Is the effort all on the pull stroke, or is the forward movement also good exercise?
349025
Imagine that you are in the hole of one of those ancient rowing ships with about 20 fellow rowers and a big hairy guy up front beating out the rhythm on a drum. The oar hits the water, you pull it through and at the end of the effort, your arms and upper body are stretched forward to bring the oar back ln towards your chest. So. All the resistance is on the back stroke while the oar is in the water. Same principle applies here.
349026
Most of the effort is in the pull stroke. There is very little resistance on your arms/ legs on the way back. You do get a little exercise from controlling the rate of the descent of the seat down the rail and pushing the handles back into place.
349027
The higher the level you place the tension, the better pull and push the workout will be. I started on level 2 to getuse to the machine, and have upped it to now level 4. I feel the pull in my arms, legs, bottom,and alittle in my stomach. I feel the forward movement inmy arms and shoulders. I really feel this is a good workout. I go slow for awhile, then pick up the pace and then slow it down again- sorta like they do in cross training. I also move my hands holding the bar to gripping it over the bar and then switch to holding the bar gripping under. I hope this helped you decide. I love my workout. And its such a great price. The higher the level you place the tension, the better pull and push the workout will be. I started on level 2 to getuse to the machine, and have upped it to now level 4. I feel the pull in my arms, legs, bottom,and alittle in my stomach. I feel the forward movement inmy arms and shoulders. I really feel this is a good workout. I go slow for awhile, then pick up the pace and then slow it down again- sorta like they do in cross training. I also move my hands holding the bar to gripping it over the bar and then switch to holding the bar gripping under. I hope this helped you... » Read More The higher the level you place the tension, the better pull and push the workout will be. I started on level 2 to getuse to the machine, and have upped it to now level 4. I feel the pull in my arms, legs, bottom,and alittle in my stomach. I feel the forward movement inmy arms and shoulders. I really feel this is a good workout. I go slow for awhile, then pick up the pace and then slow it down again- sorta like they do in cross training. I also move my hands holding the bar to gripping it over the bar and then switch to holding the bar gripping under. I hope this helped you decide. I love my workout. And its such a great price. « Show Less
349028
I am a small women so not sure how this would work for a mam. I only use on easiest position but still feel the pull more than on the forward motion. For me he machine is perfect and the price was so good. Wish I could help you more!
69422
For the most part, lateral movements, yes. But there's more than just back and forth drills that a slide board would limit (i'm thinking of the burpees and the floor work)
385616
It's not self-propelled, so it can be a workout. You might want to look elsewhere.
689191
I find it best for vertical activity. it would create drag for horizontal swimming. it is great for vertical activity though!
1622882
No it's not. Also, "resistance" is not how I would describe the arm movement as there are no adjustments. So it is a forward movement and I shift my hands to create "resistance." I am considering getting some 5 lb hand weights (attached with Velcro to help).
69423
There's a lot of independent movement throughout the workout, you're not always going in a side to side motion and you will sometimes be using the discs on your hands for floor exercises, so overall, I think the discs are preferable.
321748
You should consider substituting another pulling back exercise, such as the (bent over row). If you do that, it shouldn't make a very noticeable difference.
61154
It will move forward when pulled but not backward. To move it backward you must lift it. It has been wonderful for our 2 and 3 1/2 year old grand daughters. We have the small for our 2 year old and the medium for the 3 1/2 year old. They have races in the house and it is great exercise!
905701
you can push yourself backwards easily but would have to pull with legs to go frontward(that with back to bar)
102125
I would say I'm in decent shape and can use it pretty effectively. If you prefer quick short steps, you will stay at the top of the stepper, for longer (I think harder) steps, let yourself down a little farther each time by moving more slowly. I wouldn't call it gym quality, but I get a good workout especially for endurance if I do over 20 minutes at a time.
166786
Yes it does. Works pretty well, in my opinion. It's not perfect, but you can still do the exercise.
250538
Yes just like most any other weight lifting exercise. If done with correct form there are great benefits from this machine.
612269
not really sure what to tell you. I'm still quite early in the workout . I'm trying to get the first sequence of the first six moves learned so I can progress to the next sequence. It seems like a good workout and is not very strenuous , at least to start out. He stresses posture in the workout and I think that is good. I can't really say if it is helping my flexibility yet as I have a history of back problems and so far I do not notice any improvement in that respect.
491774
The higher the resistance, the more likely it is to move but movement should be minimized if you use it correctly by pedaling up and down instead of forward. Mine is located under my office desk in a location where it rests against the back side of the desk, so it has no forward movement. I had no issues at all with lifting, twisting, or lateral movement. It is heavy. Some of my coworkers settled for the $30 models. They move around a lot, get really hot, and the resistance cranks do not hold the resistance. You get what you pay for.
702259
I guess if your only doing light weights and a few times while working out then maybe not. For me however I prefer to not pull a back muscle.
2110599
You get a full exercise because they are supposed to move - not a whole bunch. The feet move more -twist actually in an opposite direction. Therefore you get Twister Stepper. srhtrue@yahoo.com
64109
YES!!! That's mostly what I use it for and it's great! I don't swim laps competatively though, so I'm not sure how much it would impact your times, but the drag that is created is minimal and doesnt have a negative effect on the duration of my workout.