Tuesday, October 13, 2009

The Cardio Machine, Why It's An Important Piece Of Your Workouts

By Ricardo d Argence

Anytime you walk into a traditional gym around the country, there will be a healthy supply of cardio machines. Whether its treadmills, stationary bikes, stair climbers, ellipticals or any other cardio machine out there, you have plenty of choices.

A well structured cardio program obviously plays an important role in any effective fat burning workout plan; but which cardio machines are best and what criteria should we use to determine which machines to focus on?

It need not be a complicated process, but here are the 2 main factors that I would suggest looking out for when deciding which machines to include in your program.

1) The machine should not require very much skill to use. In other words, stick to cardio machines that are simplistic and mechanical in nature. Your goal during a cardio session is not to aimlessly slave away for a marathon session lasting an hour or more, but rather to keep the session short, concise and highly intensive.

For this reason, you don't want to have to divert your focus onto balancing yourself on the machine or maintaining a specific form throughout the workout.

Instead, the main goal is to have a high level intensity. The best way to do this is by using a basic and straightforward cardio machine.

2) Injuries are always something to think about when you're exercising, so make sure your machine minimizes the risks. For instance, you always want to make sure your joints and connective tissues are strong and healthy at all times.

You can do this by sticking with a cardio machine that offers low impact on your joints. Plus, if you already had some sort of injury before, you don't want it to reoccur.

It's also important to experiment with different machines. If you feel uncomfortable or one of them causes discomfort, we recommend staying away from it. Actually, here are a few cardio machines that can work with the criteria we've given you today.

The Upright Stationary Bike is about as straightforward as it gets. Using this cardio machine will allow you to focus on generating a high level of intensity without constantly thinking about your form.

Another benefit is that it's a low impact exercise and won't stress the joints too much. When you look at the technical side, these are easy to program and great for interval-style training.

The Recumbent Bike is the same as the stationary version, but your body is in a seated position. This will take the stress off your lower back, which is important for those suffering from lower back problems.

Treadmill. Another great choice when implementing an interval-style of training. Treadmills are a great alternative to running outdoors, because the platforms are designed to produce less impact on the joints. If you want to increase the difficulty you can also raise the platform up on an incline.

It doesn't matter if you're a beginner or exercise veteran, the stair climber works for everyone. It's another low impact movement and allows you to focus on a harder effort instead of your balance and form. Just make sure you don't lean on the handlebars, which reduces the intensity of the workout.

Hopefully this has helped you understand which cardio machines are the safest and most effective fat burning solutions to include in your program.

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