Can I gamify or otherwise add some dimension to a dumb rowing machine?

July 14, 2022 2:42 PM

If I want to sit on a dumb rowing machine and either gamify it or add some imaginary scenery to row through or whatever is that possible? I have android devices and a fitbit.

I want something that happens in the actual moment of rowing. NOT like "enter your stats each day and add them until you rowed across the great lakes" or something like that.

posted by If only I had a penguin... to Health & Fitness (13 answers total)

Not sure how dumb your rowing machine is, but the Concept2 has games on it and that is the only thing that keeps me rowing! I like the fish game, even though I only sort of understand what I'm doing.

You can also set up your phone or something to watch youtube rowing machine scenery (this is a random selection but it looks neat!).
posted by quadrilaterals at 2:55 PM on July 14, 2022 [6 favorites]

Looks like this video genre is something of a specialty for YouTubers Hood Canal Crew.
posted by box at 2:58 PM on July 14, 2022 [1 favorite]

If you're willing to just go audio, the training app Zombies, Run! helps support interval training: you get an ongoing story, with periodic sprints because the zombies show up to chase you. It's quite engaging, and there's tons of stories. You can set your phone to "rowing machine" so it tracks your level of effort.
posted by suelac at 3:00 PM on July 14, 2022 [4 favorites]

Do you have a... projector? And a portable screen?

Add a swamp cooler (i.e. evaportative cooler), a fan, a portable screen displaying a video of rowing down stream, and it'd be more... immersive. :)
posted by kschang at 3:46 PM on July 14, 2022

This is so silly, but I would watch YouTube dashcam footage from countries with chaotic traffic and imagine I’m rowing through the street traffic.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 4:03 PM on July 14, 2022 [10 favorites]

In the past, I participated in a group that held a virtual "race" across half a continent with a big paper chart on the wall. I didn't come close to winning, but I did finish. (Also, watching films makes the time pass.)
posted by eotvos at 4:05 PM on July 14, 2022

I was very close to doing something like this. I didn't want to drop money on a concept 2, so I figured I could add a hall sensor to the seat, and remap the sensor as an input to a video game using an Arduino and breadboard.

What video game? Honestly I thought I could program the game pretty easily, or just try to get concept 2 or a biking app.

I never made it past receiving the breadboard in the mail :(
posted by bbqturtle at 5:26 PM on July 14, 2022 [1 favorite]

I listen to books while rowing. It helps especially if you use the books app on iPhone, adjust the font to a large size, and listen/read along.
posted by metatuesday at 7:23 PM on July 14, 2022

I sometimes use the Hydrow app - they have a "scenery" mode where you just row along a river
posted by foodmapper at 9:02 PM on July 14, 2022

there are games on the concept2??

I watch trash tv while I'm rowing (currently Bling Empire, fyi. why do rich people have such boring lives??) but this thread is blowing my mind.
posted by EllaEm at 10:13 PM on July 14, 2022

My wife uses Kinomap with a tablet to row along some cool scenery.
posted by photovox at 7:57 AM on July 15, 2022 [1 favorite]

Best answer: You might like BitGym! They have some free content you can check out to see if you like it, and it uses your device’s camera to track your movement so no hardware is required.
posted by KatlaDragon at 9:38 AM on July 15, 2022 [4 favorites]

Response by poster: Hmm...bitgym...that sounds familiar...searches gmail...yep! I have a lifetime membership I got on kickstarter!
posted by If only I had a penguin... at 12:00 PM on July 15, 2022 [3 favorites]