Gym Fitness Equipments

Have you ever wondered what piece of cardio equipment to use? The answer to that question differs depending on the physical goals and abilities of the the individual. A good answer to this question is that the ideal piece equipment the one that provides the most rewards while minimizing the risks.

Whats the first thing that pops in your head when someone mentions the word workout? The first thing that comes to my mind is big heavy iron plates thrown about with ease; by huge men in shirts that look to small for them. The second thing is the treadmill! The treadmill has been used and abused for many years. It is an excellent machine to help melt the fat from your body, if you can handle the high impact jarring of your back and joints. Severely obese people and those with certain physical limitations will have an extremely tough time using this piece of equipment. A slow walk at 0% incline would probably lead to a minimum of safety and pain issues; but would also lead to minimum progress towards your goals. After all, the main goal of a cardio workout is to get your heart rate up and maintain it for a desired amount of time.

There are two ways to increase the efficiency of working on a treadmill. One is by increasing the rate of speed at which the exercise is done at. You can start by jogging or running. Jogging and running are very potent exercises when it comes to calorie burning; but both of them put a great deal stress on the knees and lower back. The unconditioned, injured and severely obese should use caution when running or jogging because it is extremely hard on the joints, bones and connective tissue. Secondly, treadmill work can be increased in intensity by increasing the percentage of grade the machine is set at. This becomes the equivalent of walking up hills or mountains outside. Incline treadmill walking is an effective calorie and fat burner but it can be problematic for people with lower back, knee or foot issues. As you can see the treadmill has its positives and negatives. Using this as your main type of cardio will depend on any limiting factors due to injuries and initial endurance levels you have.

Stationary bikes are another common piece of cardio equipmant being used at gyms today. Stationary cycling has the same pros and cons as riding a bike outside (with the exception of crashing!). I believe cycling is more beneficial than jogging and running because you can burn a lot of calories without the high impact pounding to the knees and back that you get from jogging and running. To a lesser degree however; there is some stress to the knees and back that is generated by intense cycling also.

I highly recommend elliptical machines for cardio work, due to their non-impact nature and large range of motion. You can vary the ramp, resistance and speed to target the largest lower body muscles without straining the spine or joints. It is possible to really crank up the intensity level of your training with very low risk of injury. In my opinion the elliptical machine is by far the safest and most versatile piece of cardio equipment out there. That being said; get out there and get fit!.

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