Exercise Equiptment.

[SallyAnne]

Also weight lifting is a must when getting fit or trying to lose weight, id suggest getting a small dumbell set from decathlon or something and doing some compound weight routines 2-3 times a week.

I'd never thought of dumbells - don't they just put muscles on you?

I really dont want Madonna arms.

or can you really get fit and tone with them?

[Bagpuss]

I can't speak for rowing equiptment, but my treadmill is spot on and was only £200 (with the bike thrown in).

I dont think you have to spend that much - you just have to get on them!

Not everyone can get to a gym, and some people have massive empty triple garages with no cars and a sh*t load of spare cash

What I'm saying Sally is to keep it up you need good machines and a variety of them. Most of the home stuff is small, poorly constructed and limited in function. then with things like crosstrainers the home stuff is really bad, and these machines are the best for burning fat along with the concept 2. The running machines at your average gym cost circa 5k this is because they are big, spring loaded to help your joints and have lots of functionality including incline. It's good to have some stuff at home, but as someone who works away a lot I don't have a problem getting to the gym because Fitness first do reciprocal membership meaning you can use any club in the UK and they are in most big towns and cities in the country. The home stuff is OK for when you can't get to a gym but I would really recommend joining one and getting a programme sorted, they can adapt it to whatever your target is, be it lose weight, get fit, or tone up.

[TimberWolf]

Exercise only facilitates weight loss, actual weight loss comes from a healthy diet.

Only one thing you got to remember, burn more calories than you eat = weight loss.

Also weight lifting is a must when getting fit or trying to lose weight, id suggest getting a small dumbell set from decathlon or something and doing some compound weight routines 2-3 times a week.

All these machines are a waste of money, all you need is a good pair of running shoes and a park. If you dont like running outdoors then all you need is a tredmill and a dumbell set.

Also get your metabolism up, read up on nutrition and healthy diets.

Remember to eat a big breakfast followed by a meal every 3 hours, adjust your calorie intake according to the ammount of exercise you do.

And lastly don't over do it, remember to have at least a couple of rest days each week with plently of sleep.

Running's bad for the joints, especially for the overweight. Walking uphill is great exercise though.

[dotnetter]

I'd never thought of dumbells - don't they just put muscles on you?

I really dont want Madonna arms.

or can you really get fit and tone with them?

No you can do light weights which won't put much muscle mass on but will develop the muscle. Also lifting weights is a must because it speeds up your metabolism and helps your body to burn fat.

It's hard to put on muscle bulk especially for women, so doing light weights will definately help you without making you look like the incredible hulk.

[dotnetter]

Running's bad for the joints, especially for the overweight. Walking uphill is great exercise though.

Yeah your right, running is high impact and can be bad for your kness if your overweight. But overweight people can start by walking then move into running.

Best cardio I think is definately rowing, because it works out a wide range of muscles from upper body to lower body, and its very low impact.

Swimming is the same also, but for getting your heartrate going your can't beat a good run.

[dotnetter]

Remember when your running you need to be at your bodies higher heartrate limit for your body to start burning fat.

If your relatively fit you need to be running for at least 20mins to even start burning fat.

Your body starts by burning carbs from your bodies carb store, then only when thats depleted will it move onto your fat store, this is normally when your heartrate is reletively high.

[Moose423956]

Here’s an idea. Multiplayer cycle riding. Players from around the world on Internet connected bikes cycle against/with each other. Would be good for likeminded fatties or fitness groups/fanatics. Could have scenery too, like here :

http://gadgetshow.five.tv/jsp/5gsmai...istmas%20Carol

(The little girl on the bike 3/4 way down the page)

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...Susie Perry

[TimberWolf]

Yeah your right, running is high impact and can be bad for your kness if your overweight. But overweight people can start by walking then move into running.

Best cardio I think is definately rowing, because it works out a wide range of muscles from upper body to lower body, and its very low impact.

Swimming is the same also, but for getting your heartrate going your can't beat a good run.

Yeah, if I go on a rowing machine and haven’t rowed in a while I can’t sit down for 10 minutes! It really hits the glutes. It is fantastic exercise, but a bit boring.

Running is too one-dimensional. Swimming uses more muscles and joint strain quite minimal with front-crawl (I’ve known people do their knees in with breaststroke however). Sprint swimming can be exceptionally demanding, but not one for the unfit.

[DaveB]

Rowing machines are hard work, you neeed to be reasonably fit to begin with to get the best out of them. They hit every major muscle in the body and are great for toning and stamina, but not so hot for weight loss.

Weights do work for weight loss as long as you use them properly. Low numbers of repetitions with heavy weights = muscle. More reps with lighter weights = weight loss and toning.

If you want some variety then start doing lunges, squats and steps. Start without weights and then incorporate lighter dumbells to increase the work out.

Rather than a stepping machine get yourself a step block. They come with a main platform and a set of stackable blocks to adjust the height. They sound primitive but are far more versatile in the excersises you can use them for.

Get yourself a decent heart rate monitor if you dont already have one. One that you can use aweay from the treadmill. Polar make some excellent ones. Aim for 60% to 70% of your maximum heart rate for the best calorie burn during excersise.

[SallyAnne]

What I'm saying Sally is to keep it up you need good machines and a variety of them.

That's my reason for posting this thread. I want to build to my collection to get a bit more variety.

Most of the home stuff is small, poorly constructed and limited in function.

Some is - not all though. And that's what I need to investigate. i woudn't waste money on crap that was useless - but like I explained earlier, my treadmill is spot on, and that was buttons.

The home stuff is OK for when you can't get to a gym but I would really recommend joining one and getting a programme sorted, they can adapt it to whatever your target is, be it lose weight, get fit, or tone up.

Yep - in an ideal world I'd be able to nip to the gym on the way home from work, but I can't do that at the minute. Once I can, I probably will. Who knows!