yesthattom | Exercise Machines recommendations?

If you bought a clothes rack, in six months you'd start using it as an exercise machine?

Seriously, I don't own anything like that. Just my bikes, which I use when I'm getting in shape. I think the key is to have something that doesn't bore you silly. Machines that stay in place all have that potential.

I got a used stationary bike March of last year, and still use it, thinking about getting a newer one. Also have a treadmill I got for free that's currently used as a box stand.

The human body adapts to repetitive exercise amazingly quickly. Whatever sort of machine you get, you'll probably plateau on it within a few weeks, so it's a good idea to switch every couple of weeks. Which means that, whatever you buy, it'll be wrong in a month or two... And most of us don't have the room (or the money) for multiple machines. I solve this by belonging to the 24 Hour Fitness around the corner, so that I can switch off amongst their selection of machines.

That said, my personal favorite is recumbant cycle, followed by treadmill. I don't like the elliptical trainers much, but that may just be that I find them awkward. I absolutely loathe stairmasters (step mills). A rowing machine is an excellent full-body workout (most of the others just work your legs), if your back is in shape for it (and it will definitely strengthen your back).

For my daily cardio sessions at the gym, I tend to alternate day-by-day or week-by-week between recumbant bike and treadmill, with occasional side trips to the elliptical or rowing machine.

As you said, lots of folks buy these things, then either never use them, or give up on them after a few weeks. If you decide to go ahead and get one, you might be able to find a good deal on a used one on Craigs List or something... But, my suggestion is to spend approximately the same amount of money on a multi-year subscription to a nearby gym instead (I just got 4 years at 24 Hour Fitness for $550), so that you can use switch off amongst their various gear, and so that maintenance and such is their problem. Besides, the scenery is probably a lot more interesting at the gym than in your basement or wherever... ;-)

I hadn't thought about the need to switch back and forth.

A 24 hour gym would be very nice. Sadly that doesn't exist near me. I think I'll go the Craigslist route.

I don't want to discourage you from trying this if it makes sense for you, but I do want to warn you that my friends who've bought machines off of Craigslist have generally gotten lower-quality machines with poorer ergonomics (I'm not sure why, but especially with ellipticals it seems comfortable ergos come only above a certain price point) which they've then stopped using because of the discomfort. Obviously YMMV.

I agree that a health club membership is something to consider.

Another option that I have been enjoying without any slacking over the past two months is Dance Dance Revolution. It is interesting and very scalable, and in the unlikely event that my heart and lungs could manage the top levels it would probably just be a matter of adding some arm weights to the mix. And it's very cheap for exercise gear -- I got a very nice pad for $70 and the PS2 version of DDR for another $40. (Assuming you already have a console machine -- the pad has a USB connection but I don't know how readily available software for the PC/Mac/*nix world is.)

I love DDR. Sadly my right knee hurts like hell if I use it for too long. Same with a treadmill, driving, or a host of other activities.

Have you had the knee problem diagnosed? Do you know if it's something that could improve with physical therapy?

I'm going to...third? fourth? the suggestion of a health club membership instead. My reasons include what you've already heard, in terms of the body adapting to the exercise machine and needing change, and your mind adapting and getting bored. But there's another reason as well. If you buy an exercise machine, you can only use it in one location - your home. But if you get a club membership at a national chain type club, you can use it when you travel, which can come in very handy. That's one of the main reasons I've hung onto my Bally's membership this long.

If you really want to buy something to use at home, I'd suggest starting with some exercise videos or a bicycle - less money, less boredom. And if you really think you'll only ever workout at home, why not try walking first? Your only equipment there is a pair of shoes.

I've had a Precor elliptical trainer for about 4 years now (you've probably seen it in my old apartment). I originally bought it when I was in the habit of going to the gym at work 5 days a week and was finding myself frustrated without some sort of exercise to do on rainy weekends and holidays. I can't say I've used it consistently for its entire life but I've been much more regular about it than I have about going to a club -- it's a big help to be able to work out in my pajamas if I so choose. It's not my only exercise -- I also work with a trainer twice a week, play ice hockey, and walk to work -- and I agree it probably wouldn't be sufficient for that unless I was very disciplined about interval training and such. It was absolutely worth its weight in gold while I was rehabbing my broken ankle (it would've been hard to hobble to the club for multiple 5-10 minute sessions per day).

I have to respectfully present a differing opinion than the gym membership crowd. Anything that requires me to go somewhere other than my house to get my exercise is A Bad Idea. And for me, it's throwing money out the window.

I have a treadmill. I've used it for the past 8 years or so, and only on walk settings and with workouts I programmed into it myself. I've gotten back in shape using it, and lost 40+ pounds on it before my kids, and lost 47+ on it since they were born. The thing cost me a bit, but has paid me back over the years in not having to travel anywhere, and not having to have anyone watch me when I work out. (#1 rule - leave Mommy alone when she's on the mill. She hates having people watch her exercise!)

