Gym Equipment To Burn Fat
There are always mixed feelings in us when it’s time to get into the gym. Depending on the preferred time of day, a trip to the gym can be exciting, excruciating or a mixture of both feelings. Exercise enthusiasts and those looking to join that category have to know the best ways to plan their gym travels such that they benefit from the equipment available. There are many machines found in a gym, and some are better than others at burning fat or toning the body. In exercising, it is vital to know that getting the most significant benefit from any machine requires strategy, not just a substantial amount of time on it.
For a significant burn of calories, going slow and steady will not be of any help. If your usual rounds on your favorite equipment feel like a breeze to you, it is most likely that you’re exerting energy levels lower than what you should and as such, will see little to no effect in your fat loss. Luckily with this article, we provide you with eight of the best gym equipment that can help you torch that extra fat and lose it as quickly as possible.
1. Stationary Bike
Stationary bikes are great indoor exercise equipment. It is true that outdoor cycling can be fun, with the fresh air and beautiful scenery, but stationary bikes are made to mimic the outdoor terrain while helping you burn up to 500-1000 calories per hour from your system. The great thing about this equipment is, you can bike anywhere in the comfort of your home. From your indoor home gym to your balcony, or even in your bedroom, a stationary bike is just an excellent plus; it’s one of the best machines for weight loss!
When using a simple piece of equipment such as a stationary bike (or any other bike), a significant burn in calories is generated by the movement of your quadriceps muscles. As stated earlier, pace and strategy are the main aspects of an effective workout thus, biking at a leisurely pace may not give you your desired effect, as momentum will be doing all the hard work for you as you pedal. To torch that fat quickly, aspire to complete at least 85 rotations per minute, and strive to increase this to a level where you need to breathe extra hard. You can also go for an interval workout on the bikes, or customize one for an equally effective exercise.
When using a stationary bike, or any other equipment for that matter, keeping yourself hydrated is extremely important. Drinking water is an excellent way of proving your body with enough hydration, but another part of the equation which helps to keep your body temperature down during a workout is the use of a cooling towel. Soaking the towel in water and ringing out enables you to keep your body cool during a workout, making your intense sessions more bearable. Cooling towels aren’t great for only cardio exercises. You can also take them on your next golfing tournament or tennis game.
2. Stair Climber
Stair Climbers, often referred to as StairMasters or StepMills are one of the most unpleasant but highly beneficial gym equipment you will ever come into contact with. This equipment mimics the climbing of stairs, but with this workout, the stairs never end. Stair climbers are cardio on top of a double-tired cardio routine. The good thing is, you don’t only burn fat with this equipment, you also get to strengthen your lower body, thanks to the constant working of your hamstrings, butt, and quads.
Climbing stairs activates many large, leg muscles, causing us to exert a lot of energy. In addition to this high energy expenditure, the stronger your leg muscles are, the higher your basal metabolic rate (BMR). This means that having stronger lower-body muscles helps you burn more calories while you rest since they require energy to be maintained. Another bonus you get from workout out on a stair climber, provided you adopt the right posture is that your core works to keep you balanced and upright.
To start yourself off in the right direction with this equipment, start your workout with a minute-on, minute-off interval workout for 10-20 minutes with alternating fast and slow speeds. Also, try as much as possible not to hold or place the full weight of your arms on the arm rails, and make sure you hit the stair with your entire foot for each step.
3. Rowing Machine
At first glance, this piece of equipment may seem like a ‘row’ in the park. After all, you do get to exercise your entire body while sitting down. Working all parts of your body at the same time means the amount of energy you utilize increases significantly. With the rowing machine, you get to strengthen your core, legs, arms and also increase your heart rate from one stable place and this has made the device a gym-floor mainstay and a favorite among many looking to burn fat rapidly.
With rowing machines, the more effort you put into it, the harder it gets. This is because the equipment operates with water or wind resistance; thus, it challenges the user to be efficient and increase their energy expenditure. Strategy comes into play with this machine. Using rowing machine’s incorrectly may give you results, but they may not be satisfactory. To benefit fully from any strength or cardio exercise or equipment, one must make sure that you’re using the machine the way it’s been made to be used. This involves proper technique and timing for the optimum benefit.
Many professionals suggest starting with a level five setting and sitting near the front of the machine when using a rowing machine. When seated, hold the handles in your hand while leaning forward slightly and keeping your legs bent. Powerfully use your legs to move back and follow that movement with your arms by pulling the bar towards your ribs. With a slight lean backward, pause for a moment, before straightening your arms back out. To bring your body back to your starting position, bend your knees and repeat the entire process for another rep.
