Cardio Exercise Equipment Reviewed So You Can Determine The Best Cardio Exercise Equipment For Your Situation
Cardio exercise equipment is supposed to be the best for fat loss right?
Certain cardio exercise equipment is better than other cardio equipment, right? The answer to the first question is a big NO and the answer to the second question is - not necessarily.
Now to explain.
Through different articles in magazines, or on infomercials on T.V., we've all been led to believe that to achieve weight loss, all you have to do is regular aerobic exercise on almost any type of cardio equipment. There's so much more to it than that.
You must lift weights and have a good weight-training program included in your over-all fitness plan. Muscle is metabolically active tissue. Fat is not. You can use your fat cells as an energy source.
Fat however does not use any energy.
Your muscles will use a lot of energy. This is why the more lean muscle you have, the more fat you'll burn.
You do have to at least maintain - and preferably increase - your lean muscle mass.
You must be able to monitor and control your cardiovascular intensity to maximize the number of calories you burn. If the aerobic exercise you do each day on your favorite cardio exercise equipment isn't supplemented with weights, to at least maintain muscle mass, you cannot efficiently speed up the fat loss process.
Each pound of lean muscle tissue burns 35-50 calories a day while your body is at rest. But body fat is not metabolically active, so little to no fat is burned for each pound of body fat.
Weight training is crucial in any fitness program. But that doesn't mean that you should avoid cardio exercise. You need both!
But what cardio equipment is the best?
Cardio equipment comes in so many different forms, including:
Manual treadmills
Motorized treadmills
Stair-climbers
Steppers
Elliptical trainers
Cross-trainers
Aerobic conditioners
Upright stationary bikes
Recumbent stationary bikes
Pilates equipment
Rowing machines
Various types and brands of home gyms
We personally love the elliptical trainers. This type of cardio exercise equipment has the ability to work the major muscle groups in both your upper and lower body at the same time. No other cardio exercise equipment can do this in the same way elliptical trainers can.
More muscle groups being used at the same time means that more fat energy is being used up. Unfortunately most people do not use the elliptical trainers properly.
We see it on a daily basis where someone is on a piece of cardio exercise equipment like this - resting their arms on the top of the machine or not using their back, bicep, etc. muscles during the pulling motion or not using their chest, triceps and shoulder muscles during the pushing motion.
It's like this, if you're going to be using cardio equipment like an elliptical trainer, shouldn't you be using it in order to see results? Otherwise, what's the point?
Well, by now you probably realize the importance of elevating metabolism and increasing calorie burn. The more lean muscle you have, the more calories your body will burn.
But guess what?
In order to have the greatest advantage, you have to include repeated aerobic activity in your approach to weight loss. But, if you're performing it on the wrong machine, you're missing out.
Most cardio exercise equipment is very expensive, the good ones that is. This is truly a case of "you get what you pay for".
If you are looking to buy some good cardio exercise equipment for your home or even your office you may face many problems, including:
Where should you buy one?
What brand or model?
How much money should you spend? And so on.
If you're going to buy any cardio equipment the first step is determining the price you're willing to pay. When it comes to good quality be prepared to pay quite a lot.
If you get something cheap you'll have more problems than you could ever imagine. From my experience, they are useless! Stay away from them at all costs.
I know you may want to get one because of the price, but don't. You will regret it later on. If you can't afford a decent one I'd suggest joining a gym or even running outside.
The good ones on the other hand, will last for a very long time and are usually problem-free.
Now the best place to buy your cardio exercise equipment is online.
Online fitness equipment stores carry a much more extensive line of high quality cardio equipment;
You have an easier time picking something with the features you want, not one that a salesperson is trying to sell you;
The warranties are more extensive and impressive than what you'll find in most fitness equipment stores;
They usually sell factory-direct, which means BIG savings for you;
They have payment plans; which makes it even more affordable for you. Isn't it a lot better to pay $60.00 a month (or so) instead of having to come up a couple thousand dollars all at once?
The cardio equipment you use is only part of the puzzle. You need to be able to effectively use your cardio equipment along with weight training, nutrition and motivation properly and consistently in order to reach your goals.
Do you currently, or have you ever, used the type of exercise equipment mentioned on this page? What has been your experience with this type of equipment? What exercise equipment do you like the best or like the least? Tell us why you feel this way.
Or do you have some good information that we may have missed? Share your story and let others know what equipment to avoid or to invest in!
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Elliptical Trainer Exercise Equipment
I used this type of exercise equipment at my gym. When I got off the elliptical trainer one day, I walked about 15 yards and went to step down on my right ...