Advice - Which Machine, running, rower, bike

yop

Lads + Gals,

I am needing to get back to training, now I am moving away from the beach where I used to be able to run in the morning (it was only a 20 minute run but it did the job!) and now the new place only has road.

I suffer badly from shin splints so the road is ruled out and possilby even the threadmill might be.

So, I have a bike already but it is crap enough to be honest, something like this:
http://www.vjhomefitness.com/cgi-bin/vj_pros.cgi?neql65a84uh9o&id=284&cmd=2&t=pro

So what would you buy, the bike, a rower or threadmill.

I need to get my weight back down, gut mainly, so would the rower be best?

Something like from this site?
http://www.powerhouse-fitness.co.uk/store/product.asp?dept%5Fid=6&pf%5Fid=Beny%5F808%5FOxbridge%5FFolding%5FRower

Many thanks and Gem well done, you one strong wee girly!

g'em

yop wrote:

Many thanks and Gem well done, you one strong wee girly!

ta mucharooney!!!

first off, have to check- are you eating right? and I mean really truly honestly eating well? if in doubt, post your diet to be scrutinised and altered

running, cycling, rowing, cross-training, stepping... its all cardio. It will raise your metabolism increasing the number of calories you burn. You can't spot-reduce fat so the fat loss will occur relatively evenly throughout your body.

A very basic answer is to say do whichever one you enjoy the most, you'll stick at it longer. None of them will increase muscle mass, although they will increase muscle endurance according to which muscle group they involve the most. The cardio sessions should be about 30-40min long, 3-5 times a week.

Personally I love the rower, although the treadmill and cross trainer are great for doing interval cardio (where you alternate high and low intensity i.e. fast vs. slow, flat vs. incline) for the duration of your workout.

Invest in a good quality piece of equipment and make sure you get a heart rate monitor too- you're looking to be working out at about 65-80% of your maximum heart rate to burn calories most efficently (calories will come from both fat storage and from muscle, so you want to be at the heart rate that will use more fat than muscle- the higher your heart rate goes, the more likely you are to burn muscle).

Dragan

Might i be so bold as to suggest a skipping rope, a heavy bag and some boxing mitts?

Rockin excercise, get yourself to one or two glasses to learn how to land a proper punch and kick and you can do rounds till you drop.

Fantastic excercise!

Jak

If you are buying a rower - buy a concept II.

They are by far and away the best and most durable machine.

As for your question,

1. Don't buy a treadmill - as running will still be an option for you outdoors and the machines are comparatively very expensive.

2. A similar argument applies to an excersise bike - however, they are not so expensive and require limited space. Plus a decent bike with varied training programs built-in can be of benefit for variation and keeping the training interesting to you.

3. For results, my view would be that a rower is all round the best option - however, it is a difficult painful machine in some regards and the motivation level to do 30mins on a rower is far higher than 30mins on a bike.

JAK.

yop

Thanks all

Gem - My situation at the moment does not lend itself to very healthy diets as I am building a house and working late and nite, after my day job, and then going home for dinner at maybe 10 or 11pm at nite!!

For breakfast I would either have museli or a banana.
I would usually drink 2 litres of water a day and in between lunch and the evening I usually have 2 or 3 pieces of fruit, again usually oranges or bananas.

For lunch I try and keep away from break, i would have a deli salad and a mullerice.

But my metabolic rate is crap, I finished soccer in Sept and only played maybe 10 sessions of astro since but I have whipped up 1stone which is scary.

Skipping, - yes great excersie but I reckon I would kill myself!!!

I don't like the rower to be honest, but do remember that every time I ever used it that it nearly killed me, legs, lungs, gut!! I really felt it.
They are recommending this rower to me:
http://www.powerhouse-fitness.co.uk/store/product.asp?dept%5Fid=2&pf%5Fid=Horizon%5FQuantum%5FII%5FHRC%5FTreadmill%5FCarbon

What do ye think, like as regards threadmills and bikes and rowers, what are the main aspects to look at?

Thanks guys appreciate all your input

Lex Luthor

Rowers are very good cardio machines....an absolute stonking workout...
I have an elliptical trainer in the house and they are also hard work and very easy on the knees and shins...

Limerick Dude

i row myself and i find the ergometer(rower) is a great machine, your using alot of your body when using it, your legs and your arms. its a great overall work out as i know from experience, just make sure your back is straight when using it because you will seriously damage your lower back from all the pulling. also try and get yourself very psyched up and motivated before going on as you get very tired very quickly, really is a killer machine lol!

yop

Ya, I was thinking that alright,

Yip Lex a few have said that to me alright about the elipicial yoke.

markyboy

Go for the rower if you can. Sometimes a gym might sell you a second hand model, they're built to last for ever.

Limerick Dude wrote:

try and get yourself very psyched up and motivated before going on

You can get additional motivation by logging your sessions on the Concept website