Finding time to exercise can be difficult. Statistics from the National Sleep Foundation suggest that most adults work upwards of 46 hours weekly, pushing free time out the door and physical fitness into a tight spot.

But exercise doesn’t always require a two-hour free block. From ten-minute sprinting sessions to home rowing machine efforts, it’s possible to gain a near-complete workout in as little as fifteen minutes daily.

Our three recommendations can help you exercise faster, get fitter, and feel more productive during the day. All that’s required is a rowing machine – so let’s cut out those excuses and get to work!

Move in 50 meter steps

We’ve seen tremendous progress amongst casual athletes that take an always-upwards approach to fitness. By progressively increasing rowing distance on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, novice rowers and previously unfit exercisers can increase their endurance without timed rowing sessions.

Add fifty meters to your rowing distance weekly and you’ll see a profound increase in your personal fitness levels and endurance power. As time goes by, the increase in distance won’t be accompanied by an increase in time – that’s your body adjusting to the test and becoming more able.

Fifteen minutes is all it takes

There’s no excuse not to get on the rowing machine, especially when a quick row is all it takes to see real results. We recommend dividing your fifteen minute rowing sessions into thirds – the first should be a light warmup; the second a combination of sprints and cruising, and the third a relaxed warm-down period.

Resistance isn’t a substitute for time

Almost all rowing machines include a variable resistance control – a small sliding dial which can shift through the various levels of resistance on offer. Despite high-resistance settings offering a more challenging experience than low-resistance options, they’re no substitute for a long-distance rowing session.

Muscular development works on two levels: the aerobic and anaerobic. Increase resistance and your rowing machine will become an anaerobic exercise tool, increasing strength and challenging the body’s major muscle groups. Increase time and your rowing machine will target your respiratory system, increasing anaerobic fitness and shedding excess weight.

There’s some debate as to just how effective a rowing machine can be for weight loss. Cardio purists and running enthusiasts have expressed doubt that a rowing machine can burn calories more quickly than its alternatives, claiming that the sport’s low-impact nature could make it less effective.

It’s a fear that’s also common amongst fitness rowers. With such a smooth motion and so few injury points, rowing can often seem like a deal that’s unfairly weighed towards the exerciser. We’ve spent some time examining the intensity level and caloric expenditure associated with rowing, swimming, and running, and come away with some interesting results.

On average, a ten-minute run at a moderate pace (six miles per hour) will cost the average exerciser approximately 704 calories. Females runners are likely to require an average of 590 calories hourly, while males (who have more body mass and require more energy) will require between 700 and 800 calories per hour of moderate intensity running.

Cycling offers a slightly less calorically draining experience. On average, male cyclists require just over 550 calories per hour of continuous effort – just under two thirds of the caloric cost of an hour spent running. Females burn approximately 460 calories per hour of mid-paced running, delivering a caloric expenditure that’s significantly lower than the equivalent jog.

Water rowing is a slightly more difficult exercise to calculate due to on-water conditions and craft type. However, rowing machines offer an average hourly caloric expenditure of 600 in males, with females burning through an average of just under 500 calories hourly. When sprint training is added to the mix, rowing machines require between 700 and 900 calories hourly, depending on body type and gender.

While rowing is slightly less effective at burning calories than running, it certainly has its own set of distinct benefits. Not only are rowing machines safer than outdoor running, they’re more effective at delivering anaerobic resistance and inspiring muscle growth.

There’s no shortage of tracking features on today’s top rowing machines. From built-in heart rate monitors to distance and speed computers, the average ergometer is home to more technology than last year’s hottest car.

But putting that technology to use isn’t always simple. We’ve put together a basic guide to tracking and measuring your rowing efforts – from tracking your energy output to recording your heart rate; monitoring effort to measuring exactly how many calories you’re burning.

