Best exercise machine for the money.

[Dingbatboo]

I'm looking into a treadmill or some other type exercise
machine. Where I live it's hard to find a good and safe
outside area to walk and run. Just wondering if there was a
general consensus about what type of machine is the best buy.
As cheap as possible but still sturdy and reliable.

[Damsel In]

On 30 Jan 2003 05:56:09 GMT, dingbatboogerman@aol.com
(DingbatBoogerman) wrote:

>I'm looking into a treadmill or some other type exercise
>machine. Where I live it's hard to find a good and safe
>outside area to walk and run. Just wondering if there was a
>general consensus about what type of machine is the best buy.
>As cheap as possible but still sturdy and reliable.

My doctor recommended a non-electric one. Can I remember why,
now? Of course not. But that's what I'll be looking for when
we clear out enough space for one.

Carol
--
Diabetic since 5-15-2001 Atkins since 1-26-2003
226/219/150

[Trina]

On 30 Jan 2003 05:56:09 GMT, dingbatboogerman@aol.com
(DingbatBoogerman) wrote:

>I'm looking into a treadmill or some other type exercise
>machine. Where I live it's hard to find a good and safe
>outside area to walk and run. Just wondering if there was a
>general consensus about what type of machine is the best buy.
>As cheap as possible but still sturdy and reliable.
>
>
elliptical trainer

[Will Ware]

DingbatBoogerman wrote:
> I'm looking into a treadmill or some other type exercise
> machine. As cheap as possible but still sturdy and reliable.

I use a recumbant bicycle (comfortable sit-down position) with
magnetic resistance (quiet). I bought this machine partially
because my wife has some mobility trouble and this looked like
something she could also use. My experience is that "cheap"
and "sturdy and reliable" are mutually exclusive with exercise
equipment. I spent $600 on the bike and it's at the hairy edge
of being sturdy enough for daily use. The quietness of a
magnetic resistance bike means I can use it while watching TV.

The elliptical trainer is load-bearing exercise, and will do
more for your bone density. And as others have pointed out, as
exercise goes, it's relatively fun, to the extent exercise can
be any fun at all.

[Daniel D .]

Yes, definitely, an elliptical trainer. No bone jarring
impact. You can pick up a good one for about 300
smackeroos and they take up less room than a treadmill.
Plus it's more fun.

On Wed, 29 Jan 2003 22:28:17 -0800, Trina
<milady@connections.yk.ca> wrote:

>On 30 Jan 2003 05:56:09 GMT, dingbatboogerman@aol.com
>(DingbatBoogerman) wrote:
>
>>I'm looking into a treadmill or some other type exercise
>>machine. Where I live it's hard to find a good and safe
>>outside area to walk and run. Just wondering if there was a
>>general consensus about what type of machine is the best
>>buy. As cheap as possible but still sturdy and reliable.
>>
>>
>elliptical trainer

[Lucas J. B]

"DingbatBoogerman" <dingbatboogerman@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030130005609.14419.00000425@mb-ms.aol.com...
> I'm looking into a treadmill or some other type exercise
> machine. Where I live it's hard to find a good and safe
> outside area to walk and
run.
> Just wondering if there was a general consensus about what
> type of machine
is
> the best buy. As cheap as possible but still sturdy and
> reliable.

I use a NordicTrac CC Ski machine. I like it a lot.

Whatever you get, I reccommend scouring the local paper first
for a week or two. If your city is anything like mine, people
buy them and then sell them a year later. I got my ski machine
in practically perfect shape for $50. All I needed was some
basic maintenance that was described in the man. Incidentally,
that's how I've obtained most of my weight equipment as well.
I try to never pay anything more than 20% of retail price.

Lucas

[Dj Delorie]

We have one of the original healthriders. It claims to burn
1000 calories an hour, it's non-impact, and you can add
weights to make it a harder workout. Ours sits facing the TV
and I usually sweat profusely after only 10-15 minutes. By
adjusting your foot or hand placement, you can turn it into an
upper or lower body workout too.

Not sure if this link will work for everyone, but if not, go
to www.healthrider.com and select "riders":

http://www.iconfitness.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?-
prmenbr=979&prrfnbr=6046&cgrfnbr=101461

[Dan Thomas]

I ride a recumbent stationary bicycle. My wife prefers a
treadmill. A decent recumbent with magnetic resistance will
cost over $300 new.

I find my recumbent very comfortable and I have spent hours
pedaling it while watching movies.

Dan

DingbatBoogerman wrote:
>
> I'm looking into a treadmill or some other type exercise
> machine. Where I live it's hard to find a good and safe
> outside area to walk and run. Just wondering if there was a
> general consensus about what type of machine is the best
> buy. As cheap as possible but still sturdy and reliable.

