Adding Hydrow to my Home Gym

 For awhile now, I’ve been wanting to add something to my home gym. My sitting room, y’all. My home gym is in my master suite, nothing fancy, I just like to call it a home gym, it sounds more serious that way.

Moving on.

Not being able to run has really messed with my head. All of the hard things I used to do involved running. I started thinking about what I could get. Obviously a treadmill is out. Even when I’m healthy, a treadmill hurts my shins. I thought about a Tonal or a Mirror, but I get strength training from my Peloton.

Rowers have always intrigued me. They are a full body workout every time, and  there’s no impact. The only question was, which one should I get? I knew I wanted something similar to a Peloton. A screen with workouts built in. I know myself and I know I need the motivation. 

I threw out the question on my personal Facebook page and also at Fat Girl Running, because I knew it was a large audience and I would get lots of suggestions.

I chose the Hydrow for the screen size, the amazing reviews, and, let’s be honest, it’s hella cool looking. 

A friend had one, and I got to use her discount code…. Yeah, that link is mine. Use it for $250 off! 

I ordered it, and got the no interest monthly payment, and within about a week, it was here! She, she was here. I named her the Jolene II, because it looks like a good boat name. In case you didn’t know, my Peloton is named Jolene.

I did not pay for it to be assembled. I’m cheap like that, and I have the Boy, who loves to put things together. (Yes, he’s a full on man, but when two men in your house are name Jon you stick to old habits!) Jon and the Boy carried it upstairs and the Boy assembled it. He was almost as giddy as I was.

This is how it’s delivered when you’re assembling it yourself. The outer box is more of a shell, and once you untape  everything inside, it lifts right off of the base.

The screen came in a separate box, as did the tools and guides.

Ugh, the pics are out of order and no matter how many times I try to fix them, they just keep going back the wrong way. Sorry, folks. 

Updating the screen….

This is what the box looked like once you opened the top. 

Best Boy ever. 

Look how pretty she is. The screen swivels, like you see in the first pic. Perfect for the stretches and yoga workouts. I haven’t tried the strength workouts yet, but it will be great for that as well.

I ordered the package that included the mat only. It came early so I was able to prep the space. The mat is somewhat firm, so I needed to weigh down the corners until the Hydrow arrived. It also gave me a great idea of how much space I needed. 

I did order shoes just for the Hydrow. Zero Drop shoes were recommended, so I got these cute Xero shoes and they arrived beforehand as well.

Not nearly enough pieces to make the Boy happy. He loves to put things together. 

Let’s get to the workouts. With the exception of the first intro workout, the instructors are out on the water, and the scenery is beautiful. I definitely have a few faves but I still need to row with them all some more. And they have badges! Most of my toes have been 10-15 minutes, but I’ve done some 20 minute rows and I’ve strung some together. I’ve done 45 minutes in one day and it about killed me! 

I am definitely a sucker for badges. When I get to 100,000 meters I get a water bottle and then 250,000 you get socks. So much fun! I have about 60,000 meters so far. It makes me feel like a badass, and it’s hard. I’m improving every row, and I can’t wait to do my first long row. 

Have you ever tried rowing?