By Cheryl Conway

Burn calories, improve cardiovascular fitness and tone major muscles with this new indoor rowing workout offered at NitroFlex Gym in Chester.

Launched on Sept. 5, NitroRow is the first studio of its kind offering a different kind of workout while keeping up with today’s fitness industry. Easy to learn and designed for all ages, NitroRow is an ideal workout that combines both strength training and cardio in one session.  

“Working out on a rowing machine is a great way to burn calories, improve your cardiovascular fitness and tone up many of your major muscles,” says Steve Tylee, owner of NitroFlex Gym. “Old, young, good knees or bad, indoor rowing is a low-impact exercise that is easy on the joints, anyone can do it. 

“Rowing is easy to learn,” says Tylee. “The basics of indoor rowing can be learned in 10 minutes or less.”

What is great about NitroRow is the exercise of rowing “uses your full body,” he says. “When it comes to indoor rowing, the question isn’t which muscles are used, but which muscles aren’t used? From your shoulders to your chest to your back and biceps and triceps, your entire upper body is used. On the lower body, everything from your hamstrings to your quads to your glutes and your calves are engaged when rowing. And don’t forget the core! Your full torso, including your abs and erector spinae (back) are used to power through the rowing motion. It is functional fitness at its best!
“Its strength and cardio in one!” he says. “The reason why the calorie burn is so high, 300 -500 calories in 35 minutes, is because rowing requires you to use both strength and cardio endurance at once.”

Tylee and his trainers recommend two or three classes of NitroRow a week. Those who have taken the class so far have enjoyed the class especially how the time seems to just “row” by.

“All of the class participants say the same thing, the 35 minutes flies by because it`s so much fun!” says Tylee.

NitroRow Is Born

Like spinning, rowing has gone from a competitive outdoor sport to one of the growing new trends in group exercise, explains Tylee.

“Indoor rowing is the perfect exercise for people of all body types and fitness levels, from beginners to professional athletes,” he says. “Rowing is the new spin.”

Always keeping a close eye on the trends within the fitness industry, Tylee noticed the emergence of this phenomenon in New York City and Los Angeles, Calif.

“These trendy city studios were using Concept 2 rowers or Water rowers, equipment that’s been around for a number of years now,” says Tylee.

During a meeting with a sales rep from Technogym, Tylee learned of a brand-new product it was launching- a Wi-Fi connected rowing machine called the SkillRow.

Technogym had teamed up with Olympic athletes to create a product for dry land training that has all the benefits of authentic rowing, he explains.

“It’s the closest thing to actually rowing on the water and the first indoor rowing machine capable of improving anaerobic power, aerobic capacity and neuromuscular abilities in a single solution,” says Tylee. “If the Concept 2 rowers were like the flip phone of rowers…. the Skillmill was the IPhone 10.”

Deciding to be proactive, Tylee visited Technogym’s corporate offices in Fairfield to try out this new rowing machine and “he knew the moment he sat on it and started rowing, this was going to be a game changer,” according to a press release from NitroFlex.  “Fast forward one and a half years and NitroRow opened its doors.”

NitroRow is the first studio of its kind in the U.S.

“We pride ourselves on being a small-town gym, providing big city amenities,” he says.

The NitroRow studio is a sight to see with its red brick walls, large skylights, steel columns, stylish wood plank floor and two 8-foot ceiling fans to keep cool during each session. Two huge 85-inch TV screens show users real-time data on class participants.

The group indoor rowing class consists of 12 rowers plus one for the instructor. Each class lasts 35 minutes and consists of varying intensity levels set by the instructor.

“The class is interactive and participants follow the rowing pace set by the class instructor,” he says.

“The large screen TVs display an overview of the whole class, showing individual changes in intensity by color providing motivation,” says Tylee. “Class participants get the chance to row together in total synchronicity as a real crew, following the set pace and monitoring their biometrics. A NitroRow class gives new energy to the entire studio, bringing class participants together for competitions, races and keeping them on track towards their individual fitness goals.”

The NitroRow studio currently runs seven classes a week including weekends. Visit  www.nitrorow.com for the class schedule and class package options;  or call NitroFlex Gym at 908-879-1006 for more information.

Participants of the rowing class do not need to be members of NitroFlex Gym to buy rowing class packages.

“Anyone can come and experience the thrill of an indoor group rowing class at NitroRow,” says Tylee. “We want everyone in the community to come try out a class, have fun and get fit at the same time.”

For the Open House on Nov. 3, “Tell family and friends to come along and try out this amazing new class!”

Also check out its Facebook page for updates and information.

Tylee has been in the health and fitness industry for more than 30 years. He currently owns Nitroflex Gym in Chester which has been opened since May of 2014, providing cutting-edge fitness equipment, group fitness classes, personal and group training.  He also owns NitroFit Gym in Cedar Knolls since its opening in 2008.

Visit at www.nitroflexgym.com or www.nitrofitgym.com for more information.

Outside the gym, Tylee is a former competitive bodybuilder who has won the Mr. England title three times; placed third in the Mr. Universe competition and fourth in the World Championships. Tylee, an engineer by trade, also has two patents for exercise equipment that he has invented.