If you’re really sincere about pursuing a fitness regimen, I’m sure you’ve considered building a home gym. It can become the special place where you undergo physical and mental training in a Zen-like manner away from the hectic world outside and away from a busy commercial gym where all your friends hang out.

I’m certain you’ve given some thought as to which fitness equipment you want installed in your gym. You’ve probably done a lot of reading on Internet fitness sites and discovered most of them have little information and a few are actually unsafe. When you look at glossy ads, trying to make a decision, you find it difficult to determine which equipment will benefit you and which can cause you harm.

One machine that can produce great gains relative to its cost, and one you’ll never likely outgrow, is a rowing machine. True, it’s not a very versatile piece of equipment like a barbell or an exercise ball, and it can be a very expensive purchase, but it’s not nearly as pricy as a good treadmill.

Some of the main reasons the price difference between high end rowing machines and high end treadmills is so great are the more complicated motor and mechanics of the treadmill, coupled with the need for a more sturdy frame able to withstand the impact of a 300 pound person running on it. In contrast, a well made rowing machine is a much simpler machine, which will always cost less than a well made complex machine.

When compared to other types of cardio equipment, a rowing machine is not less versatile. A person can do sprinting for distance or time, can go slow or do endurance work in a similar way. The upper body of a person is involved more here than in bicycles or stepping machines.

It does have its limitations, though. A rowing machine isn’t all that useful for developing most beach muscles. Your abs, triceps, chest, and shoulders will need added work to balance what the back, biceps, legs, and butt get with the rower. And, at least for your legs, it does lock you into one pattern of movement, so you probably don’t want to use a rowing machine as your only exercise lest you risk repetitive strain injuries.

I’m sure it has crossed your mind to fill up your gym with fitness machines, and you have eagerly read various fitness sites that told you most of these machines are not only useless but some are actually dangerous. You might be wondering which actually can hurt you in a good way or in a bad way. One piece of equipment that will give you the most bang for the buck over the long run is a rowing machine. While it may not provide the versatility of something like an exercise ball and is a bit more costly, it’s is nowhere near as expensive as a decent treadmill.