If you’re burned out from high-impact workouts, the LIT Strength Machine may suit you. This innovative rowing machine can be considered a full home gym as it comes with resistance bands, strength training bars, and other add-ons to give you a low-impact but effective rowing workout.
The LIT app offers a robust selection of live and on-demand classes, and tracks your workout stats to provide valuable insights into your performance. The rower isn’t quite as large as other water rowers, making it an excellent choice for those with limited space. It does make swooshing noises since it is a water rower, but the belt drive is smooth and quiet. Overall, this is a great piece of equipment for those who want to get stronger and improve their cardio, but don’t have room in their home gym for multiple pieces of equipment.
Main Takeaways
- The LIT Strength Machine is an easy-to-care-for rower. The only maintenance required is adding a new chlorine tablet (included with your machine) to the water drum once a year.
- While there is no touchscreen, this rower comes with a phone/tablet holder, so you can easily stream classes from your preferred device.
- You can choose from three bundles, and depending on which package you choose, you get resistance bands that attach to the machine, an anchor that enables you to secure the bands to any sturdy anchor point, a device holder, a pair of ankle cuffs, a strength bar, a pair of handles, a heart rate sensor, and a complimentary three-month membership to the LIT app.
This rower from Lit Method is so much more than your typical rowing machine. It combines the cardio benefits of a rowing machine with the strength benefits of resistance band training to give you a full-body workout. If you like instructor-led workouts they have a membership which you receive three months of for free with purchase.
LIT Strength Machine Rower Video Review
Our Reviews Writer, Jake, hops on the LIT Method Strength Machine during his detailed video review. Follow along as he breaks down everything there is to know about this water rower — from the price to the features, and some potential cons.
LIT Strength Machine Rower Highlights
For anyone who wants to feel what it’s like to row on water from the comfort of their own home while improving their strength and balance, the LIT Strength Machine fits the bill. It’s a rowing machine, pilates reformer, and strength trainer all in one. Through the LIT app (which costs about $24.99 per month or $240 per year) you receive access to thousands of virtual classes. The classes cover rowing, strength training, bodyweight, and mobility exercises, and they focus on low-impact workouts that are accessible to nearly anyone.
These features also make this rower a solid choice for those who don’t have room for bulky strength equipment or aren’t interested in high-impact workouts. However, cost-conscious shoppers may want to consider a budget rower instead, as the LIT Strength Machine is on the pricier side.
Who Should Buy the LIT Strength Machine
- Older individuals, those returning from an injury, or anyone who needs a break from high-impact workouts will benefit from LIT Method’s focus on low-impact but effective training programs.
- Those who enjoy having variety in their workouts will appreciate LIT Method’s wide range of live and on-demand classes spanning eight fitness categories.
- Anyone obsessed with data will enjoy tracking their workout stats with the LIT app, which tracks total volume, repetitions, muscles worked, time, and more.
Who Shouldn’t Buy the LIT Strength Machine
- Someone who owns a fully-equipped home gym likely won’t need the resistance bands and other strength training accessories that come with the LIT Strength Machine and will find a more basic rower sufficient for their cardio workouts.
- Those who live with others and work out early in the morning or late at night should choose a quieter rower.
- Advanced rowers who like to track metrics such as strokes per minute and split times may be disappointed to find that the LIT Strength Machine doesn’t track this data and should consider a different machine.
Price
The cost of the LIT Strength Machine varies, depending on which package you buy. There are three bundles to choose from:
- Starter Pack (around $1,799): Comes with a set of resistance bands that provide 10 to 20 pounds of resistance, a pair of ankle cuffs, a pair of handles, a phone/tablet attachment, and a complimentary three-month membership to the LIT app.
- Plus Pack (about $1,999): Comes with everything in the Starter pack, one pair each of 15- and 30-pound resistance trainers, the LIT AXIS system (which includes a pair of AXIS sensors and a universal AXIS anchor), and a weighted bar that weighs around 12 pounds.
