Buy the best fitness equipment for your home workouts

With so much cardiovascular equipment on the market, it can be difficult to determine which the best match for you is. Do you choose the machine that’s supposed to get you the fittest or the one that’s supposed to burn the most calories? Many experts will agree that the best fitness equipment is one that you’re going to use – but how do you know which feels right?

• Treadmill : You’ll find that the treadmill burns the most calories of any cardio machine – you can expect to burn around 100 calories for every 1.5km, walking briskly. You can adjust the settings to suit your fitness level, even as it evolves and changes. If you’re overweight or have joint pain, however, you might find it a little challenging.
• Ellipticals & Stair Steppers : These machines pack a little less punch on our joints, making them a viable alternative to the treadmill. As you use them in a standing position, you’re still using a lot of muscle mass so the calorie burn rate is fairly high. Ellipticals with arms can further increase the number of calories you burn, but if you’re a beginner just stick with the legs.
• Exercise Bikes : Many experts agree that bikes have the least impact on our joints, which is great for those suffering from joint pain (particularly in the knees). You need to ensure that you have adjusted the bike to suit your body, however – when sitting with the ball of your foot on the pedal, there should only be a very slight bend in the knee.
• Rowing Machines : Don’t be fooled into thinking that these machines only workout the upper body – they’re actually far more advanced. Because they use so many muscle groups, rowers burn a lot of calories – you must push with your legs whilst pulling with your arms, so coordination is also required. If you’re unfit, however, you may find the movement uncomfortable.

At the end of the day, it’s important that you choose a machine that feels right. If impact is a problem, for example, perhaps you’d be better off with an exercise bike instead of a treadmill. It’s not so much about the machine as the relationship between the body and the machine – if something hurts and you cannot modify the machine or your body so that it doesn’t, then it’s not right for you.

The basic rule of thumb is that the machine that exercises the greatest muscle mass burns the most calories. There’s a flipside to this, however – if you’re a beginner, using more muscle means that you’ll become fatigued sooner, which will result in fewer calories burned. When choosing the best fitness equipment, it’s important to keep all of these things in mind.