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Exercise and Fitness EquipmentWhether you want lose weight, maintain your weight, burn fat to improve your fat/muscle ratio or simply improve your fitness level, here are just a few practical tips about buying treadmills and cycles, and steppers fitness equipment for your home gym. Treadmills for Home GymsAn extremely versatile type of exercise equipment, treadmills are perfect for fat-burning and weight loss. They are the best type of cardiovascular equipment and will help you burn lots of calories. They suit all types of fitness levels and can be used for everything from fat burning, walking programs, running to fitness testing. There are many varieties of treadmills, so choose one that suits your needs best. Functions of TreadmillsFor a good solid treadmill, which may cost a bit extra to hire or purchase, go for motorised treadmills. Avoid manual treadmills. They are more difficult to manage. For an easy to use treadmill go for functions that are all located on the front console of the treadmill. Speed Function, Incline Function for which you can use for "hills and intervals", Manual, Hills, Interval Programs and a Fitness Test Program are useful treadmill functions. The Pulse rate Function is optional, but advisable if you are very unfit or have a medical condition. Indoor Cycles for Home GymsLike treadmills, indoor cycles make ideal exercise equipment. Indoor cycles are also great for muscular and cardiovascular fitness, although you'll burn fewer calories on indoor cycles than on treadmills. This cardiovascular machine can also be used for fitness testing, fat burning and general fitness workouts. Semi-recumbent cycles are okay, but indoor upright cycles are my preference. Indoor Upright CyclesLooks just like a stationery exercise bike, similar to a normal bike with a narrow seat. Desirable functions include: Rpms and intensity dial. You can usually purchase or hire these quite cheaply. As the price is normally fairly low it'd be worth your while to find out how much extra it is for an indoor upright cycle with functions and programs. Once again, the Pulse rate Function is optional, but advisable if you are very unfit or have a medical condition. Recumbent and Semi-Recumbent Indoor CyclesHowever, upright bikes that you see in most gyms are not really designed for obese or very overweight people because the seats aren’t wide enough. It can be uncomfortable and bad for the lower back. Recumbent cycles, which have a bucket shaped seat that support the back or semirecumbent bikes, which are half way between upright and laid back are good alternatives. There is no impact from the upper body weight, so we tone the butt and thigh muscles without putting stress on the leg joints. Stationary cycling is easy, requires little or no skill and is useful to include in any weight loss fitness program. Steppers for Home GymsStep aerobics is a high-intensity workout, so it burns lots of calories and body fat. It tones and shapes the lower body, especially the butt, thighs and calves which makes us look leaner. However, steppers are not ideal for beginners, extremely overweight, overweight, low-level fitness or people suffering from lower back pain, heart and or blood pressure conditions.
If you enjoy using steppers and decide to buy one for your home gym, make sure that you adopt the correct posture and technique at all times and are at a sufficiently advanced fitness level. Concentrate on keeping the abdominal contracted while stepping, as this strengthens the abdominal muscles and makes your stomach appear flatter. Exercise Equipment Helps Weight Loss by Burning Calories and Building MuscleJogging/Running on Treadmills - How
Many Calories Does It Burn? Power Walking on Treadmills - How Many
Calories Does It Burn? Cycling on Indoor Cycles - How Many
Calories Does It Burn? Step Aerobics on Steppers - How Many
Calories Does It Burn? All calorie expenditure figures are based on a 150-pound woman. If you weigh more, you’ll burn extra calories; if you weigh less, you’ll burn fewer calories. Return to Diet Home |
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