Cardio equipment for home: types, properties, effectiveness, how to choose and use

Exercise equipment for weight loss

Physical activity is a fundamental factor on the path to weight loss. With the help of physical exercise, you can not only lose weight, but also tighten your skin, make it firm and elastic. It is best to exercise in the gym, as exercise equipment will also be available there.

Modern fitness centers are equipped with a large number of different exercise machines. It is very difficult to choose from all of them one that will immediately help you get rid of excess weight.

Many representatives of the fairer sex believe that playing sports to lose weight is not suitable for them. They are ready to go on diets for years, or even give up eating altogether. But this is not an option! This method does not give a positive result, and if it is achieved, it will not last long.

If you have finally and irrevocably decided to lose excess weight, then you need to move towards your goal decisively. You need to choose a sports training regime and accustom yourself to it. Not everyone succeeds, but the goal is worth it. Over time, it will be as simple as washing your face every morning.

Narrowly targeted simulators

A separate group of cardio equipment are specialized ones that place the main emphasis on one or another part of the body. These include:

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steppers;
rowing simulators.

The stepper got its name from the English word “step”, which means “step” in Russian. It is precisely on the steps that the mechanism of action of this unit is emphasized: a person seems to be climbing an endless staircase. The advantage of using steppers at home is that they are quite small in size, so they can be easily hidden, say, under the bed. Another indisputable positive aspect of this type of cardio equipment is its price: lower than that of other mechanisms. The focus of steppers is to strengthen the glutes and thighs, as well as the calves. In addition, in some of its varieties, the muscles of the abdomen, back and arms are actively involved in parallel (if the device is additionally equipped with expanders).

There are several subtypes of this type of cardio equipment: classic, balancing and rotary. The simplest are the classic steppers, which simulate an endless climb up the stairs in your home. They differ from each other only in the amplitude of leg lifting. Balancing exercises are more interesting because they allow you to simultaneously develop the vestibular apparatus and coordination of movements. Also in this subtype the press is used. The special platform on which the “steps” are attached constantly shifts the center of gravity of the human body, which is why the athlete has to balance while walking. But the rotary stepper more actively uses the back muscles. It works in such a way that, while walking, a person must simultaneously turn his body. If you choose a more expensive unit, you can get additional benefits with it - a step and heart rate counter, as well as a load regulator.

For home use

If you decide to take your body seriously, then you should take a closer look and choose the ideal exercise machine for your training. What exercise machines are the most effective for losing weight? It must be said that in a fitness club you can change exercise equipment every day, but if you buy such equipment for your home, you need to stop at only one.

The pace of modern life does not leave a person the opportunity to visit gyms. A lot of time is wasted getting to and from work; the whole daylight hours are spent in the office, at the desk - a person returns home, mentally and physically squeezed like a lemon. Lucky are those who live close to the gym.

In such a situation, you should think about buying a home exercise machine. You can work out on it every day, and you don’t have to waste time getting to the gym.

A weight loss machine must meet many requirements:

affordable price;
suitable size;
ease of use;
availability of a computer with training programs, etc.

Before purchasing a simulator, you need to familiarize yourself with the following information:

At home, classes should be 3-4 times a week for 45 minutes, increasing the time with each workout;
after one or two sessions there will be no effect;
training should be systematic and long-term, then the first result will be noticeable within 1 month;
for middle-aged and older people, dehydration is possible: to prevent this from happening, you need to drink water during exercise;
Be sure to monitor your breathing during classes: it should be deep;
Having set yourself the goal of losing weight, give up strength training equipment: pay attention to cardio equipment;
Excessive loads from the first day of classes will not bring anything good: the pace needs to be increased gradually;
Before starting training, you should definitely consult a doctor, especially for older people.

Cardio training. Benefit and harm.

Author of the article Vargunin D.V.

Sooner or later, we all face the question: Is it worth conducting cardio sessions, how to do them, why do I need it, how many, how, etc.

Cardio is an aerobic workout. Indeed, cardio paid off in many ways. To begin with, it is worth highlighting the enormous benefits that cardio has on the cardiovascular system. It also helps speed up metabolism, due to this you will have a fat-burning effect when following a diet. It also increases endurance, which is important when training for weight, when it grows and the heart needs to have a larger volume in order to pump more and more blood.

