Cardiovascular Exercise Equipment

Cardio equipment in and out of the gym is a benefit to all because you can burn more calories in one work out and you have so many different options to choose from. You can increase the intensity of your work out, choose whether to use incline or walk on a flat surface, and set the pace and resistance. In today’s market you do have many machines to choose from, elliptical, stair-stepper, and treadmill. Whichever you choose make sure that it is designed to fit you and your needs.

How to Use Them

Always familiarize yourself with your equipment regardless of what type of equipment you are using. Use these machines to your advantage and allow your intensity level to gradually increase as you gain stamina, resilience and endurance.

Elliptical Trainer

• Pay attention to your foot placement on the pedals, insure that they are secure, your posture is good and you are comfortable.

• Maintain a stride length and resistance that is comfortable to you, this insures you stick with the workout

• Lightly grasp the handles, don’t squeeze or cause extra tension. Leaning or bearing your weight on the handles is a big no-no. Doing so only decreases the intensity of your work out.

• When you first start to work out on the Elliptical, you will only be able to do it for a few minutes; there is no shame in this. This is a high endurance cardio work out so start off lightly and you are more likely to stick with it.

Treadmill

• Most treadmills have the same functions; preset or manual, start and stop, speed and incline adjustments, and body information input.

• Start slow and find a comfortable pace, use your hand rails at first but as your comfort increases let them go and start pumping your arms to experience more weight loss during your workout.

• Select a program, don’t be afraid to switch it up, but find what you like and get comfortable in your cardio routine.

• Do not hold on, it will decrease the amount of calories burned.

• Use the incline. Resistance burns calories.

Stair Stepper

• Scoot your feet frontward and backward on the pedal, finding what makes you most comfortable and dependent on what part of your leg you want to work the most.

• Raise your legs and arms as coordinated movements with the machine.

At Home and In the Gym

No matter what location you are in the physics of using these machines are the same. You always want to keep these key factors in mind when working on machine equipment: resistance, pace, foot direction, and body position. If you are uncomfortable then something isn’t right and you should re-position yourself until you are. Increase incline and resistance if you are looking to burn more calories on any machine. You should also take advantages of the many different workout programs that your equipment offers.

• At home learn your machine and be aware of its safety functions. Insure that you are up-to-date on maintenance as well.

• In a gym you will be trained on how to use the equipment safely. Wipe off the equipment before and after for health precautions.

• Key tip: Don’t lean your body weight onto the machines or use them as support. This will decrease the effectiveness of your workout.

Size and Prices of Equipment

Elliptical Trainer

• Brand new this machine will run you $999.99 to $2,000.00, but you get a bang for your buck. These are large in size so you will need an unoccupied space to keep it in, or a decent size corner in your work out space.

• Sizes vary

Stair Stepper

• Brand new this machine will cost you $1,024.00 to $5,000.00. These are not portable machines but surprisingly don’t take up a lot of space. You can easily fit it in a corner.

• Sizes range from mini-full size.

Treadmill

• Brand new this machine will cost you anywhere from $300.00-$3,500.00.

• Storage is one of the best things when using a Treadmill, the majority of these machines can fold down and slide up under your bed or in your storage space.