- Pro Pack (around $2,199): Comes with everything in the Plus pack, a mat to put under the machine, and a heart rate sensor.
These prices are getting into the higher end of rowing machines. However, not many other rowers in this price range come with the number of add-ons that the LIT Strength Machine does. Furthermore, you can finance your machine for as little as about $36 per month if you don’t want to make one large upfront payment.
The AXIS system that comes with the Plus and Pro packs costs around $199 on its own. The mat, heart rate sensor, and weighted bar cost around $90 each if you buy them separately. The Plus and Pro packs are the more cost-effective options if you want these accessories, so we recommend opting for one of these bundles if you have the budget.
Overall Build and Quality
While the LIT Strength Machine has a high price tag, this rower is built with longevity in mind, and provides more of a full-body strength and conditioning workout than your average rower would. It’s sturdy and can withstand daily use in a home environment. Despite its light weight, it can accommodate users who weigh up to 450 pounds and are 6’9” tall.
Even the accessories that come with it, such as the resistance bands and power bands, feature high-quality materials that will likely never crack or snap. However, this isn’t the rower for you if you want one to use for CrossFit or to train for indoor rowing races or regattas because it doesn’t track metrics (like split time) that are essential to those forms of training.
Features
The LIT Strength Machine is a rower, pilates reformer, and strength machine all in one. It comes with resistance bands that attach to the machine, so you can quickly switch from rowing to strength training or pilates in the same workout. There are thousands of classes ranging from 10 to 50 minutes in the LIT app. They include endurance, upper body strength, lower body strength, core, and mobility routines. The LIT Strength Machine uses a belt drive, which is normally not as long-lasting as a chain. However, durability isn’t an issue with this rower, thanks to its sturdy construction and heavy-duty materials.
Another noteworthy feature is the AXIS sensors that come with the Plus and Pro packs. These sensors attach to the bands and sync to the app via Bluetooth, enabling you to adjust the bands’ weight from your phone or tablet. The weight goes up to 200 pounds, so you can still do some heavy strength training even if you don’t have room for a barbell and squat rack.
Stats Tracking and Metrics
The LIT app records and stores all of your workout data, including total volume, repetitions, distance, total time, calories burned, and more. These metrics are great to track if you want insights into how efficient your workouts are and how you’re progressing over time. However, the app doesn’t track stats such as strokes per minute, split times, or watts — important metrics that rowing aficionados may miss.
Display
There is no screen on the LIT Strength Machine, but you can attach a mobile phone or tablet to it with the included device holder. This could be both a pro and a con. You don’t have the hassle of having to plug the machine in to use the monitor, nor do you need the larger amount of space you typically need to accommodate machines with a big screen. However, it may be harder to see the screen during virtual classes if you are using a small handheld device. And you’ll have to ensure your device always has enough charge to get you through each class.
Included workouts
There are no pre-programmed workouts on the machine itself, but you can stream thousands of live and on-demand workouts from the LIT app. This will cost you an additional subscription fee, but more on that below.
Workout Apps, Compatibility, and Subscription Options
With your purchase, you get a three-month complimentary membership to the LIT app. Once the complimentary period ends, membership costs about $24.99 per month or $240 per year. You get unlimited classes and premium stats tracking, and can add up to five users to your membership.
The workouts cover multiple fitness categories, including strength, cardio, stretching and mobility, pilates, and bodyweight exercises. You can find a class that works for you regardless of what kind of workout you’re in the mood for. The classes are ranked by difficulty level (beginner, intermediate, and advanced), and you can filter them based on which muscle groups you want to train or how long you have to work out. The app also provides descriptions for each class and tells you what equipment you need. Furthermore, the classes are set to fun music to help make your workouts more enjoyable.
The app also includes curated programs for various training goals if you want to improve in one specific area of fitness. For example, you can try the LIT Method’s muscle-building programs if you want to get stronger or improve your physique.
