Cardio at the gym--machine of choice?

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DaniJeanine
DaniJeanine Posts: 473 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
What machine do you do for cardio at the gym? And for how long? I prefer to do Zumba, hiking, or walking my dog for cardio, but when I *have* to do a machine I usually do the stair climber for 20 mins follow by 10 mins of jogging on the treadmill or on the eliptical. I feel like the stair climber gives the best workout (at least for those of us who aren't avid runners!) What do you do?
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Replies

  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
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    Spin bikes...
  • seekingstrengthX2
    seekingstrengthX2 Posts: 771
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    I do them all.

    The stair climber gives me the most bang for the buck in the shortest period of time. Sometimes my quads aren't up for it though. LOL. I usually alternate between the treadmill and the elliptical, with an occassional spinning thrown in. My normal cardio session is between 35 and 45 minutes.
  • DaniJeanine
    DaniJeanine Posts: 473 Member
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    I used to do that but my gym started locking the spinning room when there isn't a class going on! Very annoying...
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,843 Member
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    I run on the treadmill M-W-F and do the Cybex machine Tues-Thurs.
  • WhittRak
    WhittRak Posts: 572 Member
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    Elliptical, all the time :happy:
  • DaniJeanine
    DaniJeanine Posts: 473 Member
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    I run on the treadmill M-W-F and do the Cybex machine Tues-Thurs.

    Cybex?
  • yesthistime
    yesthistime Posts: 2,051 Member
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    Treadmill and recumbent bike.
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,250 Member
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    What machine do you do for cardio at the gym? And for how long? I prefer to do Zumba, hiking, or walking my dog for cardio, but when I *have* to do a machine I usually do the stair climber for 20 mins follow by 10 mins of jogging on the treadmill or on the eliptical. I feel like the stair climber gives the best workout (at least for those of us who aren't avid runners!) What do you do?

    Treadmill for me. An hour at a time when I do the treadmill at home and on the odd occasion I go to the gym, I use it for around 30/35 minutes, before I do weights.
  • BradT1974
    BradT1974 Posts: 22
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    Elliptical for me, I've been considering adding in some rowing machine.
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
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    Arc trainer (man that thing is killah!! --as we say here in Boston)

    Elliptical

    30 minutes of a machine a few times per week. Use the rest of that time for weights, various core exercises. I prefer hiking, Zumba and gardening but sometimes in a pinch the machines work great. :)
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
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    I run on the treadmill M-W-F and do the Cybex machine Tues-Thurs.

    Cybex?

    It's a brand made right here in MA. Whoooo!
  • Jennicia
    Jennicia Posts: 479 Member
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    Treadmill/and or elliptical. The elliptical kills my knees, so I usually only do it after the treadmill.
  • lambertj
    lambertj Posts: 675 Member
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    The stairmaster has always been my go to machine, and according to my HRM it gets me the most calories burned in the shorter period of time. I do it for about 35 minutes and finish off on the treadmill
  • TrishKennett
    TrishKennett Posts: 22
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    Use the Wave machine - for high intensity calorie burnouts ( like elliptical but you go side to side - feels like a ski-action, so why "wave" I don't know! But works for me! Have now worked up to a point where I can do 55 mins, in stages ( 400 cals, then 300, then 200, then 100, straight after one another). However, like all machine workouts, best to vary it when you can.
  • Jennicia
    Jennicia Posts: 479 Member
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    Use the Wave machine - for high intensity calorie burnouts ( like elliptical but you go side to side - feels like a ski-action, so why "wave" I don't know! But works for me! Have now worked up to a point where I can do 55 mins, in stages ( 400 cals, then 300, then 200, then 100, straight after one another). However, like all machine workouts, best to vary it when you can.

    That sounds like a very cool machine! we dont have that at my gym!
  • hnsaunde
    hnsaunde Posts: 757 Member
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    Arc trainer or incline elliptical. I can't do the elliptical without an incline, I find my feet go numb after 20 minutes. Normal session is about 30-40 minutes for me on non strength training days, and 20-30 min on strength days (warmup and cooldown)
  • Arestoktra
    Arestoktra Posts: 73
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    Treadmill and elliptical, each of them for 30 minutes. I can't run on treadmill but I walk fast, but my all time favourite is elliptical.
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,843 Member
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    I run on the treadmill M-W-F and do the Cybex machine Tues-Thurs.

    Cybex?

    It's a brand made right here in MA. Whoooo!

    You're in MA? What part? I'm in CT!!

    I used to hate that machine but I've grown to like it. My husband LOVES it.

    ETA: Yeah, I don't know what the heck the machine actually is. I just know the brand. It's kind of an elliptical/arc trainer breed
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    Treadmill or incline trainer.

    The bikes hurt my back (the seat puts pressure in a bad spot on my spine), the elliptical and arc trainer make my feet go numb and the stair stepper hurts my hip.

    The incline trainer burns a ton of calories but I love to run on the treadmill.
  • k8lyn_235
    k8lyn_235 Posts: 507 Member
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    i usually do the thing that is a mix between an elliptical and a star climber (ETA: i have just learned that it is an incline elliptical! haha). at school, i always did the stair climber, but i'm home now and this gym has terrible stair climbers.

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