Rowing machines are all about using power and control. If you’re a good rower, you will go slow and steady, as each stroke contains a lot of energy and must not be rushed. Moving at a slow pace with the rowing machine prevents early exhausting while you work out.
4. Elliptical Trainer
Have you noticed how many gyms now have a lot of elliptical trainers? With this piece of equipment, you get to enjoy a great aerobic session and the benefits that come with low-impact workouts while you exercise both your upper and lower body. The elliptical machine offers the same cardiovascular benefits as running on a treadmill, with the only difference being the absence of collective impact. This machine is ideal for all those who love exercises such as running and want to lose fat without excessively pounding their hips, knees, and ankles.
To burn fat rapidly, one technique you can employ is the twenty-minute fat burner. This exercise comprises alternating interval workouts designed by Canada’s Olympic triathlon team coach, Lance Watson. Strive to work at a higher intensity level for long periods of time by alternating between high levels of speed and levels of high resistance. Start with a warm-up exercise and increase the elliptical trainer’s level of resistance to match at most 80 percent of your total effort.
Go back to your warm-up resistance level after doing this for two minutes, but increase the rate of your stride such that you’re still working out at 80 percent of your total effort. Keep alternating between the increase of both resistance and stride levels every two minutes for a total of twenty minutes, and do it right! When using the elliptical trainer, you must mimic a running posture that is, pump your arms just as if you were running around your home, and try to keep yourself from holding onto the handles. Proper position on this piece of equipment tends to improve your general balance.
5. Fan Bikes
Also referred to as the Assault Bike or Airdyne bike, Fan bikes fall under the most grueling and energy demanding cardio equipment on the planet, and probably one of the most hated too. Stationary bikes and fan bikes are similar in many ways, but fan bikes come with two handlebars higher than the seat and an enormous fan acting as a front wheel. Fan bikes require a high energy expenditure through the movement of your arms on the handles and legs on the pedals, unlike the stationary bike. This increase in energy use resultantly leads to you burning off more calories. Work is created in this machine through its wind resistance operation, just like the rowing machine thus, your workout gets more challenging depending on how hard you pedal.
Fan bike workouts are generally intense, and as such, many professionals suggest a starting duration of 10 seconds for complete work, quickly followed by a 50 seconds rest. This drill will go on for 10 minutes. Your ratio of work to rest can be decreased gradually as you get more experience in using this equipment.
One way of packing on pounds to increase your fat burn when using a fan bike is by wearing a weighted vest. Weighted vests are sneaky as they push your muscles through the increased intensity of your workout. Your muscles stretch to support this added weight thus increasing your energy expenditure which leads to fast and efficient fat loss. The great thing about weighted vests is that they cause your bones to build more mass as a response to the strain exerted during a workout. This makes future exercises easier, increasing both your stability and support ultimately reducing your risk of injury.
Many people envisage weighted vets as mean, intimidating, military-looking contraptions meant strictly for boot-camp-style exercises, so they shun away from them. Having evolved in design over the last few decades, through in-depth research and a hunger to satisfy every potential consumer, many manufacturers of weighted vests have come up with different styles and weights to suit all people and all preferences thus, unless you want to, you won’t wear a weighted vest and look like a newly turned Hulk.
6. Treadmill
This machine has the nickname ‘the dreadmill.’ In as much as the treadmill is hated by many for its unforgiving and challenging nature, this piece of equipment is fantastic for a quick heart-pumping cardio session, either by walking on a high incline or using high-intensity intervals. Exercise enthusiasts and some professionals prefer the treadmill for weight loss because it encourages the user to remain focused and move continually through the entire duration of the workout. This continuous movement leads to a high energy expenditure thus; more calories are burned.
High-intensity interval training exercises are amongst the best ways to train effectively and efficiently, and one of the easiest ways to incorporate this form of training into your entire workout is by using a treadmill. During any HIIT session, your heart rate is revved multiple times, causing your body to use more energy to help your system return to its state of rest after the workout is over. This process is popularly referred to as the afterburn effect or excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), and it helps you to burn more calories.
Working your heart to the limits is highly beneficial to burn away excess fat, but doing this daily can place a lot of stress on your body, which can be harmful. Treadmills can help with reducing this level of strain. To receive the benefit of fat burning without placing pressure on your joints and heart, the treadmill can be walked on at a significant incline. This keeps your heart rate in a moderate zone, and even though the afterburn effect may not be as powerful as before, you will burn more calories from fat than from carbohydrates. With this technique, driving your heart rate through the gym roof every single day during your workout won’t be necessary.
