Before you decide which machine to go on or what exercise to do in the gym you need to know your goals and what exactly you want from the gym. This article has been designed to help somebody who is starting out trying to lose weight by joining the gym.

Firstly I need you to understand that your body naturally chooses the way it utilises energy through a number of factors, the major factor you need to know is high intensity exercise makes your body turn to faster methods of using energy, and this means sugars (carbohydrates) get utilised instead of fats. To burn fats more efficiently you need to be doing your training aerobically, (the age old test is to try and hold a conversation whilst doing your exercise, and if you find this difficult it is a good indicator that you?re probably trying too hard).

Training at a lower intensity for longer is better than training at a higher intensity for a short period of time, remember this and pace yourself in the gym for an optimum workout.

Although training in this energy zone will improve your fitness I advise against letting your heart rate rise above 160 beats per minute and to try and stay in the 140 ? 160 heart rate zones. You can measure your heart rate a number of ways, some machines have built in heart rate monitors, you can purchase a heart rate monitor from a store (good ones can count calories burnt). I suggest the Polar range of heart rate monitors I personally haven?t been let down yet by this range. You can also measure your heart rate manually, but you may find this difficult whilst trying to exercise.

The machines that I propose you decide to use in the gym are as follows: -

1. The Exercise Bike ? Very good for a lower body work out, easy to control your heart rate through intensity and work load.

Tip ? Join a spinning class if your gym does them, you will really enjoy them, it is something new and you will burn a lot of calories doing so.

2. The Stepper/Cross Trainer ? Very good for an all round body workout, works the core muscles like crazy and you burn a lot of calories in the process.

Tip ? Take extra care to find a setting that is comfortable, the longer you spend on this machine the more weight you will lose.

3. The Treadmill ? Yeah you guessed it, Walking and jogging are unbelievable ways to lose weight, hit the 140 ? 160 heart rate zones we talked about and the pounds will just drop off.

Tip ? If you find walking/jogging too monotonous and boring and feel like doing more, try adjusting the incline, not only will you burn more calories but it actually feels like your climbing a mountain!

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The machines drown out the booming disco racket from the overhead speakers. All you hear, aside from the constant hum of machinery, is metal on metal, minus the smear of grease.

Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.

The stunning blonde attached to these legs peers down at a dark screen. At first, it looks like she’s about to indulge in a game of Pac-Man or Donkey Kong, but in actuality, her ensuing fun is of a much different variety. This woman is about to work out.

After punching in a few keys as if it were tax time, her hips slowly begin to grind, and just like that, the fun has begun.

Needless to say, the year is 1999 and what once was accomplished with such basic simplicity has now entered the world of hi-tech devices and advanced microchips.

To a new patron, who just wandered through the door, it all seems a bit pretentious as he peers over the motoring array of Stairmasters, steppers, treadmills, and stationary bikes.

The observer smirks and chuckles, knowing well that, not so long ago, for the goal at hand, two legs and an old pair of Nikes were all that was required.

However, the art of running seems a forgotten trade, not just for the random observer, but for the fitness public in general. For the mainstream crowd looking to foil the flab (and perhaps partake in the social aspects), a nice, honest jog through the park loses out to a sweat-session on the stairs any corporate day of the week.

Yet, one fact remains, the same fact that has survived both the tests of time and the endless evolution of technology. Nothing will whip you into shape faster and more effectively than a good, primitive run.

Aside from the fresh air that expands your lung capacity, something you can’t get at an indoor gym, running continues to stand as the leader in conditioning, fat burning, and keeping your heart rate up. Just compare the three miles down Main Street with the same distance on the rubbery conveyor belt of a treadmill. The difference in the way you feel is astounding.

But one such concept factoring in the demise of running is the belief that it is a muscle man’s worst enemy. Reports that running will chisel away on that hard-earned beef have been relentless. Thus, the running fad has come to heel a bit, almost seemingly limited to the hard-core crowd.

The experts say that the ideal method, however, to avoiding such a tragedy is to jog lightly for the first twenty minutes and then upgrade to a more vigorous pace thereafter. After the twenty-minute segment, the body generally kicks into the fat-burning business as opposed to the muscle-consuming business. Remaining at a steady, moderate pace (say 70 percent), and ditching any hopes of becoming the next Jesse Owens would seem the most logical approach, especially for new runners.

