If you were to buy a piece of cardio equipment ...

[Sassy69]

What would it be? (Not your "fanstay" cardio machine, but something that is reasonably priced )

I'm moving into my new townhouse in 2 weeks. I'm still looking for a gym near the new house, but there aren't any that are close enough to make AM cardio a feasible option. Therefore I'm looking to get possibly a refurbished piece of cardio equipment in the house. I will be getting a membership somewhere for lifting, but I *really need* to get the AM cardio going and this is something I've wanted to do for a long time.

I personally like stairmasters, but the guy at one of the fitness stores I was at said no one buys them anymore & they don't even sell them because they are hard on your knees. That was a new one on me, but I have to agree that most of the gyms I've been in over the last few years have more elliptical type stuff. So, I'm looking for your thoughts!

 

[Daisy_Girl]

Ideally? A StepMill. But considering they are like 7 feet tall, weigh a gazzilion lbs, and cost a bunch of $$...can't do it.

LifeFitness Tread or a Precor Elliptical is what I want.

Sassy...my fiance sells exercise equipment....commercial now, but used to do high end home stuff too. If you have Qs about things, let me know. He might be able to point you in a good direction. He knows a lot about cost, durability, maintenence, etc.

 

[superqt4u2nv]

I have no idea of the name or cost but I would get the eleptical that is a cross between skiing and running.

 

[Kroliczek]

A Precor Elliptical is the way to go. Perhaps one with the moving arm bars as well. They are the most popular at our gym...and imo the most effective. Virtually no/low impact, and a lot of versatility with the functions.

 

[Sassy69]

Ideally? A StepMill. But considering they are like 7 feet tall, weigh a gazzilion lbs, and cost a bunch of $$...can't do it.

LifeFitness Tread or a Precor Elliptical is what I want.

Sassy...my fiance sells exercise equipment....commercial now, but used to do high end home stuff too. If you have Qs about things, let me know. He might be able to point you in a good direction. He knows a lot about cost, durability, maintenence, etc.

OK here's a question that has been bugging me. A friend who has a stepper told me that you have to put the machine on a hard floor (no carpet) or else it will rock or bounce. Is this true? I have hard wood on my main floor, but i'd rather put the machine in my spare room in the basement, which has carpet. The guy at the fitness eqpt store told me that all you have to do is put one of those rubber gym mats down underneath it & its ok. Is that an issue??

 

[deltreefitness]

How much are you looking to spend? I got a elliptical machine from NordicTrack. It has the moving hand bars w/heart monitor, motorized incline, and a bunch of other gadgets. I'm also really impressed with the quailty. Especially for 1/2 the price of a precor.

 

[Daisy_Girl]

OK here's a question that has been bugging me. A friend who has a stepper told me that you have to put the machine on a hard floor (no carpet) or else it will rock or bounce. Is this true? I have hard wood on my main floor, but i'd rather put the machine in my spare room in the basement, which has carpet. The guy at the fitness eqpt store told me that all you have to do is put one of those rubber gym mats down underneath it & its ok. Is that an issue??

Rubber gym mat should be fine. But rocking back and forth could also be a quality issue. If you buy a cheap-o one, then it will most likely rock. A high quality one (like the ones at the gym) shouldn't rock on a rubber mat.

(from his mouth, not mine. )

 

[velvett]

I have recumbent bike (trek), elliptical (proform)and a treadmill (nordic track).

If I could only have one it would be the treadmill (plus it folds up if you are limited on space).

 

[lucidblue]

I'm not sure... normally I'd say Precor Eliptical, but I've been getting a much better workout on the bike lately.

 

[FitFossil]

One of my favs is "old fashioned" and you don't see them much anymore - the Schwinn Air-Dyne. It's a bike with pedals and arm poles, so you can work arms and legs. Nothing fancy - no computers to break, you don't even have to plug it in, because it doesn't even use electricity! Plus I like the built-in fan for keeping cool.

http://www.fitnessbob.com/scorai.html

I sold it many years ago, and now I wish I had it back
Other cardio equipment I've had include Nordic Track, which is good but I got tired of it. Thankfully it folds up and doesn't take up much space. Then someone gave me a treadmill, which I after I got it upstairs found I couldn't run as fast as I like, because it shakes the house too much, so I only use the treadmills at the gym, so that one is stuck upstairs because it is so big and heavy, it'll take an army to get it out. Somebody else gave me a Health Rider, but unless you're really out of shape, it's not much of a workout. Think I'll give it to someone else.