Rowing Machine Accessories Worth Buying

Rowing machines need almost nothing to work well, which is one of the quiet pleasures of the category. But a handful of cheap add-ons solve the complaints that actually make people quit — a sore backside, floor noise, blistered hands. Two accessories earn their keep for nearly everyone; a couple more are worth it for a specific problem; and a surprising amount of what gets sold alongside a rower is optional at best. Here is the honest sort, by category rather than by brand, because the right version depends on your machine and your floor.

A floor mat (the one nearly everyone needs)

If you buy one thing, buy a mat. It does three jobs at once: it protects your floor from the machine’s feet and from sweat, it levels a rower on carpet or an uneven surface so it does not rock, and — the part your household will thank you for — it deadens the low impact noise that travels through the floor to the room below. Even a near-silent magnetic rower thumps a little at the catch, and a dense rubber mat is what a downstairs neighbor actually notices the absence of. Whether you truly need one, and what to look for, is here — but for most homes the answer is yes.

A seat cushion or pad

The single most common reason people stop rowing is not boredom or injury — it is that the seat gets uncomfortable before the workout does. Rower seats are hard and contoured for the stroke, not for a long sit, and tender sit-bones will end a session early. A gel or foam seat pad costs a few dollars and fixes it outright, letting you row longer without shifting and squirming. It is the highest-return accessory after the mat. The full fix for an uncomfortable seat is here, including the technique changes that help before you spend anything.

A heart-rate monitor

Worth it if you train by intensity, skippable if you just want to move. A monitor turns vague effort into a number, which is the whole point of zone training — keeping most of your work genuinely easy instead of accidentally hard. A chest strap is more accurate than an optical wrist reader for the fast changes rowing produces, and most rowing monitors pair with one over Bluetooth or ANT+ so your heart rate shows on the machine’s screen. If you already own a watch, start there before buying a strap. How to actually train in zones on a rower is here.

Grip and hand care

New rowers often blister before they build calluses, and the instinct is to buy gloves. Gloves work, and a light pair can help if your hands are sensitive, but they are not the first fix — technique is. Most blisters come from over-gripping and from twisting the wrist to feather the handle; loosen the grip, let your legs drive, and the hands settle down on their own. Tape is a cheaper, lower-bulk alternative to gloves for a single hot spot. The full guide to grip, blisters and calluses is here, and it starts with the free fixes.

Storage and cleaning odds and ends

A few small things earn a place depending on your machine. If you own a water rower, the tank needs occasional purification tablets to keep the water clear — a genuine consumable, not an upsell. A chain-drive air rower like the standard gym erg benefits from a light chain oiling now and then to stay smooth and quiet. A small towel and a spray bottle of gentle cleaner keep sweat off the seat rail and monitor. And a phone or tablet holder is a cheap way to follow a video or a workout if your machine does not have its own screen. None of these are essential; all are minor.

What you can skip

Plenty of accessories exist mostly to be sold. You rarely need a branded rowing-specific water bottle, a dedicated cover for an indoor machine, or a heavy equipment mat marketed at triple the price of a plain rubber one that does the same job. Resistance-band add-ons and elaborately padded “rowing gloves” are optional at best. The honest shortlist is short: a mat and a seat pad for almost everyone, a heart-rate strap if you train by zones, and hand care if your palms complain. Spend there, and skip the rest until a real problem tells you otherwise.