! And, good idea to just move your sewing lamp over a little. Since I had no lamp in that room, my new floor lamp is perfect. I had been thinking of buying one anyway because of the poor light in there. I need the extra light to connect and configure all the electronics such as TV, cable box, Wii, DVD player, headphones, recharging stations, fans, etc etc etc.

I also adjusted the Concept2 monitor to the setting where the larger numbers are displayed.

I have sensitive, picky feet so I wear very expensive tie-up New Balance running shoes in my home gym. But, I keep an extra pair in my home gym room, and have a nice, ultra-big ottoman right there to sit on while I put them on or take them off.