Home exercise machines

edith_t

hi everyone just looking for some advice on what to buy. i am not very confident exercising in public, and I can't afford a gym membership, so was thinking about investing in a home stepper machine. I don't exercise very much at the moment and am not very fit so am looking for something to start on. Does anyone have any experience with one of these, and are they worth it or a waste of money?

The one I am looking at is called Body Sculpture BS1370 Twist Stepper with Bungee Cords and is around 40 pounds (british).

Thanks for any advice,

edith xx

bigbugboo

HI Edith

Are you short of space in your home? If you weren't, I'd recommend an Elliptical machine. I have an Orbitrek, but there are many makes out there. I find them more gentle on the knees than stationary cycles because they don't do a full rotation, and you can go backwards on them to exercise glutes and back of thighs, and of course you get a good cardio workout and exercise for your tum, arms, shoulders and chest too. It has a tracker for your cals burned, distance travelled in km, speed and time used. I paid approx £100 for mine, and I love it.

Good luck in getting fit!

MaudeBeige

I have a BS1370 Twist Stepper... It's done the job! Quite difficult to balance on at first but I've managed with it. I have found though, now that I'm slightly fitter I prefer to go to the gym. (But still use it on days that I don't manage - I got free gym membership for a month... It's about up now so will have to find the money!)

My HRM says that I'm burning similar calories on the treadmill as I do on the stepper if I'm seriously MOVING! (Or at least periods of high impact then low etc...)

I like counting my steps and trying to beat my day before - time or number of steps and it does count for you.

I have found that even when I try to make the step height / resistance different, it doesn't make too much of a change.

Let me know if you have any other queries... I may be of some help.

x

edith_t

I have a BS1370 Twist Stepper... It's done the job! Quite difficult to balance on at first but I've managed with it. I have found though, now that I'm slightly fitter I prefer to go to the gym. (But still use it on days that I don't manage - I got free gym membership for a month... It's about up now so will have to find the money!)

My HRM says that I'm burning similar calories on the treadmill as I do on the stepper if I'm seriously MOVING! (Or at least periods of high impact then low etc...)

I like counting my steps and trying to beat my day before - time or number of steps and it does count for you.

I have found that even when I try to make the step height / resistance different, it doesn't make too much of a change.

Let me know if you have any other queries... I may be of some help.

x

hey thanks to both of you for replying. to the previous poster yes i'm very limited with regards to space at the moment, and need something i can pack away. but good idea anyway.

would you say that the calorie counter that comes with the stepper is correct? because i've read a few reviews which say it isn't.
thanks