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Best Cardio Equipment


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Skipping rope is great but if you feel like wasting money I'd say buy a "good" eliptical machine. I think they are much better than stationary bikes(recumbants stink), and you can use them much longer than a treadmill(most people can't run for more than 45minutes or an hour but you can stay on an eliptical machine for a couple hours if you choose to.

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  • 2 months later...
Skipping rope is great but if you feel like wasting money I'd say buy a "good" eliptical machine. I think they are much better than stationary bikes(recumbants stink), and you can use them much longer than a treadmill(most people can't run for more than 45minutes or an hour but you can stay on an eliptical machine for a couple hours if you choose to.

 

Vegan potter - You make a great point there.

 

I recently started working out after 3 years of no workouts at all. Tough to get back from.

 

What I remember about running / cardio etc from back then was that I used to get certain pains in my ankles, my shins muscle (i.e. opp side of my calf) and at times minimal but in the knees.

 

What I realized was that running had a certain amount of impact that I was not used to. So I picked up ellipticals and I found that they were the amazing 'impact-less' combination of running & cycling (the motion as such).

 

I've like them the most and am exclusively Elliptical in my cardio for now.. atleast at the beginning. I am thinking of adding something else to it once my legs are alive again..

 

I am barely 1-2 weeks into an irregular 2 or 3 times a week cardio at the moment.

 

Any thoughts?

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I go for skipping and treadmill. Of course, if you're going to a gym and they have an assortment of torture devices, use 'em all for variety! I like to mix skipping with sets of burpies, and rounds on the heavy bag. No treadmills at my gym, but when I travel, I use the treadmills. For pure cardio, I think they're the best.

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  • 3 months later...
  • 2 weeks later...

Jump rope, pull-up bar and interval timer.

 

Combine double-unders, burpees, bodyweight squats, pushups and pullups into circuits, pyramids, ladders and tabata routines. If you have reasonably heavy dumbbells (30-50# range), you can also add dumbbell thrusters.

 

Tabata intervals (20 seconds intense effort/10 seconds rest -- repeat for 4 minutes) have a profound effect on max VO2, anaerobic capacity and metabolic conditioning.

 

Circuits, pyramids and ladders will improve strength and conditioning and hit almost every muscle group in your body.

 

Some suggestions:

 

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/rossboxing2.htm

 

http://www.rosstraining.com/articles/noexcuses.html

 

http://www.rosstraining.com/articles/deckofcards.html

 

http://www.rosstraining.com/articles/indooroptions.html

 

http://www.rosstraining.com/articles/tabataintervals.html

 

I question veganpotter's suggestion that you spend a couple of hours on an exercise machine (any exercise machine). If you're training for an ultra-endurance sport, that's one thing, but if your goal is improved fitness, you can achieve that with short intense workouts of 30-40 minutes.

 

"Cardio" is a waste of time, from a fitness standpoint: http://www.crossfit.com/journal/library/Foundations.pdf

http://www.crossfit.com/journal/library/23_04_why_fitness.pdf

Edited by heliobates
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I do like jump rope too although I am so damn clumsy that I can't get through too many rotations before getting tangled =)

 

http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFit_BuddyLeeBounceFix1.wmv

 

http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/CrossFit_DoubleUnders2.wmv

 

http://media.crossfit.com/cf-video/doubleunders.wmv

 

Treat your jump rope sessions as skill workouts at first.

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  • 6 months later...

jump rope jump rope jump rope

 

no one piece of equipment has done more for me. You can increase the intensity (jump faster, longer, double unders, triple unders, etc)

 

jump rope!

 

A rowing machine would be nice.. but would cost a few hundred times more

 

Go with the jump rope, even if you buy something expensive to go along with it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

For me I love the Stair Master, it is a great why to do intervals. I used to use the elliptical but too much bounce for me. I am protecting my assets lol

 

Treadmills yuck, I don't run, and walking just isn't comfortable on a belt, I would rather power walk outdoors. Another good cardio machine for me is a Spinning bike.

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For me I love the Stair Master, it is a great why to do intervals

 

Uggggggh, I hate that damn machine, even to look at it nauseates me. It seems like one of the most beneficial pieces of equip in the gym for cardio/resistance and all the hardcores are on it but I just cannot bring myself to get on the 'revolving staircase'!

 

Anyhow, after seeing your legs, I just may have to change my ways!

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I'm a fan too but only if they're good ones. An affordable home version would be unpleasant to use but a gym quality stairmaster would be awesome to have at home.

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For me I love the Stair Master, it is a great why to do intervals

 

Uggggggh, I hate that damn machine, even to look at it nauseates me. It seems like one of the most beneficial pieces of equip in the gym for cardio/resistance and all the hardcores are on it but I just cannot bring myself to get on the 'revolving staircase'!

 

Anyhow, after seeing your legs, I just may have to change my ways!

 

 

LMAO Cute!

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I've used them and I just couldn't get used to it. Its fun but I always had to pay attention to what I was doing...not fun for such a repetitive movement.

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