Exercise and Fitness Equipment
Whether 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 Gyms
An 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 Treadmills
For 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 Gyms
Like 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 Cycles
Looks 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 Cycles
However, 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 Gyms
Step 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.
- Your heart rate can be raised too high without making much of an effort.
- It can be quite difficult to use when starting out and can be demotivating.
- Taking large steps can affect lower backs and induce lower back pain.
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.