Thread: Fitness Equipment/gym - which one?

Have you looked into trying a Tabata circuit, google is your friend here look it up and give it a try. Also look up card circuit.


It seems easy at the start but by the end you are stuffed if you do it correctly. You can add weights of required ie the use of kettle bells or dumb bells to add as a portion of the circuit and you can do all this in the house if you want to.

These are great work outs we use at work some times.

I manage my chronic knee pain by cycling at a high cadence. If you train yourself to spin the pedals at 90 to 120 rpm you'll get better aerobic fitness and soon you'll be doing 50+km. Slow heavy pedalling is anaerobic and hard on the knees. The first hour of cycling is usually the worst for me, I persist by going slow until everything is loosened up and then I'm good for a few hours of increased pace.

I cross train also. Swim, ride, run or walk.

If you are near an appropriate waterway, get a kayak!

have always wanted a kayak, did a unit of it in school and loved it, thought also a rowing machine might be good. We don't have a lot by the way of water that is close by here (70km round trip for eppalock and Id only make it over the weekends)

Apart from the cycling sending my asthma off, Im liking (and hating) it, gets my heart rate up and breathless without straining my knee (physio said just be careful to keep leg in good forward facing position, watch out for being tired and getting sloppy with leg angles)
Im also trying to strengthen arms (after repetitive strain injury couple years ago) and the entire right side of my back/body (has caused me to hurt my back a bit, not a lot, and the kinks are almost out, but physio said my entire right side of my back is much weaker - and I reckon its because of me sheltering my knee for past 18 months). SO if I can do that, as well as generally increase strength (lost some strength with a sudden weight drop couple years ago), I be laughing
Walking alone is fine to maintain weight, but after a certain initial success, not enough to lose it

I have been going to the gym and I have to say that being on the rower can get the old heart rate going..I love the rowing machine

IMHO the Concept 2 indoor rowing machine is among the best to keep you fit and the human body use 80% of the muscles on it.
Also you get a lot of support on their forums and by professional trainers.
I start using it 5 days a week for the last 8 weeks and I am progressing very well and that is after 52 years since I participated in a competitive sport and 23 years since I ride a pushbike.
This month I am going to have a stress test done to find which is my MHBR because @ 67 I can rise it to 150 without any problem. My resting pulse now come down to 54 after being on 65 for many years.
Look on the Australian site Concept2 - Welcome to Concept2 and on the UK site for info The World's Best Rowing Machines - Concept2.
The forums on the UK and US are excellent.
Cheers

Chucaro is right on the money...

I joined a 24/7 gym (Jetts) some months ago, and it's been the best thing since sliced bread vanished from my life... - Another story re: easy weight loss via diet only.

I've also got stuffed leg joints and being FAT for the last 35+years has'nt helped... Not "a little bit heavy", fat & obese are the honest adjectives.
Despite this, and inflexibility (improving quickly with the spare tyres going flat...) I love the rowing machine.

When I started I was barely managing 10 minutes per km, but last week I did 1.07km (1,070m) in 6 min, and this morning (after 1.62 km on the X-trainer) managed 1,024m in 5:34.
2km came up in 10:36

I like the X-trainer because the knee/leg motion is circular and relatively low impact, which obviously reduces joint-impact and just a importantly, the, ah... bouncing of 'in-appropriate' bits of one's anatomy. The first few minutes hurt, but the knees settle in nicely and I can build up to a reasonable rate and hold it.

But the rowing machine - Concept 2 - is totally addictive and I've downloaded and printed out some of the stuff on their site.

Personally, I'd suggest saving the money by not buying your own equipment, IF you have the option of visiting a gym.
Lots of phychological reasons why we "won't" use if it's handy, whereas the whole business of making the effort to get going / travelling /getting your money's worth / etc works a lot better in the longer term. - It always amazes me how much 'home gym' equipment is chucked on Verge rubbish collections....

BeeUtey is agian correct, high(er) rate and light loading works for me too, on bike and X-trainer (Level 5)

Despite the constant braying of the Medical Profession, exercise is not the key element in weight normalisation. (The First Law of Thermodynamics has NO logical place in the discussion, never mind argument.) However, the other benefits outweigh (sorry, just slipped in...) the disappointment of minimal 'waist/hip' reduction...
What you eat takes off the fat. Or not...