The strategy of using the treadmill effectively involves keeping your initial walking speed moderate while increasing your incline every couple of minutes until you reach a level of 8. Continue walking at this incline from 5 to 10 minutes before working yourself back down slowly. Alternatively, your entire workout session on the treadmill can be done at the 5 to 7 incline grade, with you increasing and decreasing your speed every minute. This is a beginner-friendly and very low-impact walking interval workout that is easy to follow.
7. Battle Ropes
Everyone has those days when the thought of getting up, getting dressed and making your way to the gym stresses you out more than actually doing all those things. Most of the time this can be due to our low levels of energy or the fact that we’re stressed out in general. This is where battle ropes come into play. This piece of fat burning equipment is one that you can set a timer to, whip up a playlist of all your favorite songs and get in the workout of your life with no warm-up exercise required! This exercise mode is one that everyone is willing to get off their butts for!
Battle ropes are excellent equipment for a full workout session that will get your heart moving at a fantastic rate and your muscles pumping like crazy, burning all those fat cells away. Also, it’s a workout that’s easy and quick to recover from and is super easy on your lower-body joints.
For an intense and highly effective workout with this bad boy, aim for a total of 10-20 seconds of rope battling before taking a 40 to 50 seconds. Keep your back flat, and crunch your abs during every rep. Do not be afraid to pick up those ropes and vary your pace and timing levels with every alternating drill.
8. Medicine Balls
Another way to burn away all your calories is by using weights. There are many variations of loads that help in body strength, muscle building and also weight loss. Medicine balls and kettle bells are two of the best equipment for burning away all fat from your system.
Medicine balls, also called fitness or exercise balls are weighted balls that combine high-intensity exercises with old-school fitness to accelerate your fat loss by challenging your muscles from all angles. This ball is often used for strength training and rehabilitation and can be used after your workout on the machines or when you experience workout boredom to tone your body further and boost your metabolic rate.
The greatest secret to losing body fat is to burn more calories than you eat, and undertaking regular cardio exercises the best way to do that. With medicine balls, your cardio routine comes with variations, keeping you both excited and always eager to partake. In using medicine balls for your cardio exercises, you work out not only your body but all your frustrations.
When using weighted balls, you must hold it with both hands. Keep your workout interesting by bouncing this ball off a wall, or the floor for ten repetitions. tossing and catching a medicine ball with your gym partner is another way of getting your blood flowing and your muscles all heated up. Depending on the weight of your medicine ball, you can toss and catch for 5 to 10 repetitions.
Another alternative workout involves engaging in vigorous exercises such as squats that will add a challenging twist to your routine. As you hold the ball, keep your arms extended above your head, and then squat before throwing the ball to the ground. Catch and control the movement of the ball on the bounce using your arms, before standing up out of the squat, with your arms lifted back over your head. Do this for 10 repetitions if possible, and watch your body benefit from this fantastic little magic ball.
9. Kettlebells
Kettlebells are visually similar to bowling balls, only smaller with a handle (and no whistle). Just like medicine balls, kettlebells are terrific for strength, cardio and flexibility training. However, the difference between kettlebells and medicine balls is simple; whatever medicine balls do, kettlebells do them, only at a faster rate. Using kettlebells or medicine balls during a cardio workout helps you burn calories by making the exercise harder. This intensity causes you to expend more energy; thus, more calories are lost in the process. With kettlebells, you burn up to 20 calories more than medicine balls per minute. Also, with kettlebells you can choose between working with one hand or two, offering you the chance to target your weak muscles. Medicine balls, on the other hand, require you to make use of both sides as this helps you benefit fully.
When using such weighted equipment, the best strategy is to decide on a weight, depending on your choice of exercise (there’s nothing wrong with starting light and working your way up). Workout experts often recommend 10 to 30 reps and 3 to 5 sets, depending on your level of fitness and intensity of the workout. With your trainer to guide you initially, you can get these weights moving by swinging, cleaning or snatching!
Conclusion
With many options to choose from, the choice of equipment for loss of fat is up to your personal preference. No matter the equipment you opt for, it’s the strategy, technique and how consistent you are with it that guarantees you a positive outcome in the long run. Try the rowing machine if you hate taking the stairs, or gear up and handle those ropes like a boss, trying as much as possible to alternate between intensities during your reps.
No matter what your ideal end weight may be, it is advisable to note that cardio alone can’t guarantee a loss of calories. Other factors such as a healthy diet, managing your stress levels and getting enough rest come into play.
Sources:
- Cardio Workouts to Try – Webmd
- How to Do Cardio-Workouts Exercise Bikes – Wikihow
- Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption – Wikipedia