Measure intensity with your heart rate:

Speed, distance, and resistance aren’t great measures of intensity for cardiovascular fitness. While strength trainers and athletes depend upon their mile times and pulling power, rowers aiming for weight loss are best off tracking their workout intensity with a heart rate monitor.

Work out your target heart rate using a basic calculation sheet. (Most gyms will have one, and home rowers can easily find one online.) With your target heart rate planned, use a heart rate monitor and ensure that your circulatory system is operating within +/- 10% of your target while rowing.

Novice rowers should aim for consistency:

One of the latest trends to hit the fitness industry is high-impact interval training – a discipline that’s often abbreviated to HIIT. Unlike, other fitness industry fads, it’s a proven and scientifically backed training method, and when used properly it can be very effective for weight loss and aerobic fitness.

But despite its effectiveness, high-intensity training isn’t the best option for novice rowers. It’s best to start out slow and focus on consistency, tracking your heart rate and ensuring that your workout is at a constant intensity level. We recommend building basic fitness with consistent training before working HIIT and other sprint methods into your rowing schedule.

Working out isn’t just about increasing aerobic fitness levels and boosting your strength – it’s about ensuring that your body remains strong enough to fight illness and eliminate injuries. Whether on a rowing machine or a stair climber, endurance fitness activities always have the potential to hurt and damage your body’s muscle structure and ligaments.

But with the right combination of technique and discipline, you’ll be able to prevent all but the least hurtful injuries. We’ve pieced together a three-step system for eliminating rowing machine injuries – and it’s one you can apply right now for your next workout.

Always warm up

Warming up has its own set of distinct cardiovascular benefits, but what we’re most interested in is its ability to prevent muscular tearing, pulled muscles, and joint-related injuries. With a ten-minute warmup, you’ll be able to prevent the vast majority of rowing-related injuries simply by being more prepared, alert, and physically ready for exercise.

Keep your wrists straight

Beginner rowers often end up putting their wrists in an unnatural position, particularly when subject to high levels of resistance or taking part in high-speed rows. It’s a technique issue that’s particularly common amongst overworked novices, and it’s one that can result in major injuries and joint pain.

Row with your wrists in a natural position – lined up with your forearms, under limited stress, and able to move upwards and downwards freely. Wrist injuries are quite common and very painful, but with basic precautions they can be completely eliminated.

Keep your weight on the seat, not on your knees

Rowing machines are renowned as a low-impact form of exercise, but they do have their own small set of potential risks. One injury zone that’s particularly vulnerable is the lower back, an area that’s often injured due to poor hip placement.

Keep your hips tucked forward and your weight grounded on the seat. Novice rowers often force their weight forwards onto their knees, leaving their backs unnaturally bent and their posterior chain prone to stress and potential muscular injuries.

Walk into any fitness center office and you’ll hear a few interesting statistics tossed around. The first is the ‘quit rate’ – a measure that fitness centers and local gyms use to gauge just how effective and motivated their members are. Most appear for the first four weeks, putting in the hours and working hard at shared machinery.

But then they fail. Over eighty percent of gym members drastically cut down on their exercise time at some point after the first thirty days. Increase the time span to ninety days and you’ll see an average ninety percent drop, an alarming statistic given the expensive price of an annual fitness center membership.

The most common reason for this massive drop isn’t a lack of dedication or a misguided sense that fitness isn’t important, but a lack of time to make it to the gym in the first place. With busy office schedules and dedicated workloads to deal to, the vast majority of would-be exercisers simply can’t find time to hike down to the local weight room.

But there’s an alternative; home fitness, and it’s growing more popular every year. From Nautilus fitness sets to effective air-powered rowing machines, it’s becoming significantly more popular to dedicate a section of your home to personal fitness. These six tips, tricks, and tactics will help you do the same without falling into the same old fitness equipment traps and potential errors.

So take a look over our list, and keep it in mind before you commit to that ‘ten-easy-payments’ purchase. From celebrity endorsed equipment to old fashioned rowing machines, owning a home gym can be a pleasure if you apply the right strategy to it.