I recommend not trying to watch TV while doing it. It's not fast-paced enough to keep your mind busy. Audiobooks are best. Gives you something else to pay attention to, so you aren't constantly checking the little dial to see the time, how far you've gone, how much you have left, etc. Instead, your mind is focused on the book, and it can become productive time if you listen to "that stack of books you always wanted to read, but never got around to".

Your 2 cents may vary

Yeah, if I am going to leave my house I might as well drive to work.

Thanks for the tip about TV!

No problem. These things are expensive though. Note, too, that if you look at treadmills, don't be sucked into buying all the 'bells and whistles' on them. The heart rate thing on mine is iffy at best (when it works at all) and the computer hookup to download 'new and exciting programs' was never used.

The only things I've found necessary are a comfortable walking 'pad' (or whatever that part is called) and a stable base (no matter what incline position it's in. Test it in the store. some become a bit unstable if you adjust them up, and some when they come back down!)

Audiobooks are a great tip! I always just read magazines and that works relatively well. TV worked OK for me when I had one, but I had to cover the clock on the machine.

I recently read an article (I think it was in Eating Well) about offices where instead of a traditional office, they had computer stations set up next to treadmills. The idea was that you walk very slowly (I think it was 1 mile an hour) while working. It sounded like a really great idea to me.

Here's an article about it.

Oh my god I want one.

Actually what I really want is a laptop mount for my elliptical...I think I can jerry that together myself but I've been lazy about getting it together.

yeah, I totally want one of those. I read an article about that a year or so ago, and I think it's a brilliant idea.

I just walk a lot. My bicycle, which used to get a lot of use, will probably be trashed imminently (well, donated to bikes not bombs). It depends....what have you done for exercise in the past? What was your pattern? What stops you from exercising?

I would see if you could rent one, too -- check out a Rent-a-center. If you rent for a few months then you can see if you like it. If your knees hurt during/after exercise, get an exercise bike or an elliptical machine (precor is best), or other exercise item that is no impact or low impact.

Would C go with you to a gym? If so, do that, because someone else helping motivate you (and you them) is the best.

I had an exercise bike and it was too loud for my purposes -- tried to watch TV doing it -- unlike the above commenters, I'm fine watching TV while I exercise, I do it in the gym all the time.

Buy a pedometer and start walking? Power walking? That should hold you for a while. How about a jump rope?

What's your goal? overall toning? Weight loss? You can run/jog in place for very little $$. I don't think you need a machine to get exercise.

I have a whole book (3 ring binder with cutouts in sheet protectors) of exercises that you don't need (a lot of) equipment to do, that I've clipped out from girly mags. I'd be happy to loan it to you for a few months if you want.

I use my treadmill off and on (moreso in the winter when I'm not out doing other stuff like kayaking, mowing the lawn, or home improvement stuff). It's certainly been in use for more than 6mo.

I have no recommendations for a particular type of machine, but I will note that whichever one you want, the odds are very good that you can find one on Ebay for 1/10th the retail price if not substantially less.

(I'm still sorta kicking myself for not picking up the 90% complete Soloflex set that I saw put out in the trash 4 months ago.)

Ah, yes. These are the ones who don't like their clothes racks anymore! ;->

btw, doesn't goognyc offer some sort of gym membership?

Hope you don't mind me butting in - I was looking through

darkvervain's friends list and saw this entry.

I highly recommend a really good water rower (http://www.waterrower.com/) and/or a Nordic Track classic pro skier (http://www.nordictrack.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prmenbr=153&prrfnbr=988&cgrfnbr=46533&rootcat=46525). Both use all the major muscle groups and provide excellent workouts at whatever level you choose. Both are low-impact and comfortable. You should be able to get machines in good condition through online auctions, freecycle, etc. I used a friend's water rower for a couple of years almost daily, and the nordic track regularly for years, and the only reason I'm without them now is that we made a transatlantic move and couldn't afford to ship them. If you can find a better all-round option than these, I'd be surprised - and the great thing is that, though you will up the resistance, it's very hard to reach a plateau with them.

The NordicTrak is about the most knee-friendly exercise I can imagine. Personally I had a hard time using it regularly when I owned one, but my parents were happy regular users for years.

I don't know about an exercise "machine" but ... have you considered a Shovelglove?

Worst case, in a month, you'll have a ruined sweater and a still-useful sledgehammer.

It depends on the person, because everybody has a different method for actually getting shit done on a regular basis, and exercise has to fit into your GSD profile or else it won't get done. Consider other tasks that you have to do on a regular basis and, more often than not, don't want to. Figure out the common traits of how you get around yourself, and then do exercise that way.

When I started losing weight a few years back, I conned myself into exercise by only doing fifteen minutes a day, every single day, first thing in the morning, because I had to hook it to something else that I habitually did so that exercise became a habit, and getting up was something that I always did. I used a treadmill in our apartment (now traded for a recumbant exercise bike, because now we have downstairs neighbors), because I knew that if I had any excuse due to the weather, I'd take the excuse. Eventually I worked up to 40 minutes a day and voila, lost 60 pounds.