[N. Zitney]

Sears has a /Rebel Pro Form-recumbent bike & eliptical
crosstrainer\ on which you can both sit & stand. It is
eliptical when standing and a sitting bike(with a bench type
seat, not the ones that make you feel like you've been gang
raped!) Ran about $ 350, iirc, about 3 yrs ago. Sturdy like a
brick outhouse!! Good Luck. "Will Ware" <wware@alum.mit.edu>
wrote in message news:3E391EED.3D25995D@alum.mit.edu...
> DingbatBoogerman wrote:
> > I'm looking into a treadmill or some other type exercise
> > machine. As cheap as possible but still sturdy and
> > reliable.
>
> I use a recumbant bicycle (comfortable sit-down position)
> with magnetic resistance (quiet). I bought this machine
> partially because my wife has some mobility trouble and this
> looked like something she could also use. My experience is
> that "cheap" and "sturdy and reliable" are mutually
> exclusive with exercise equipment. I spent $600 on the bike
> and it's at the hairy edge of being sturdy enough for daily
> use. The quietness of a magnetic resistance bike means I can
> use it while watching TV.
>
> The elliptical trainer is load-bearing exercise, and will do
> more for your bone density. And as others have pointed out,
> as exercise goes, it's relatively fun, to the extent
> exercise can be any fun at all.

[Rosie Read]

> My doctor recommended a non-electric one. Can I remember
> why, now? Of course not. But that's what I'll be looking for
> when we clear out enough space for one.
>
> Carol

be sure to include SECOND HAND sports equip stores in
your search!

[Mike]

On Thu, 30 Jan 2003 07:47:41 -0500, Will Ware
<wware@alum.mit.edu> wrote:

>DingbatBoogerman wrote:
>> I'm looking into a treadmill or some other type exercise
>> machine. As cheap as possible but still sturdy and
>> reliable.
>
>I use a recumbant bicycle (comfortable sit-down position)
>with magnetic resistance (quiet). I bought this machine
>partially because my wife has some mobility trouble and this
>looked like something she could also use. My experience is
>that "cheap" and "sturdy and reliable" are mutually exclusive
>with exercise equipment. I spent $600 on the bike and it's at
>the hairy edge of being sturdy enough for daily use. The
>quietness of a magnetic resistance bike means I can use it
>while watching TV.

I'd second the recumbant bike with one caveat. You must use
whatever you buy.

I used to go to the gym and tried the stair, bike, eliptical,
and treadmill, but I kept going back to the bike. I found the
eliptical quite easy no matter how hard I tried. I'm sure it's
better then nothing but the workout I got from the other three
machines were much more difficut, of course, YMMV. I think the
bike has no bone jarring movements, and was very challenging.

So when I setup my gym at home, I got a nice bike for home,
all the little bells and whistles. It is now a permanent
fixture in my living room, and unfortunately it has dust
accumulating on the seat.

Maybe buy a membership at a gym for a month to try out the
different options to see what you like the most.

Good luck, enjoy whatever option you choose.

Mike

[Ron]

Dan, would you e-mail me more about your machine, like where
you bought etc...? I have a treadmill but wanted a little
change What are the pros and cons of the different
systems....(recumbent with magnetic resistance)? Dan,....if
you e-mail take out the NOSPAM

"Remember one thing......we are what we eat!"

To reply via e-mail remove the no NOSPAM

Ron......in Tennessee

Dan Thomas wrote:

>I ride a recumbent stationary bicycle. My wife prefers a
>treadmill. A decent recumbent with magnetic resistance will
>cost over $300 new.
>
>I find my recumbent very comfortable and I have spent hours
>pedaling it while watching movies.
>
>Dan
>
>DingbatBoogerman wrote:
>
>
>>I'm looking into a treadmill or some other type exercise
>>machine. Where I live it's hard to find a good and safe
>>outside area to walk and run. Just wondering if there was a
>>general consensus about what type of machine is the best
>>buy. As cheap as possible but still sturdy and reliable.
>

[Dan Thomas]

"Lucas J. Bowser" wrote:
>
> "DingbatBoogerman" <dingbatboogerman@aol.com> wrote in
> message news:20030130005609.14419.00000425@mb-ms.aol.com...
> > I'm looking into a treadmill or some other type exercise
> > machine. Where I live it's hard to find a good and safe
> > outside area to walk and
> run.
> > Just wondering if there was a general consensus about what
> > type of machine
> is
> > the best buy. As cheap as possible but still sturdy and
> > reliable.
>
> I use a NordicTrac CC Ski machine. I like it a lot.
>
> Whatever you get, I reccommend scouring the local paper
> first for a week or two. If your city is anything like mine,
> people buy them and then sell them a year later. I got my
> ski machine in practically perfect shape for $50. All I
> needed was some basic maintenance that was described in the
> man. Incidentally, that's how I've obtained most of my
> weight equipment as well. I try to never pay anything more
> than 20% of retail price.

WOW, 20% of retail. That means plates and dumbbells at $.10 a
lb. Sign me up for that deal! I need some 25 lb. plates and
I'm looking at burning $50 for 4.

>
> Lucas

[Msm]

I bought a Tony Little's Gazelle Glider and am in love with
it. It is low to no impact, which I needed because I have
arthritis so bad. It works just about all muscle groups. It
doesn't need to be plugged in and folds away in seconds. It
is silent so I can watch tv and hear what is going on. Most
of all, it is fun to use so I will be less likely to let it
get dusty.

MSM

"Ron" <ron_tnNOSPAM@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:3E396845.5070603@yahoo.com...
> Dan, would you e-mail me more about your machine, like where
> you bought etc...? I have a treadmill but wanted a little
> change What are the pros and cons of the different
> systems....(recumbent with magnetic resistance)? Dan,....if
> you e-mail take out the NOSPAM
>
> "Remember one thing......we are what we eat!"
>
> To reply via e-mail remove the no NOSPAM
>
> Ron......in Tennessee
>
>
>
>
> Dan Thomas wrote:
>
> >I ride a recumbent stationary bicycle. My wife prefers a
> >treadmill. A decent recumbent with magnetic resistance will
> >cost over $300 new.
> >
> >I find my recumbent very comfortable and I have spent hours
> >pedaling it while watching movies.
> >
> >Dan
> >
> >DingbatBoogerman wrote:
> >
> >
> >>I'm looking into a treadmill or some other type exercise
> >>machine. Where I live it's hard to find a good and safe
> >>outside area to walk and
run.
> >>Just wondering if there was a general consensus about what
> >>type of
machine is
> >>the best buy. As cheap as possible but still sturdy and
> >>reliable.
> >>
> >>
>

[The Iron D]

x-no-archive: yes Quoted text is brought to you by MSM:
> I bought a Tony Little's Gazelle Glider and am in love with
> it. It is low to no impact, which I needed because I have
> arthritis so bad. It works just about all muscle groups. It
> doesn't need to be plugged in and folds away in seconds. It
> is silent so I can watch tv and hear what is going on. Most
> of all, it is fun to use so I will be less likely to let it
> get dusty.

Cheeper than the Gazelle... https://www.seattletraders.com/wo-
rkoutsupply/healthwalker.html

--
F-31 5'4" 193/134/140 * 36-33-47 to 34-24-38 since 3/18/02
http://www.themissy.com/weight

[Tricia]

On Fri, 31 Jan 2003 07:05:23 GMT, The Iron Doormat
<irondoormat@themissy.com> wrote:

>x-no-archive: yes Quoted text is brought to you by MSM:
>> I bought a Tony Little's Gazelle Glider and am in love with
>> it. It is low to no impact, which I needed because I have
>> arthritis so bad. It works just about all muscle groups. It
>> doesn't need to be plugged in and folds away in seconds. It
>> is silent so I can watch tv and hear what is going on. Most
>> of all, it is fun to use so I will be less likely to let it
>> get dusty.
>
>Cheeper than the Gazelle... https://www.seattletraders.com/w-
>orkoutsupply/healthwalker.html

I have a Gazelle as well. I bought it because it had a
higher weight
limit. (300lbs) than many of the other gliders out there.
It's the only machine I have tried that doesn't
bother my knee (that was injured in a fall down
some brick stairs a few years back) I really like
it, thus I actually do it. It's also quiet which
makes it great to do while watching TV.

Some people will try to tell you these things are worthless
since they have no resistance, but I can really feel it, when
I do it too long. And the new ones actually do have
resistance, (they are about $300 for the new ones with the
resistance, but the non resistance ones are still available
for about $200)

I bought mine from www.spiegel.com when they sent me a 20% off
coupon, (made it $40 off) so even with the added bulk shipping
rate it was cheaper than if I bought it at a local sporting
goods store.

Bottom line as far as exercise equipment goes, is get
something you will like doing, so you will actually do it!

Before having the glider I had a treadmill, and it really
bothered my knee (seems odd since walking in general doesn't
bother it) Luckily my father gladly took my treadmill off my
hands when his died (after about 3 years of daily use)

As far as the price of machines go, one thing I do, instead of
focusing on the price as a whole, which sometimes can seem a
bit overwhelming ($200-$300+) is think about the cost of a gym
membership.

The gym I used to go to was $40 a month, So for me that
gazelle (which was less than $200 shipped) paid for itself
in 5 months.

Tricia *

[Rick Carte]

"DingbatBoogerman" <dingbatboogerman@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20030130005609.14419.00000425@mb-ms.aol.com...
> I'm looking into a treadmill or some other type exercise
> machine. Where I live it's hard to find a good and safe
> outside area to walk and
run.
> Just wondering if there was a general consensus about what
> type of machine
is
> the best buy. As cheap as possible but still sturdy and
> reliable.
>
>

Bah, get an awesome pair of running shoes, and a can of pepper
spray. Save a bundle, and take back your neighborhood! ;-)

[Not For Sa]

"Rick Carter" <someone@somewhere.com> wrote in message
news:dVQ%9.115681$Ui4.3666634@news1.telusplanet.net...
> "DingbatBoogerman" <dingbatboogerman@aol.com> wrote in
> message news:20030130005609.14419.00000425@mb-ms.aol.com...
> > I'm looking into a treadmill or some other type exercise
> > machine. Where I live it's hard to find a good and safe
> > outside area to walk and
> run.
> > Just wondering if there was a general consensus about what
> > type of
machine
> is
> > the best buy. As cheap as possible but still sturdy and
> > reliable.

I recommend a treadmill that elevates. You can walk, run,
climb hills and race your remote control cars indoors.