Exercising is one of the most important parts of maintaining your health. Our bodies are like machines that need the right exercise to keep our heart healthy, burn unnecessary calories, and build strong muscles so that our bones do not have to do the heavy lifting. For most people physical activity is a set goal, hence a multibillion dollar industry has flourished around the home or gym exercise equipment. It is important for people to understand that even the best equipment only produces results when they are used regularly.
For some people a home gym works best for them because they save a lot of time but not having to commute. However, for others they need that extra motivation to actually go to a regular gym facility and be inspired by other people and their drive to succeed. Most people need to learn how to properly use their equipment to avoid injuries and to do this they have to do the proper research ensuring they purchase the right exercise equipment for them.
In general, most popular exercise equipment are divided into two categories, that is cardio equipment and strength equipment.
Cardio equipment
Cardio exercise is a very important part of ensuring you have a healthy heart, lung, and circulatory system. Exercises that elevate your heart rate include doing some sort of fast paced movement with some resistance. Some examples of this include running, interval training, rowing, stair climbing, skiing and cycling. Cardio is good for burning fat and a lot of machines exist to simulate these outdoor activities ranking from a few hundred dollars all the way to more than a thousand, according to the experts from https://cpoe.org/. Machines nowadays are computerized and have heart monitors and TVs to ensure motivation by keeping track of progress.
Some of the most popular machines in this segment include the following:
- Stationary Bike: An exercise bike is straightforward and takes no training to properly use. Stationary bikes come in various sizes and can be easily folded or disassembled for proper storage in tight spaces. They also include features such as heart rate monitors, different pedal resistance levels simulating up hill conditions, and TVs to keep you focused on the task at hand.
- Treadmill: A treadmill is like a conveyor belt that enables one to run in one place. The Models offer a flexible running surface that helps with alleviating a runner’s knee. Treadmills can be folded for easy storage in tight spaces and they also come with adjustable speeds and surface grades ranging from beginners to advanced runners.
- Elliptical Machines: Ellipticals move in a circular and up and down motion which simulates skiing and stairs. They are popular because they are much easier on the joints compared to running. They also come with long handles that you can grip to get both your upper and lower body moving.
- Rowing Machines: Rowing machines simulate kayaking indoors, they work back, arms, and legs at the same time and thus offer a more complete workout. They can be adjusted to offer different resistance on the arms and are usually smaller than stationary bikes and treadmills.
Strength equipment
Strength machines harvest a few things such as gravity, body weight, external weight, tension to give enough resistance so that your muscles are properly worked. Strength equipment are usually much smaller than cardio simulating machines and thus can be cheaper. As with anything in order to see results the equipment has to be used regularly and when you have to naturally progress to bigger weights as you build more muscle mass.
Some of the more popular strength building equipments include the following:
- Hand Weights: These are in the shape of dumbbells which can range from regular steel ones to padded plastics. Hand weights are mainly used for building muscles on the arms. They can range from as low as 2 pounds up to 100 pounds.
- Ankle Weights: These weights are good add ons for resistance to regular leg exercises such as leg raises and hip extensions. Sometimes they are used for adding additional weights when doing pull ups or a jumping exercise.
- Resistance Bands: Resistance bands are very versatile because they can be used for a full set of exercise workouts. They are low cost and lightweight. Thus, are good for apartment workouts. Resistance bands come in different lengths and different resistance simulting weights. They can be used by strapping them to a surface or your feet and doing a repetitive exercise such as stretching or arm curls.
A wide range of exercise equipment is available for most people looking to get a workout at home. They can range in different sizes and prices but the ultimate goal is to be motivated enough to meet your goals and exercise daily. If a machine helps you get motivated then that is the right machine for you and will be a good investment for your health.
