If you have ever been to a gym I am sure you have come across rows and rows of different Cardio exercise equipment. While all of these treadmills, ellipticals, row machines, stair climbers and exercise bikes can look intimidating you will eventually need to get on one of them and get moving if you ever expect to burn those excess calories.
Here are some brief descriptions of what each of piece of exercise equipment is and does.
Treadmill
The treadmill is one of the most recognized yet the most feared of all of the cardiovascular exercise equipment found at the gym. As soon as most people see a treadmill they immediately associated it’s use with having to run for an extended period of time.
On the contrary, the treadmill is an excellent option for those who are just getting started out with their workout or how are new to fitness. The treadmill allows you to work at your own pace with it’s available settings rankings from a slow walk to a fast run.
Aside from walking or running on a treadmill there is also an incline option which allows for a more intense cardio workout as well as adding to the shaping, toning and strengthening of the lower body.
A 150-pound person who walks at 4 mph on a 5 percent incline will burn 456 calories an hour. The same person will burn 646 calories an hour by walking at the same speed on a 10 percent incline.
Elliptical
The next piece of cardio equipment is the elliptical. The elliptical is probably one of the hardest cardio exercises to perform yet it yields the greatest benefit in the shortest period of time since it requires your upper and lower body for each movement.
The amount of calories an elliptical burns depends on body weight and length of time using it.
A 150 pound woman who performs a 30 minute elliptical exercise will burn 387 calories. A 180 pound man who performs a 30 minute elliptical exercise will burn between 464 – 500 calories.
Factors that dictate how many calories you burn include workout duration, interval training, tension setting, body composition, weight, gender and how much you use your arms while performing the exercise.
Row Machine
The next cardio exercise equipment I would like to showcase is the row machine. While not my favorite of the bunch the row machine is certainly an available piece of cardio exercise equipment that you will find at the gym.
You will typically notice that the there may only be 2 or 3 row machines the most at any gym. This is typically because they are not the favorite of many people.
A man weighing 155 lbs. rowing for an hour at a moderate intensity will burn 493 calories. The same man rowing for an hour at a light intensity would only burn 246 calories, while at a vigorous level he would burn 844.
Stair Climber
Stair climbers seem to be another popular piece of cardiovascular equipment at the gym especially for women. Stair climbers allow for a more low intensive cardio workout while shaping the hips, thighs and buttox.
The stair climber burns roughly 160 for a 150 pound women in 20 minutes intervals while helping shape, tone and strengthen the lower body. The part of the part most women work to improve.
Exercise Bike
Last but certainly not least, the exercise bike. The exercise bike is the oldest piece of exercise equipment ever made in particular the stationary bike which is a spin of a bicycle. While many people are aware the cardiovascular benefits of riding a bike being able to utilize bike riding for the purpose while in the comfort of your home or gym without having to travel anywhere made it a no brainer for its inventor.
A 150 pound woman who rides the bike for 10 minutes (or the equivalent of a 6 minute mile) will burn roughly 126 calories. While the stationary exercise bike is by far the easiest piece of exercise equipment to use in terms of intensity it also burns the least amount of calories.
