Row for 30 Minutes Without Moving! (Body Sculpture 2300)

Member Name: SpankMarvin

Product:	Body Sculpture 2300
Date:	01/08/01 (3502 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Get fit!, Cheap

Disadvantages: Computer isn't great

The story behind this opinion goes back a couple of years, to the days of my year out before university. I was always a slim boy in my teens, but a sudden change of lifestyle changed things dramatically. Quite a healthy income arose from a job working with computers which involved rather a lot of sitting down, drinking coffee and eating cakes. I could also afford to go out drinking more and eat out more. I had a girlfriend at the time so I wasn’t exactly chasing the ladies; in short, I let myself go. I became something of a porker, and it was about a year and a bit ago that I saw some photos of myself and was not at all happy with what I saw.

I was fat. Something which I had thought would never happen had come true, and it was no surprise when I thought about it a little. My diet was terrible, and I did absolutely no exercise. So, it was time to sort myself out properly, none of this doing things by halves. I flicked through the Argos catalogue, and came across the Body Sculpture 2300 rowing machine for £69.99. Perfect, I thought, and went along to buy one of these beauties.

And thank God I did, because this is undoubtedly the best £70 I can remember spending on anything (except that time in Soho, but that also cost me £1000 in legal expenses). I was able to get some exercise as soon as I got home; it was a build it yourself jobby, but this wasn’t too difficult, and within an hour it was ready for action!

The machine has pneumatic cylinders which provide the resistance in the arms which is similar to that created by water in a real boat. This is adjustable, according to how advanced you are, from very little resistance to the feeling of rowing in a really tough jelly. The seat slides backwards and forwards, allowing for a surprisingly relaxing row which simultaneously exercises a variety of muscles at once. On the underside of the machine is a sensor which monitors how many strokes have been rowed and can calculat
e from this how far you have rowed.

The computer at the front is fairly useful, displaying any of the following: The time, time you have been exercising, number of strokes rowed, distance rowed, countdown distance and calories burned (not sure about the accuracy of this one however). The distance rowed is also a bit unreliable as it doesn’t seem to take momentum into account, and so gives you a reading based on the fact that the moment you finish your stroke you stop dead.

Despite this however, the most important aspect of the machine is whether it works or not. Quite simply, it works a treat. Maybe not for a while, but certainly with a bit of perseverance, results finally start to happen. Of course, it is essential to research the best way to exercise in accordance with eating, sleeping etc., and as with all exercise, it only work provided you are fairly careful with your diet to compliment the exercise.

However, fairly is the word. By exercising regularly on this rowing machine, and by cutting down a little on alcohol and a lot on junk foods, I managed to lose stones and get my weight down to what I wanted. What’s more this can be done without sacrificing traditions such as television. Set it up in front of the TV and exercise from the beginning to the end of Eastenders – hey presto, a thirty minute workout which was also entertaining.

The machine comes with a 12-month guarantee, which came in useful when one of the arms came away slightly at the hinge. I phoned up customer service, who were cheerful and helpful, and took down my name and address. Within the week they had sent me the replacement part, ready to replace the faulty limb. I had absolutely no troubles with the customer care at all.

The Body Sculpture 2300 is not really designed for hardened workout freaks, but is aimed more at those who, like me, would like to get trim and stay trim, not necessarily pack on muscle. At £69.99, it
is a middle-range rowing machine, but for my needs it was and still is perfect. For a higher price, the computer system would probably be slightly more advanced and a bit more reliable (this is the only thing which lets the machine down slightly). However, this is still excellent value for the price, ideal for someone who would rather do regular all-round exercise in the privacy of the home rather than feel self-conscious at the gym.

Summary: