

Cardio or cardiovascular exercise is an essential part of any fitness routine. Are you trying to find the best cardio equipment to increase your heart rate, enhance your cardiovascular health, and reduce excess fat? We have curated a list of the best and worst exercise machines for burning fat and losing weight.
Making an informed decision while selecting a cardio machine is crucial to achieving the best possible outcomes. In this blog, we’ll look at the top 5 cardio machines, which are common in most gyms and offer a heart-pumping, sweat-inducing workout that can help you lose weight.
Understanding Weight Loss and Cardio
The basic idea of burning more calories than you take in is the key to losing weight. Cardio activities are crucial for establishing and sustaining a caloric deficit; thus, selecting the appropriate equipment is crucial for the best outcomes.
5 Best Cardio Machines for Weight Loss
Here are the five cardio machines that will prove to be great for weight loss:
1. Assault Bike
- Great for: Weight loss, cardiovascular endurance
- Muscles Used: Quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, glutes, and abdominals
The assault bike incorporates upper body exercises to elevate stationary pedalling to a new level. It’s a safer substitute for outdoor riding since it provides a demanding but low-impact workout perfect for quick, intense spurts.
A fan provides resistance to the bike; increasing pedalling force increases wind resistance and intensifies the workout. Intervals can help burn a significant amount of calories—between 20 and 30 for the average person in 40 seconds of hard pedalling followed by 20 seconds of rest.
Apart from its ability to help lose weight, the assault bike is a great option for people looking to improve their cardiovascular endurance. Because of its minimal stress on joints, it’s a good choice for people seeking a challenging yet low-impact exercise.
2. Rowing Machine
- Great for: Weight loss, full-body workout
- Muscles Used: Calves, quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, abs, obliques, pecs, biceps, triceps, deltoids, upper back, and lats
The rowing machine improves cardiovascular endurance in addition to burning calories effectively. Its grip, adjustable damper, and sliding seat ensure that different muscle groups are used with every stroke. It’s important to adjust the damper setting to your preferred level; settings between 3 and 5 are usually recommended for best effects.
The integrated display makes it simple to track your progress, providing data on time spent, distance rowed, and different workout styles, high intensity interval training (HIIT) and low slow duration cardio (LSD).
3. Treadmill
- Great for: Weight loss, cardiovascular endurance
- Muscles Used: Quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, glutes, and abdominals
The treadmill is a classic flexible cardiovascular workout with inclination and speed adjustment levels. It is appropriate for users of different fitness levels and mimics outdoor running without worrying about bad weather.
The easy-to-use speed treadmills let users customise their workouts to meet intervals, hill climbs, and even simulated scenery options are available on some treadmills.
Although running at 1% incline may assist in mimicking the energy expenditure of running outside, however, excessive inclines should be avoided to minimise joint stress.
4. Stair Climber
- Great for: Weight loss, lower body focus
- Muscles Used: Quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves, and core
The stair climber simulates climbing stairs and offers a simple, yet efficient, cardiovascular exercise. Resistance level customisation allows users to tailor their sessions, which is perfect for people who want to strengthen their lower body.
Stair climbers are gym-friendly machines that provide the ease of climbing stairs. With minimal pressure on joints, the rotating steps and adjustable resistance effectively work the lower body.
People can climb sideways, climb two stairs at a time, and step with squats or frog hops to exercise. Resistance bands can be used to increase strength while climbing stairs.
5. Elliptical
- Great for: Weight loss, balance, and coordination
- Muscles worked: Glutes, hamstrings, quads, chest, back, biceps, triceps, and core
Gyms often have elliptical machines that offer low-impact aerobic exercise for both weight loss and rehabilitation. It efficiently works the lower body and cardiovascular system with its two independent foot pedals, long grips, and a dashboard.
The low-impact nature of the elliptical is perfect for people who get back into fitness after surgery or an accident. It lets users release the handles and use their abdominal muscles and core to improve balance and coordination.
Conclusion
The best cardio machines covered in this blog are great for full-body and lower-body weight loss. Remember that finding a machine that fits your interests, lifestyle, and consistency are the keys to losing weight. Hence, going for a calorie deficit along with these cardio machines can assist you in reaching your ideal weight.