1. Will you use it? Buy machinery that’s simple to operate, yet simultaneously effective.

Switch on daytime television and you’ll be bombarded with home fitness products. Some claim to work miracles on your body, promising tight abdominals and pumped biceps within days. Others are slightly more realistic, promoting healthy living and exercise through a series of very specific workouts and motions.

The problem with these ‘miracle’ fitness machines isn’t that they’re not effective – many of them are, given the right circumstances – but that they’re too specific for reasonable use. Most people need variation and mix in their exercises, and relying on a machine with just one purpose isn’t likely to provide that. Multi-purpose machines are worthwhile, but it’s best to ask yourself if you’ll really use it enough to justify the purchase before buying.

2. Is it safe? Auto-spotters and supported machines are best.

American inventor Arthur Jones took a different approach to fitness than those before him. Tired of the ultra-specific training methods seen in athletics and equally sick of the intense reputation weight training had gained, he founded his company Nautilus with a single intention: showing the world that fitness needn’t be unsafe, difficult, or require extensive research.

And in many ways, he succeeded. Jones’ innovation replaced the notion of fitness as dangerous and risky, offering exercisers a safe and failure-friendly method of exercising. His Nautilus machines are just one example of safe and injury-free exercise; rowing machines, weightlifting cages, and specific exercise machines all offer greater safety than traditional resistance exercises, while at the same time offering extensive fitness and strength benefits.

3. Is it effective? Home gyms and ultra-complex machines aren’t always the best option.

Strength training experts are often heard speaking about the difference between measurable strength and functional strength. The former is one that’s built in the gym – strength that’s almost completely impractical in the outside world and can only be measured on fitness equipment. The second, functional strength, is different – strength that can be applied to real activities and sporting pursuits.

Your health efforts may be cosmetic, but they should also aim to achieve the second type of strength. Building functional strength is something that’s most effectively achieved on equipment that simulated real movements. Rowing machines, unsupported weights, and compound resistance exercises offer both cosmetic advantages and real, measurable, and useful strength gains.

4. Is it storable? Micro-gyms often aren’t effective, while giant equipment is impractical.

Hydraulic piston rowing machines are immensely popular, but not for their effective muscle stimulation or natural rowing position. In an effort to save space, people often opt for the least effective pieces of exercise equipment. It’s something we see in almost every sector of fitness, from compact and convenient As-Seen-On-TV equipment to microscopic home workout aides.

But there’s a trade-off between compactness and effectiveness, one that’s particularly visible when you test the two types of equipment side by side. Despite offering less in the way of storability, it’s often worth spending slightly more to purchase a better piece of home fitness equipment.

5. Will it last? Cheap fitness equipment can fall apart, leaving you out of pocket and frustrated.

There’s nothing more frustrating than an inflexible, weak, and utterly frustrating piece of home workout gear. Cheap ‘home gyms’ and ‘miracle’ exercise equipment can plague would-be exercisers, forcing them to waste time and put up with gear that simply isn’t what they originally expected.

Before you purchase any piece of fitness equipment, take the time to check its durability and longevity online. A great way of testing the reputation and strength of fitness equipment is to look for it inside a local gym or training center; if it’s used by hundreds of people daily without fail it’s much more likely to last inside your garage or living room.

6. Is it flexible? Specialized machines often fail when relied on for complete fitness.

Specialized fitness equipment comes with a trade-off; it’s immensely effective for isolated muscle groups and certain movements, but sometimes utterly worthless as a piece of full-body training gear. Specialized abdominal training machines are particularly guilty of needless specialization, forcing users to spend almost all of their time on a single muscle group while neglecting the rest of their body.

As a beginner, it’s unwise to look at fitness equipment which caters to specific muscle groups or strength-based movements. Look for complete home gyms and flexible training equipment; weight training cages and full-body cardiovascular equipment such as rowing machines are generally worth picking up, while specific arm or abdominal training tools may not be.