Besides, doesn’t a nice stroll along a quiet country road amid the birds and the tress sound somewhat appealing? Doesn’t it beat gaping at the sweat-drenched back of the guy on the Stairmaster in front of you?

If this is you, then perhaps it’s finally time to leave those noisy treadmills and squeaky stationary bikes behind … far enough behind to choke on your dust.

Exercise has been proven to increase overall health, give one more energy and longevity. In today’s fast paced world, people are turning more and more to using exercise machines to maintain their bodies. Some go to gyms where they have access to a wide variety of machines and experienced instructors while still others opt to look for something at home so that they won’t have to be confined to the gym club hours.

Exercise Machines

Exercise machines typically utilize resistance to strengthen and tone your muscles. The following methods are typically used in accomplishing this type of resistance: pulleys, cables, belts, weights, gravity and even wind. Resistance exercise is a method of forcing your muscles to contract against increasing resistance levels in order to tone and strengthen them.

Also by increasing repetitions and length of time spent, you’re increasing your metabolism which burns fat in the body. There are many different types of machines that accomplish different goals and you would do well to know exactly what kind of results you are looking for before investing in a machine.

Treadmills, exercise bikes, Rowing machines and stair steppers are some examples of exercise machines that provide aerobic exercise. Aerobic is basically cardiovascular training which increases your heart rate, metabolism and burns fat. These machines will increase overall tone, fitness and energy.

Barbells, weight benches, home gyms are designed to focus on muscle tone and strength building on specific areas of the body. These work by increasing repetitions and weight over time to build up and tone muscle mass. Typically one should include something from both the aerobic and weight training groups to achieve the ideal body fitness.

How to choose the right equipment

With time demands and varying schedules that people have today, more and more are turning to home fitness equipments to maintain their exercise schedules. Here is some of the equipment on the market and their features.

Treadmills These range from a simple manual design which works by using your own foot pressure on the belt to move it along in a walking or running position to the powered treadmills which use electricity to help move the belt along at a quicker pace forcing you work harder to keep up. These machines come with a variety of programs that vary the workout to keep it from becoming tedious. Another thing to look for would be a digital display that shows calories burned, miles worked, time spent, etc.

Exercise Bikes These come in a variety of forms and their main goal is to increase cardiovascular fitness along with working the main muscle groups in the legs. Typically they’re manually operated and utilize various types of resistance force.
Rowing Machines This is a good low-impact workout which works evenly over the three muscle groups, torso, legs and arms. It stimulates the act of rowing a boat.

Stair Steppers These machines focus on working the leg muscle group and are also low-impact.
Many of the above equipments have the option of coming with moveable handgrips for working the upper body and are foldable in such a way that they can be stored in a small area out of the way.

Barbells and Weight benches Less expensive than the cost of a home gym. These allow you to utilize resistance training by simply using your own body and weights. These can also be stored in a small area of your home.

Home gyms These are typically large and bulky but they’re designed to incorporate several of the exercise machines found in gyms. You’ll be able to perform several quality exercises such as pull downs, presses, arm curls and leg squats around a central unit holding bars of weights and cables.

With all the options available for maintaining good health and energy today, there’s really no excuse not to stay healthy and fit.

Up and down. Up and down. Up and down.

This may sound like either your ongoing battle with the bulge or perhaps a friend who is on heavy doses of Prozac.

But the never ending elevator ride known as the step machine can be a great tool for your fitness and weight loss endeavors. Step machines, otherwise known simply as “steppers”, have become very popular devices in health clubs and gyms throughout the country. Why else are they so plentiful in the “cardio” corner of your gym?

However, like any other device, there are certainly pluses and minuses to working out on a step machine. Yet, one thing is undeniable. Step machines could just as well be called “sweat machines.” A half-hour on the stepper can have you sweating by the bucket.

The best way to burn the fat tissue through exercise on a stepper is to begin your session on a lower, more moderate level, before gradually working up to a faster, more rigorous pace. It is wise to exercise at a longer, more tolerable pace in order to burn off the fat. Otherwise, the gung-ho, sprint-like approach will tap more into your muscle cells.

One downfall to the step machine as that it is limited in what it can do for you. In other words, since your upper torso is generally stationary throughout the exercise, it is not a rigorous full body exercise that is going to whip you into tip-top condition. Basically, all that is moving here is your legs.

While the handlebars are there so you can maintain proper balance on the machine, make sure that you are not placing too much body weight onto your arms as they clasp the sides. This will take the work out of your legs; hence, you will be cheating considerably.