The cheapest exercise equipment I ever bought (and used) was a pedometer. Still using it today. Walking 10,000 steps a day is a small thing, but it does add up over time.

No matter what you do, just know yourself and know how to make exercise a habit, then make a purchase that will fit into that. Good luck!

I got this in Jan 2005. I don't use it as often as I should, but it's what I use whenever I post an "exercise" message. Eliptical machines are low impact on knees and ankles because it's a continuous smooth motion.

I'm pretty happy with my soloflex. I got it off craigslist about 6 months ago (for around $130) and I'm using it more now than when I bought it.

I think I was happiest back when my work was a block away from my gym and the gym was in between my subway stop and work. I used to convince myself that when I was not feeling up to a workout that I would just go to hit the hot tub and swim. By the time I did that I was up for a real workout 8)

Nowadays I solve much of my excercise needs by living on the river and taking my kayak out most days.

Strictly speaking, this isn't an exercise machine, but it occured to me while I was working out today that I do have home equipment, and that might relevant to your question.

I bought expensive (but high-quality, durable and comfortable to use) free weights 18(!!??!) years ago. (Holy crap, my weights can vote.) I bought a padded, inclineable weight bench 8? or so years ago. Still using both of them. Pig iron.

I have a stepper (sort of a non-powered stairclimbing machine) I bought in 1994, and a treadmill that moved into my home in 2004. Yes, they still get used now and then. I clear the clothes off when I want to use them.

But TODAY??? It's May! It's spring! It's beautiful outside! Why would I want to use a boring machine indoors when I could be doing something active outside?

I wouldn't go so far as to suggest a gym membership -- they tend to be expensive and they also usually lock you in for a set period. But what you could do is keep an eye out for free passes, or even go into a local gym and ask for a tour and see if they do one-day guest passes. Why? Because if you've never used exercise equipment before, it's a good idea to go try a few machines out and see which you like. Some people prefer treadmills, others stationary bikes, and still others ellipticals (and some do use multiple ones)...you don't know which you'll like best until you try some.

As someone else pointed out, especially in the case of ellipticals, don't skimp if you're going to buy one -- I've tried some of the cheaper home ellipticals and they suck. We couldn't quite justify spending the huge amount that a Precor (which are the absolute best) would cost, but we got a NordicTrack one for about $900 last year. Not quite as good as a Precor but good enough that we still use it. I tend to use the gym at work 3 days a week, since they have weight machines there, and the other two days I use the elliptical at home unless it's nice enough out to go biking.

I prefer the eliptical to the treadmill, but Cayne's particular variety of knee injury (he was hit laterally while playing American football, causing, among other things, an alignment issue, which makes the hip motion of the eliptical painful for him) we have a treadmill. We may or may not, once we have more space and money, add a second cardio-related machine, like a recumbent bike. (My feeling on machines is that if we're going to buy them, we should buy ones that we'll both in theory, use, hence the bike rather than the eliptical.)

I would also advise against the gym membership, unless you're going to use services that you won't get at home. It's nice to be able to workout whenever I feel like it (within reason while in the apartment, but once we move, you better believe that I'll get on the machine in the middle of the night if I feel like it.) It's a lot harder for me to make a habit of exercise when it involves plannigng to have to be somewhere else, and not sort of just doing it when I have the time, whether it's in the morning or evening.

I do however disagree with the person who said not to watch TV. If I choose the right entertainment, I like the TV on while I'm working out-I find reading while on most equipment difficult, the exception being the recumbent bike. It's very much a question of choosing the right entertainment...I don't like to watch things that I've tivo'd, for example, because I find that fast forwarding through the commercials and trying to do other things irritating. I do like movies, or dvds, or smetimes VH1 Classic.

In order to not just give up, I find a six week technique to be useful. Rather than approaching it as a permanent goal, I try to set goals for six weeks. Six weeks is a tangible, managable length of time. It also is enough time to start to see some actual change because of what I'm doing. I'm at the end of week four of a six week cycle right now, and I can see the end, and I'm thinking about what the next six week goal might be. Things I use to set that goal might be to use the treadmill n times in six weeks, or to go y miles, or to increase the speed or amount of time I spend on the treadmill z percent, or miles per hour, or something like that. My next goal will likely be to use the treadmill N+1 days a week, and while I'm doing that, I may make other adjustments like the length of time or speed, but if I don't, I have a simple and reasonable goal to work towards. I'm hoping that in addition to N+1 days a week, I'll increase the length of time I spend on the machine per session, and the speed as well, but if I don't, that's okay, the only goal I really focus on is the primary goal, whatever I declare that to be.

I don't track my progress anywhere, I'm not accountable to anyone but myself regarding what I do or don't accomplish, but I know also, that I can psyche myself into getting on the treadmill simply by reminding myself that not doing it hurts no one but me.

Exercise Machines recommendations?

Perhaps

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