At the start of every year I always treat myself to one or two pieces of new kit. I’ve bought nothing so far but I’ve definitely got my eye on one piece of exercise of equipment I’ve wanted for a very long time.

After doing some research online and deciding that rowing was one of the best total body workouts, I’ve been pricing up some machines. I came across this one from JLL Fitnessand for under £200 you can’t really go wrong. 10 levels of magnetic resistance, LCD monitor and a big plus for me is that it folds away for storage.

From my early gym days, I was always attracted to the rowing machine. I don’t know why, I liked it I guess! After a workout of only a few minutes I was drenched in sweat and I felt like my body had been completely activated. Here are some benefits of choosing a rowing machine over any other piece of gym equipment.

The first time I ever used the rowing machine I wasn’t using my feet correctly. My arms felt like they were going to drop off after only a few seconds! Then the gym instructor said “You are pushing off with your feet aren’t you?” I thought I was, haha.

Another piece of kit I’ve always rated is the elliptical cross trainer. In our old house, my Mrs and I would take turns and we really felt the combination of arm and leg movement was beneficial to us. It certainly felt better than any exercise bike or treadmill.

Next week will be March and I hope the people who had good intentions at the turn of the year are still sticking at it. If buying the odd piece of gym equipment helps motivate you then why not spend a little bit of money this year. Of course, half of my gym training includes press-ups and pull-ups which is bodyweight only so you don’t always have to spend money to train!