Exercise & Fitness Articles

These exercise machines are related to cardiovascular and aerobic workouts. The equipment listed here allows for more challenges and more variety in your exercise routines. These machines are great for anyone looking to lose weight and improve their overall health.

Some advanced exercising machines include electronic devices that measure your weight before and after you do the exercise, the amount of calories you burned, time elapsed, heart rate, and other useful information. Let?s look at what these machines are and what benefits they provide.

Treadmill:

A treadmill is an exercising device consisting of an endless belt on which a person can walk or jog with or without changing pace . It is supported by a sturdy deck propelled either by an electric motor or by the user. It generally has some shock absorption system, usually rubber cushioning, to minimize stress on your joints.

Using a treadmill will speed up your metabolic rate and allow your body to absorb and utilize greater quantities of the nutrients that you consume. It will also help to stabilize your blood pressure and blood sugar as well as increase your energy level. When using a treadmill to burn fat and lose weight, you need to exercise on a daily basis.

A treadmill helps you burn more calories by increasing your exercise frequency. It gives you a LOT of workout versatility. You can start with a slow walk and then speed it up as your body gets into better shape, and there are also various incline levels to provide extra resistance when you become more advanced. By using the large muscles of the legs, a treadmill helps you burn more fat calories.

Elliptical Trainer:

Elliptical trainers are exercise machines which combine the natural stride of a treadmill and the simplicity of a stair climber. On an Elliptical trainer, you stand comfortably in an upright position while holding onto the machine's handrails and striding in either a forward or reverse motion.

The elliptical trainer burns more calories than either the treadmill or the exercise bike. With an elliptical cross trainer, you get the benefits of both aerobic and resistance exercises without the wear and tear on your joints. It provides a great cardio workout that pumps you heart to the max without the strain and stress on your joints. It uses all of the muscles of the lower leg. Therefore, you will strengthen and build your lower legs. This is an ideal workout for those exercisers out there who are overweight and do not want to jog.

Exercise Bikes:

There are two types of exercise bikes you can use, upright bikes and recumbent bikes. Upright bikes simulate the action of a real bike except you do not go anywhere. Recumbent bikes on the other hand, have bucket seats which have the pedals out in front of you. Exercise bikes are great for cardiovascular fitness and toning or building your thighs. The recumbent bikes are especially good for toning your butt. Being stationary, you can enjoy your favorite magazine or TV program while working out.

For overweight people, the recumbent bike offers bucket seats which can be more comfortable than traditional uprights. This type of bike is more ergonomically correct than a traditional upright exercise bike and an effective way to improve aerobic capacity, as well as burn fat. Plus, it offers more back support and may be a little more comfortable to those people with lower back pain.

Rowers:

There are two types of rowing machines. A hydraulic machine uses a piston to provide the resistance. With a cable-driven machine, your pull spins a flywheel which produces a smooth action similar to rowing on water. The smoothness of the flywheel creates little strain on the back. If handles are not adjusted properly for height differences, hydraulic rowers can create back strain.

Rowing machines provide a whole-body aerobic workout: arms, shoulders, back, abdomen, legs, heart and lungs. It also builds muscle strength and endurance in addition to the aerobic benefits. It improves your whole cardiovascular system with a low impact workout. Other benefits include improved flexibility and muscle strengthening in the arms, abdomen, and back.

Steppers:

Steppers are available as simple hydraulic steppers or as computerized stair steppers. It tones the buttocks, thighs and hips. These are the areas that, paticularly in women, have a tendency to "balloon" from too many calories and not enough exercise. Stair stepper workouts are calorie burners that rank as one of the best cardiovascular exercises for people of all ages and fitness levels.