How and why to do cardio? What to use? If your goal is simply to maintain health, muscle tone, general tone, then I recommend doing cardio 3 times a week for 40-60 minutes. Try to keep your heart rate around 100-120 beats per minute. Throughout the entire cardio session. If you are engaged in fat burning, then I recommend doing aerobic training 4-5 times a week, or even every day. The rules are the same: 40-60 minutes per session, heart rate 100-120. If you are on a mass gain, then to maintain normal heart function, you can limit yourself to 1-2 times a week. The rules are the same. It often happens that athletes avoid cardio training to gain strength. This is very bad and will negatively affect progress. Since the mass grows, which means that the blood also grows in volume. And if the blood grows, then the motor that pumps it must be larger or stronger. He will be stronger even without cardio, BUT! Thus, cardiac hypertrophy occurs. There are 2 types of hypertrophy. One is harmful, the other is useful. L-hypertrophy. This is what happens during cardio training. That is, the heart becomes larger in volume. Meanwhile, D-hypertrophy is negative in nature; with it, the walls of the heart thicken and there is a very high probability of getting a heart attack. In general, if you pump and do not train your heart, the following things happen: 1) When the intensity of the exercise is critical (heart rate 180-200 per minute), the heart is forced to contract very often and does not have time to stretch (relax) completely - diastole disappears. 2) And if acidification (a condition that occurs at 180-200 bpm) continues for too long or too often, this leads to the death (necrosis) of heart cells. Myocardial dystrophy develops due to a diastole defect (heart rate 180-200 per minute) and is the cause of death of many athletes due to cardiac arrest.

In general, the goal of cardio is to gain beneficial L-hypertrophy. When the heart increases in volume due to an increase in the volume of the cavities, and not due to an increase in the walls, which occurs with harmful D-hypertrophy.

Shortness of breath? Feeling sick during training? Will you die after squats? It's time to think about your heart. Remember that the larger the heart volume, the greater the pituitary volume. The heart pumps substances at a time, and if it contracts fewer times per unit of time, then it wears out less and its resource lasts for a longer time. Even among marathon runners, their heart rate is so voluminous that at rest their heart rate is around 30-40 beats per minute! That is, a small heart for a large body must contract 3 times in order to pump the required volume of blood for the vital needs of the body, and a good trained heart can beat these 3 times in 1 contraction. It is also important to choose the right way to implement cardio training. If you are an athlete who sees his future in elite sports, then I strongly recommend not to choose something where there is a dynamic load on your joints (running, for example) since your joints will be useful to you with heavy weights. If you consider your heart to be under-trained and if you do cardio at least 3 times a day, you can expect a noticeable improvement within a month.

In general, there is only one minus: a cardio session burns calories, which means that you must take these expenses into account when gaining weight and must compensate for them. To maintain excess calories. I wish everyone goodness, love and patience. Love your loved ones and be loved. Don’t forget to develop in all planes, no one is interested in stupid jocks

Selecting a simulator

All cardio machines come with different programs, so you don't have to focus on the exercise you're doing during your workout. At this time, you can watch TV or just listen to your favorite music. It is impossible to definitely choose the best home exercise machine, since each person will have certain requirements .

When choosing a device that will help you lose weight, you need to decide for what purpose you are buying it. There may be several problems:

overweight;
cellulite on the thighs;
lifting the buttocks.

For home use, exercise machines are divided into three categories:

power;
cardio equipment;
compact training equipment.

Strength ones are intended for athletes; compact training equipment cannot provide the proper level of targeted physical activity. Attention should be paid to cardio equipment, of which the most effective are:

orbitrek;
treadmill;
exercise bike;
rowing machine;
stepper

Treadmill

This is an excellent stimulant for running and walking. During the exercise, almost all the muscles of the body are used, a sufficient amount of energy is consumed, and along with it, excess calories are burned from the sides. To have good health and toned muscles, you need to train on such a machine.

The advantages of a treadmill include:

improvement of the cardiovascular system;
to make your workouts more productive, you can use the settings to change the speed and angle of the belt;
by listening to your body, you can calculate the heart rate needed for running;
for people with excess body weight, it is recommended to start training with simple walking, gradually increasing the load, which will be painless for the body.