Feel
Because the LIT Strength Machine is a water rower, it can feel more like you’re rowing on open water than, say, an air or magnetic resistance rower. The seat glides easily over the rail, and the belt drive offers a smooth stroke with each pull of the handle. Plus, belts are generally a bit quieter than chains during the drive.
Ergonomics and Comfort
The seat on the LIT Strength Machine™ is 18 inches off the ground. It’s lower than the 20 inches we’ve seen on other rowers we’ve reviewed, but it’s still higher than many others as well whose seats are 10 to 15 inches off the floor. The higher seat is beneficial for users who may have trouble sitting on a rower that’s lower to the ground. The handles that come with the machine are coated with protective rubber to reduce the likelihood of developing blisters, and the padded seat can help prevent back pain when rowing.
The rower has extended horizontal foot plates that can accommodate any foot size. The larger pedals make it easier to feel your glutes, hamstrings, and quads as you row, and can help reduce the risk of hip flexor injuries.
Heart Rate Monitoring
LIT Method offers a heart rate monitor that syncs with the LIT app to track metrics such as calories burned, heartbeats per minute, and heart rate zones. The heart rate monitor is included with the Pro pack, but you’ll need to buy it separately if you get the Starter or Plus pack.
The LIT app can also sync to the Apple Watch and will store your workout data in Apple Health, so you can use it to track your daily activity and close your rings. The app is not compatible with other fitness trackers.
Included Accessories
The LIT Strength Machine comes with a set of resistance bands that offer 10 to 20 pounds of resistance, a pair of ankle cuffs, and a pair of handles. Depending on which package you buy, you’ll also get a strength bar, an AXIS anchor that enables you to attach a separate set of 15- or 30-pound resistance bands to any sturdy anchor point, and a mat to put under your machine.
The resistance bands have metal carabiners that attach to hooks underneath the foot pedals and at the back of the machine on each side. If you get the Plus or Pro pack with the AXIS system, you can connect the carabiners to the metal hooks on the strength bar and do exercises such as front squats or upright rows. You can also use the carabiners to secure the bands to the ankle cuffs or handles for exercises such as side leg raises or bicep curls.
You can make your workout more challenging by moving further away from your anchor point with the bands. The 15-pound bands can provide up to 60 pounds of resistance, and the 30-pound bands can provide up to 100 pounds of resistance. With this machine, there’s no need for multiple pairs of dumbbells or bulky strength machines if you work out in a small space.
The included accessories and the varying levels of resistance from the bands offer versatility that you won’t find in any other rower, and will ensure your workouts never get boring. And with the universal AXIS anchor that also comes with the Plus and Pro packs, you can easily do non-rowing workouts from any location if you need a break from the rower.
Product Specs
The LIT Strength Machine weighs 70 pounds when the water drum is empty and 89 pounds when it is full. It features a steel frame and lightweight aluminum construction. The heavy-duty build makes it sturdy and durable enough for frequent use and helps prevent wobbling as you row. If looks are important to you, you’ll appreciate the sleek black design and red resistance bands that add a pop of color to your gym space.
Rower Type and Build
The LIT Strength Machine is a water rower, meaning it has a water drum with paddles inside to mimic the action of rowing on open water. Unlike other water rowers that require you to replace the water periodically, you never have to replace the water on the LIT Strength Machine.
You simply have to drop a new chlorine tablet into the water drum once a year. Each rower comes with a lifetime supply of chlorine tablets.
Track Length
The LIT Strength Machine has a long track that can accommodate users up to 6’9” tall with a 40-inch inseam. Many other rowers only support inseams of 36 to 38 inches, so the LIT Strength Machine is a viable option for very tall individuals.
Weight Capacity
The LIT Strength Machine has a 450-pound weight capacity. It’s lower than the average of 500 pounds we’ve seen with other rowers but still a solid choice for larger or heavier athletes.
