Exercise Equipment

[AladainAF]

I didn't see a thread about this, so wanted to start.

I'm looking to pick up an elliptical for the house. I've been told that I should only get a life fitness or precor one though. I am wondering if anyone has any experience with any ellipticals? The one I had at my old gym at work that I used a lot was a precor one (EFX556), which I did like. Just wondering what other recommendations are out there.

Would prefer that it have the pulse/heart rate monitor, of course. I'm sure most of them do now though.

[kegkilla]

why an eliptical man? those are for chicks to work their ass and legs.

[Darus Grey]

Because ellipticals are pretty much the best cardio you can get?

The fact that they're no impact means you can train your heart above what your legs allow.

Plus, if you're already fairly over-weight, ellipticals and swimming are only options that won't gonna hurt your joints significantly.

I own an Elliptical Cross-Trainers : Life Fitness : Home and would recommend any of that line.

The most important factor in choosing an elliptical is how it "feels" to you. Well I'm sure the precors are fine when I tried like 40 different model across several brandss, many just didn't "feel" right, like it was just 1/10th an inch off on the ellipse or something, and went with the LF because it was the most comfortable.

[Cynno]

Elliptical is not the best cardio.

You want the best cardio, get one of those awesome pools that constantly push against you and swim against the current.

Hell, even rowing is a better cardio workout.

That's my opinion anyway, although someone could go get the definition of Cardio, which is something like 70% of your max heart rate and say that as long as you sustain that heart rate for 15 minutes+ it's a good cardio workout.

Get a row machine, much cheaper and a great workout for your back and arms.

[Zuuljin]

Just get a gym membership. Lots of different machines, it gets you out of the house, and your more likely to complete your workout with less distractions than around the home.

[Ronne]

Yea if there is a gym anywhere near you stick to that. You'd be surprised how fast home equipment collects dust.

[Jabberwhacky]

What's a good heart-rate monitor to use?

[Darus Grey]

You want the best cardio, get one of those awesome pools that constantly push against you and swim against the current.

I mentioned swimming, it just isn't practical for most people, and most those resistance pools are shit(I went through a couple before I just gave up on the idea).

I meant my comment in the context of something you'd use in your home.

Rowing isn't bad either but I wouldn't say it's generally better.

[Kuriin]

Originally Posted by kegkilla

why an eliptical man? those are for chicks to work their ass and legs.

Even if it was sarcasm, it was a retarded comment. Sorry.


Best cardio = Swimming

If you're at home, though, get an elliptical; it works your calves, glutes, and quadriceps.


edit: Rowing is good, but it works your upper body and arms. While, yes, elliptical only works your lower body, you can still add weights to your wrists and such to do your arms (not to mention, upper body is easier to work)

[Grooverider]

Best cardio for fat loss is definitely not swimming. Something to do with the temperature of the water or something I remember reading.

I put my vote on a hard stepping machine, nothing kicks my ass harder..

[Kuriin]

Calorie burning

Step machine: This is no slacker in the calorie burning stakes. A 63kg (10 stone) woman can burn 572 calories in an hour. If possible, use your arms rather than holding the handles - or at least don't slouch. 4/5

Elliptical trainer: Unlike the step machine, this targets the upper and lower body equally. More calories are burned on the elliptical trainer than on the treadmill or stationary cycle. 5/5

Healthy joints

SM: It sometimes gets a bad press with regard to knees, but research on injured athletes shows that the use of a step machine as an alternative to cycling for knee rehabilitation has no harmful effect. 3/5

ET: While there is some impact in stepping, there is almost none in elliptical training, as the feet stay in contact with the pads throughout the movement. The use of the upper body also keeps joints mobile. 4/5

Aerobic fitness

SM:Great for cardiovascular fitness. One California State University study found that runners who only stepped for nine weeks improved their performance as much as those who continued to run. 5/5

ET: An excellent aerobic workout. Research shows that 12 weeks of training, three days a week, improves oxygen uptake by an average of 2.7ml/kg/min (average uptake for a woman is 38ml/kg/min). 5/5

Toned bottom

SM:When used with good technique, the step machine is fantastic for firming your buttocks and working your hip extensors hard. The deeper your steps, the greater the butt-firming effect. 5/5

ET:The elliptical trainer works the thighs, hips and bottom, but some research suggests there is less emphasis on the bottom muscles and more emphasis on the front of the thighs. 5/5

I still prefer ellipticals, but they both have their uses. When you up the resistance on an elliptical, it starts to become more useful, though.

[column]

Personally I like the Schwinn Airdyne. Almost all pro fighters use them now.Its just an all around wonderful way to burn and tone upper and lower at the same time. Its also awesome when it comes to joint support.You control the resistance since its a fan with the added benefit of cooling you off.Only drawback is its noisy.

Schwinn Airdyne is not Stationary bike per se, its in its own class of excercise equipment.

[Abysmal]

don't start a "best" cardio argument because it's moot. all cardio is as hard as you make it. an elliptical can be just as tough if you turn the resistance all the way up or increase the incline if it has that feature. anyway, that isn't the point. the point is that an elliptical is a great machine to start with for people who generally do not like cardio. people who hate treadmills or even bikes love elliptical machines. as has already been said, it's also very low impact.

i've used precor and life fitness, and both are great.

[Zuuljin]

As far as cardio, I never really liked the elliptical. Its either too easy and the machine spins itself due to the momentum of you just shifting your weight back and forth, and if you turn up the resistance or incline, it just feels like a leg workout. I never went out of breath or even broke a sweat using those things, but they did give my legs quite a workout. If you want great legs and a nice ass, go with it, but I never really felt like it was a great calorie burner.

IMO the treadmill, or just running outside gives me the best all around workout, but as with most things, everybody's different.

[Tolanin]

minute for minute ive found using a bike is about as good as jogging, if you have any sort of joint problems or are overweight i really would recommend swimming or finding a machine that doesnt stress your joints, cause you arent gonna do shit if you gotta stop after two weeks cause it hurts.