In addition to the advantages, this device also has disadvantages:

high price;
noise during use;
simulator size;
heavy load on the knees;
If you have problems with the spine, then running is contraindicated.

When choosing a home exercise machine, you need to pay attention to the following characteristics:

The computer must be functional and have different modes.
The running belt must be of high quality, with good shock absorption. Its width must be at least 0.5 meters and length 1.5 meters.
Consistent power is very important for training. This indicator is not the same as the “peak”, which is often indicated by developers.
If you use the treadmill for walking, then its maximum speed can be 10 km/h. And if you run, the maximum speed should be at least 16 km/h.
The cost of the track will depend on whether it is mechanical or electronic.

Exercise bike

Exercising on such a machine is very beneficial for your figure. During classes, only the muscles of the legs and buttocks are involved. Internal organs do not receive the desired effect from training, as on a treadmill.

There are 6 types of such devices on sale:

Chock exercise bikes are considered effective, but their mechanical chocks tend to wear out over time. Sooner or later, such a simulator will need to be changed.
Belt ones, in which resistance is created by tensioned belts . Belts rotate the flywheel wheel; The tighter the belt, the more difficult it is to pedal. Over time, the belt can become unusable, so it can burst at any inopportune moment.
The electromagnetic device operates from the network. It is much better than mechanical analogues, but also costs several times more. Its disadvantage is electricity, without which the device will not work.
The horizontal model is intended for people who have serious problems with the spine or varicose veins. Being in a horizontal position, a person turns the pedals, which are located at stomach level. During such training, the spine is not loaded at all.
A spin bike is an analogue of a road bike, in which the handlebars are located at the level of the saddle. While riding such a device, the back is in a horizontal position.

Types of exercises

To get maximum results, you need to choose the right type of load and monitor your breathing and heart rate during training. The choice of type of activity should be approached seriously and on an individual basis. What types of cardio training are there?

By intensity:

High intensity. These are short-term activities during which breathing is difficult and sweat is released. Example: running or cycling uphill. Such workouts are not suitable for weight loss.
Low intensity. Medium duration workouts where the person can communicate and sweat lightly. Example: walking, jogging, aerobics, swimming. A good way to lose weight.
Interval. Exercises in which the load and duration of training are constantly alternating. Helps shape and maintain an ideal figure. With this type of exercise, the heart rate should not exceed 60-70% of the maximum.

Pets:

Jumping rope: 750 kcal/hour.
Hoop training: 300-950 kcal/hour (depending on the intensity and weight of the equipment).
Dance aerobics: 400 kcal/hour.

On cardio equipment:

Exercise bike. The most affordable and popular exercise machine with many advantages: low load on the spine and joints, rapid growth of leg muscles, good blood circulation, burning up to 500 kcal per session. The downside is that the exercise machine does little to help strengthen the cardiovascular system.
Treadmill. It ranks second among fans of cardio training. Benefits - natural movement and position of the body, strengthening the heart and respiratory system, an excellent option for weight loss, allows you to lose up to 900 kcal per hour. Disadvantages: strain on the spine and joints.
Ellipsoid. A simulator that has a number of advantages. For example, due to the low load on the joints and spine, it is suitable for people after injuries, it uses almost all muscles, trains the heart and respiratory system, and burns up to 600 kcal. The downside is that it doesn’t work well enough on areas with strong fat deposits.

Exercises for weight loss

Training should take at least an hour. The last ten minutes are the most important: the body begins to work using fats, thereby getting rid of them. The best types of exercise for weight loss are light running and cycling.

Fitness experts recommend doing three to four cardio workouts and two to three strength training sessions per week. However, this is a level for trained people: beginners should start with at least two or three workouts per week in total.

Useful tips

When developing a set of exercises for weight loss, do not forget about proper nutrition. It is advisable to count the calories burned during exercise , and the calories that you receive with food. The result will be considered excellent if you lose 1-3 kg per month.

Whatever training device you choose, calories will begin to be lost only after 30-45 minutes of intense exercise. This fact must be taken into account if you seriously want to lose weight.

Cardio equipment for weight loss for home