Okay so you are trying to lose weight. You have a gym membership and you spend an hour there every couple of days. You want to make sure your time there is producing results. So which piece of gym equipment is the best for losing weight? It’s a good question.
The treadmill vs the other options
When it comes to weight loss most women just choose the treadmill. They spend hours upon hours running on the spot in the hope that it will burn their glutes and thighs and get rid of those tuck shop wobble underarms.
How would you feel if I told you that the treadmill might not be the most effective way to burn fat? Would you be disappointed for all those lost hours? Well don’t be. You should be excited as now you know there is a more effective way.
And that is the truth, there is a better option. The treadmill is not the best way.
Two rules for choosing weight loss equipment
When it comes to weight loss exercises there are a couple of simple rules that you need to remember.
- The harder the better
The harder the exercise is, the more intense it is, the higher up it gets your heart rate – the better it is for weight loss. That’s right, 99 times out of a 100 the intense cardio will burn more fat than a slow paced alternative. - The more muscles the better
When you are trying to choose a good weight loss exercise it is a good idea to choose one that involved a lot of muscle. For example, kickboxing uses your legs, knees, elbows, hands and so on and as such it will burn more calories than just running with your legs.
With these two simple rules in mind we will move on to looking at what piece of gym equipment is the best for losing weight.
What is the best equipment at the gym for losing weight?
I will go through the more popular pieces of weight loss equipment at the gym and talk about their pros and cons. At the end I will tell you which on is the best of all.
1. The elliptical trainer
Elliptical trainers meet one important requirement; they use a lot of muscles. You don’t just move your legs, you also move your arms in order to make it move around.
But one question we need to ask ourselves – is it hard? Is the elliptical trainer all that intense? Not really. The main reason the elliptical has become so popular is because it is so low impact. It is easy on the knees. But when something is easy on the knees it is usually not very intense and as such not that fantastic for weight loss.
2. The rowing machine
Rowing machines are one of the best pieces of equipment at the gym. They give you a full body workout, and, unlike most other pieces of equipment, they use the large muscle like your back, abs and legs in every single stroke. I am often shocked at how rare it is to see people using the rowing machine at the gym.
This machine is also fantastic because the movement is based around the upper body instead of your legs.
3. The stair climber
The stair climber is a challenge. Every time you step on this machine your lower body gets punished, and, if you do it right, you will be feeling the pain for many days to come. So it meets our first requirement of being intense.
But does it use lots of muscles? That depends. Some stair climbers use the arms and other do not. If your gym has one that requires you to use your hands then yes, it meets all of our requirements for being a fantastic weight loss exercise.
Conclusion
The truth is there is not one best piece of equipment. It depends how you use them and how much work you put in. However, if you forced me to choose just one I would probably choose the rowing machine. It is a fully body cardio workout that will really kick your butt.
Can A Workout Guide Help Guide You In The Right Direction?
You’ve decided to start working out. However, when you look into the best types of exercise to suit your purpose, you’re faced with an overwhelming plethora of choices! Do you join a gym, do aerobics or just start jogging around the block every day?
Different types of exercises suit different people and different weight loss / fitness goals. You also need to factor in things like – what type of exercise do you most enjoy doing. Or to put it another way – what type of exercise is going to be sustainable for you in the long term. There is no point deciding to take up running if you hate running or have health issues that would make running unfeasible. Likewise, joining a gym is out if you can’t afford the membership fees or there isn’t one convenient for you.
The Walking Workout – Walking Your Way To Better Fitness
One of the most convenient, easiest and popular ways to exercise is walking. Walking is an excellent form of exercise and suits pretty much every level of fitness. Additionally, nearly everyone can fit some walk time into their daily routine, even if it’s just walking the dog on a daily basis. It’s relatively easy to find an exercise partner to go walking with you, which provides added incentive to keep doing it. As you get fitter, you can increase the distance and intensity at which you walk too.
Aerobics – A Great Fitness Workout Option
Another very popular type of exercise, especially for women, is aerobics. In some countries, free or cheap council-run aerobics classes are a popular alternative to joining an aerobics club. If you think aerobics might be something you’d like to try, be sure to get hold of an aerobics for fitness guide. This will show you how the various types of exercises will benefit you and importantly, how to do them correctly.
Joining A Gym To Work Out
Yet another option is joining a fitness center or a gym. This gives you the option of having a variety of workout programs and equipment available to suit. Most also have trainers who can help you plan an appropriate workout and answer any questions. When choosing a fitness center, there are a couple of things to bear in mind. Good service is essential and well-maintained equipment of paramount importance. Exercise equipment in good condition and maintained correctly doesn’t generally squeak, rattle or make a lot of noise when used!
The Ultimate Convenience – Working Out At Home
You may even decide to purchase your own exercise equipment to set up at home. That’s the ultimate in convenience! However, it is an expensive outlay so be sure to select the best equipment for losing weight the way you want to lose it. If you don’t plan to do much strength training, don’t go overboard buying a ton of strength building equipment.
Choose The Right Exercises With A Workout Guide
Regardless of the type of exercise you choose, most workout guides advise you to start out the same way. Begin with a low level of intensity then build up to higher levels of intensity as your strength and fitness improves. If you start out by doing too much too soon you’ll run the risk of injuring yourself, possibly seriously. Also, bear in mind that depending on the type of exercise being done, workout guides written for women may differ from those for men simply because of differences in muscle bulk and strength.