Also, stand erect while you are on the step machine and not slouched over the panel display. Not only is slouching a way to cheat, but it is also a great way to injury your back.

Be sure to stretch out considerably before taking on a session on the step machine. Without the proper stretch throughout your legs and calves, you can be putting your Achilles tendon at risk, an injury that could hamper your fitness goals for months and months. Also, without a proper stretch, you feet can become susceptible to severe numbing while on the machine.

Although the step machine is certainly an excellent tool for your cardiovascular endeavors, do not become too dependent on this one machine. Make sure you spruce up your cardio with other machines like the Stairmaster, the stationary bicycles, and the treadmills.

And aside from burning off some unwanted fat cells, the stepper is an excellent machine for building and toning the calf muscles, the glutes, and the quadraceps.

It does not matter where or how it is done, but cardiovascular exercise is a very important segment of anyone exercise regimen. In homes and in fitness clubs, the elliptical trainer machine has become an increasingly popular way to get the cardiovascular exercise that is needed.

Why Is the Interest in Elliptical Machines Increasing?

The elliptical cross trainers have been proving to people that they can give beneficial results in many areas. If you currently go to the gym for workouts, have you noticed all the many types of machines designed for cardiovascular work outs? The elliptical machines would be one of those and give the exerciser a workout that burns fat very efficiently. That is why more people are turning towards the ellipticals to work out on, as well as that it does it with low impact on the body.

Low Impact Exercise?

Low impact with an elliptical cross trainer means that your feet never lose contact with the foot pedals, therefore creating a smooth exercise for the body with no starts and stops or jerky contact with machinery. A traditional treadmill requires the feet to lift off and replant causing continuous impacts to the joints. Other exercise equipment will cause other joints to be affected, depending on the goal of the machine used. Elliptical machines eliminate the joint impacts and therefore provide your joints with a little impact for repetitious damage.

How Will an Elliptical Machine Cause Weight Loss?

Aerobic exercise is what is necessary for losing weight – it makes the heart pump faster which makes the body burn more calories efficiently to keep up with demands. The elliptical equipment provides your body with a way to achieve the aerobic exercise.

How the elliptical cross trainer can do this, is through using your entire body in movement. Your arms and legs are both used at the same time, requiring the muscles through the rest of the body to help and work in unison. Treadmills and steppers will traditionally work just one area of muscles. Using more muscles in exercise means burning more calories which reduce the chance for them to be stored as fat.

A total body aerobic exercise is good for both the inner and outer workings of the body. On an elliptical machine the muscles are toned and sculpted in the legs, rear-end, hips, back, chest and arms rendering a truly beneficial workout.

Ellipticals Can Help with Bone Density?

Bone density and osteoporosis are usually treated with weight bearing exercises to slow down the disease or to prevent it. Women facing high risks of diagnosis with this will find it helpful to know that.

Even better to know, whether you have the disease or may possibly, cardiovascular exercise is considered a weight bearing exercise. Usual weight bearing exercises come in the form of free weights or weight machine training, but ellipticals may now be used as well to increase bone density levels. So while you burn fat and exercise the heart, ellipticals provide a form of weight resistance too.

Can Ellipticals Work for Advanced Exercisers too?

Many serious trainers and fitness people will eventually out preform or plateau on a piece of equipment, not providing any challenge to their bodies. Elliptical machines can be adjusted through tensions and resistances for a custom exercise regardless of fitness level.

Better quality elliptical cross trainers include computer trays that allow the exerciser to further custom the work out such as with different programs to follow. The six to eight different programs are designed for people looking for various workouts with certain goals in mind, like weight loss or interval work outs.

Can Anyone Use an Elliptical Machine?

As mentioned above, the elliptical machine can be adjusted to fit any one’s level of fitness and is easy to use successfully with very little additional training. The exercise combines a simulation of walking, running, skiing and cycling that is low impact and is easy to gain benefits from, no matter the level you are at.

Even pregnant women can keep their exercise routine going comfortably with an elliptical cross trainer because it has low impact on the body and joints. This also interests the older generation since exercise often puts frail bones and weak joints at risk for injury with most other forms of exercise.

Highlights of the Elliptical Machine?

It can be used by anyone, it is low impact while providing great benefits to the body through cardiovascular exercise and weight resistance, helps a body to lose weight by burning calories in increased quantities and also works and sculpts almost the entire body’s muscular system.