Cardio Machines: The Ones That Work
Cardio… we all hate it, but in order to burn fat, we have to do it.
When I go to the gym, there are three cardio machines that I swear by: the treadmill, the elliptical machine and the stair-stepper.
Each of these three cardio machines help to burn fat, assuming you use them properly. I choose which machine I will use based upon how my body feels. For example, if I can't take hard impact that day (because my knees or shins hurt), I will stay away from the treadmill and will use the elliptical. Or if I have a ton of energy and want to run, I will use the treadmill.
It is important to note that you must use each machine efficiently to get the benefits of it.
The treadmill:
The treadmill brings running outside, indoors (thank goodness). Sometimes I wonder how I ever played soccer since I hate running outside. At any rate, on the treadmill I will use one of two methods to burn fat:
1. I use the walk/run method. With this, I will run for two minutes, walk for one minute, run for two minutes, walk for one minute and so on. This helps to increase your heart rate and burn fat. I usually perform this workout when I have an abundance of energy and just want to run. Because I have short legs, my running speed may not be as high as someone that has long legs, but I usually run at 5.5-6 speed, then bring it down to 3.2-3.5 walk speed.
2. The other workout I do on the treadmill is speed walk and then increase to an incline. I will speed walk at 3.5-4 speed and constantly increase the incline, eventually getting up to the highest incline it will go. (Yes, I am one of those crazy people that holds onto their treadmill for dear life.) This exercise really gets my heart rate up and drenches me in sweat. It's also better to speed walk (instead of run) for those people with heart conditions. It's less stress on the heart.
The Elliptical:
The second machine I use at the gym is the elliptical. This machine is extremely controversial as a lot of people believe it doesn't actually do anything. And those people are right, in a way.
In order to get the benefits from the elliptical machine, you need to do one of two things: increase the incline or increase the resistance. The standard setting the elliptical machine is usually set on an incline of 10 and a resistance of 0. While the 10 incline seems like a lot, it's not. So, when I use the elliptical machine, I increase the incline to the highest that it can go, mine is 20. Or I will drop the incline back down to 10 and increase the resistance to as much as I can possibly take.
The Stair-Stepper:
Of all three machines, the stair-stepper is by far the most difficult and burns the most fat. However, the BIGGEST mistake gym-goers make is that they place too much of their body on the rails. NO. If you use the stair-stepper at a steady rate and rest your hands on the rails, your entire body will get more of a workout then those who increase the speed and practically lay on the rails. It kills me to see people laying on the rails. Absolutely kills me.
With all of the cardio machines, I will do, at the very least, 30 minutes. On my off days, I usually still go to the gym and just do cardio; I will do 45 minutes to an hour.
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