Portability
The LIT Strength Machine comes with two built-in wheels on the front. There is no handle on the back, but you can easily lift the machine by placing your hand under the back of the monorail. And because it’s relatively lightweight even when the water drum is full, it’s easy to move around your home if you like to switch up your workout environment.
Folding Options and Dimensions
The LIT Strength Machine is 84 inches long, 21 inches wide, and 19.2 inches high. It has a smaller footprint compared to other water rowers, making it ideal for those with small spaces. The rower doesn’t fold, but you can store it vertically, so it won’t take up valuable floor space when not in use. When stored vertically, it only takes up two feet by two feet of space.
Max Resistance
The resistance levels on the LIT Strength Machine range from 10 to 40 pounds. The water drum features a dual tank design and an adjustable dial that enables you to change the resistance easily.
Whenever you adjust the dial, one tank will scoop out the amount of water needed to match that resistance level. This is unlike other water rowers that either change the resistance based on how hard you pull or require you to siphon water to adjust it.
Electrical Requirements
Because there is no connected screen, you don’t have to worry about plugging the rower into an outlet or changing any batteries. You have stat tracking through the LIT app, and your body powers the machine itself.
Noise
The belt drive is quiet, but because the LIT Strength Machine is a water rower, it makes loud swooshing sounds. This noise may be an issue if you live with others and do your at-home workouts when they are sleeping.
Warranties
The LIT Strength Machine comes with a lifetime warranty on the frame and water drum, and a five-year warranty on all other parts.
Places to Buy
You can buy the LIT Strength Machine through LIT Method directly.
Company Information
LIT Method, which stands for Low-Impact Training Method, was founded by a husband and wife duo who struggled with recurring injuries and wanted to create a sustainable alternative to high-impact training methods. In 2016, the founders trademarked their training method and opened a flagship LIT Method studio in West Hollywood. Two years later, they began developing a prototype for their state-of-the-art rowing, pilates, and strength training machine. The patent-pending rower has quickly become popular among individuals who want to stay active without suffering through grueling, high-impact workouts.
Final Word
With a high-quality build, ergonomic features designed to help prevent injury, and access to thousands of virtual classes led by supportive and engaging instructors, the LIT Strength Machine is an innovative rower that provides a true full-body workout. While it doesn’t have some of the tech features you’ll find on other rowers, such as a touchscreen monitor, you can stream classes from any device you choose. Plus, it offers a 3-in-1 training concept thanks to the added resistance bands and strength bars that attach to the machine, and the ankle cuffs and handles you can secure to the bands. These accessories enable you to use the LIT Strength Machine for rowing, pilates, and strength training workouts, unlike other rowers you can only use for rowing.
The lack of a monitor also means there are no electrical requirements, so you can work out in any room in your home or take the rower outdoors. While it’s more expensive than some other options, the included accessories and the versatility it offers make it a worthwhile investment, in our opinion.
FAQs
How much does a LIT Method machine cost?
The LIT Strength Machine ranges in price from around $1,799 to $2,199, depending on which package you buy. If you wish to finance it, payments start at $36 per month.
Is the LIT Method rower worth it?
The LIT Strength Machine is worth it if you’re interested in low-impact workouts or prefer taking instructor-led classes. It’s also a solid choice if you want to combine cardio and strength training, but don’t have room for a lot of equipment. However, it doesn’t track rowing performance metrics such as strokes per minute or split times. If you’re a competitive rower, you’ll want to consider another rowing machine that can better handle traditional rowing workouts.
What is the LIT Method of exercise?
The LIT Method of exercise focuses on low-impact but effective workouts. You won’t run, jump, or perform strength training exercises with heavy barbells and dumbbells. Instead, you’ll focus on bodyweight, resistance band, and pilates training to strengthen your muscles. With the LIT Strength Machine, you’ll also be able to improve your endurance through rowing, a low-impact form of cardio.
