The clichéd image of a miserable person trudging away on an elliptical machine has become a cliché for a reason: it’s what most of us associate with exercise, and what lots of gym bunnies find themselves doing. Just a boring activity that brings up your heart rate enough to huff and puff away at the machine while staring vacantly into space.
Even if you don’t mind being a bit bored, there are other reasons to hate cardio: sweating endlessly, ruining your hair and makeup only to see the scales budge a minuscule amount. Furthermore, some cardio machines can be inconvenient since you need to work out for at least thirty-five minutes to see results, and, ultimately, you may not have the time to do that on a daily basis.
Well, the good news is that there are a lot of cardio machines on the market today that offer both variety and the promise to bring you great results. The treadmill is a thing of the past. So, if you thought you truly despised cardio, here are a few ideas that will change your mind and motivate you to take better care of yourself.
Elliptical Trainer
This machine is a classic, but, unfortunately, has been overlooked for some reason. If, however, you are a devotee of the treadmill, but need something with a bit of “spice” that won’t bore you as much, then the elliptical provides an excellent workout. It mimics the idea of climbing or hiking, but without too much strain. In fact, an elliptical can train your body in a way similar to treadmills, but it’s gentler on your muscles. Also, you really only need to work at it for twenty minutes at a time to see a result, in the long run, making it a lot easier to fit into your schedule.
An elliptical further allows you to switch directions to work on different muscles, thus offering more toning possibilities while reducing the risk of injury.
Exercise Bike
This is another tried-and-true classic, and while it might seem rather boring at first, hear us out! There are a lot of models nowadays that offer more than simply putting your foot to the pedal and cycling until your legs give out. There are different options to adjust the tension to make things as pain-free or “exciting” as you like. You can read up on a whole lot of reviews for different exercise bikes online, to see which model suits you best. No matter what you choose though, it’s definitely not going to be as boring as a treadmill, and it’ll be gentler on your joints.
With an exercise bike, you can burn anywhere between two hundred to three hundred calories per half-hour, which is a pretty decent deal all things considered. Plus, it will strengthen core muscles while being gentle on the knees and will tone your legs better than any other workout.
Besides, we all know that the best exercise machines are those that offer the satisfaction of being outdoors without dealing with a terrible commute, inclement weather, or uneven bike lanes that can lead to injury.
Rowing Machine
Speaking of the beauty of pretending to be outdoors while never leaving the comfort of your home or local gym, rowing machines offer an amazing workout while being super convenient.
While this machine might not look terribly dynamic at first since it seems to focus primarily on upper body strength, a lot of the power in the movement comes from your glutes and legs. In fact, the rowing machine offers a wonderful low-impact exercise without exacerbating injuries. Also, it works best if you create a routine with interval training, warming up for ten minutes at a low-impact speed, followed by one minute of high impact, repeating as desired. This makes it a much more forgiving machine to use for your body, while also ensuring that you get a good workout in twenty minutes’ time.
Airdyne
This is a lesser-known machine, although you may have seen it at some gyms since it is increasing in popularity. Essentially, an airdyne is a “standing” bike with moving handles, which combines the best functions of a stationary bike and elliptical machine, allowing you to burn a ton of calories since the harder you pedal, the more resistance you encounter.
The airdyne has gained a cult-like following in the fitness community, with gurus sharing some intense workouts they’ve created specifically for use on this machine. But of course, beginners might want to take things a bit slower and work their way towards an intense workout. You can start by some interval training to get your heart rate going, building resistance over time.
Spinning
Spinning is a particularly hard to define. Yes, using an exercise bike of some kind is at the core of this practice, which is growing in popularity. But it is much more than that. While you can conceivably do it alone at home, spinning is basically a group-oriented exercise that works better in that context, with pounding music and someone leading the way. That way, you’re given plenty of motivation to stick to it, and you have others holding you accountable.
While spinning can indeed hurt quite a bit, you can also have a great time doing it provided that you have an excellent instructor and the stamina required to stick through a class. Definitely, don’t do this if you’re prone to injuries or are just starting to delve into the fitness world. Bearing that in mind, with enough commitment, spinning is definitely an amazing, not-at-all-boring exercise that will melt away extra pounds in no time.
In the end, while there will always be two separate camps in the fitness world—those who extol the virtues of weight lifting as opposed to cardio training, and vice versa—it can be safely said that the latter is usually the way to go if you need to get your heart rate up and lose some weight. Furthermore, you just need to find the right equipment for you so that you don’t push yourself too much or cause any injuries. Luckily, there are plenty of options these days with cool exercise machines on the market.
