Introduction to Equipment for Cardiovascular Gym Exercise

Series Summary

So you've bought a membership at the gym, what now? Do you know how to use the gym equipment? In almost every gym you will find five staple cardio machines: the treadmill, the elliptical trainer, the arc trainer, the recumbent bike, and the arm bike. Learning how to use this important exercise equipment is very easy but not always intuitive, and many times an instructor is either busy or not available at all. Why not get a free online lesson on how to use the treadmill or the elliptical trainer before jumping on the exercise machine with no instruction? You can learn for free from our exercise expert.

In this free online video series, learn from cardiovascular exercise expert David Feraco how to workout your cardiovascular system using gym equipment. David will teach you how to workout your cardiovascular system, how to stretch before and after you workout, how to use a treadmill and its functions, how to use an elliptical trainer and its exercise programs, how to use an arc trainer, how to use a recumbent exercise bike, and how to use an arm bike.

Video Transcript

"I'm here to talk you today about the many different types of cardio equipment you'd find in your typical gym. Starting with treadmills, elliptical trainers, oct gliders, bicycles, both recumbent and upright. Each of the types of cardio equipment that I mentioned have different uses depending on each particular person and what they're needs may or not be. The treadmill for instance, while it's still the number one way to burn fat, the treadmill is not for everybody. People that for instance have sore lower backs. People that have bad knees; people that have bad hips. The treadmill might not be right for them. The constant pounding, pounding, pounding on a treadmill is going to irritate some people that have preexisting conditions. For people that don't, the treadmill is the grand daddy of them all. There's still no better way to burn fat then running on a treadmill. When they come up with something better, I'll be sure to let you know. As we move on from the treadmill, I want to talk about the elliptical trainer. The great thing about an elliptical trainer is the fact that there is no constant pounding, pounding, pounding of your feet on a platform. With an elliptical trainer, your feet are in a stationary position and it's your legs that are doing all the work. So while you're getting a great cardiovascular workout on an elliptical trainer, you're also getting an nice lower body workout. You get that to a degree on a treadmill, but not as much as you get on an elliptical trainer. Bikes are excellent as well. Bikes are very simple to use, and while you work up a great sweat, it's not the best way to burn fat. It's a great way, but it's not the best way. Along the same lines of elliptical trainers, we have oct gliders. They're very similar. Your feet are on pedals. Both of these give you an excellent lower body workout as well as a cardiovascular workout."