The elliptical trainer versus other types of exercise

How did I end up using an elliptical?  I ran out of places to run.  I  used to live in downtown Austin Texas, right by Town lake, a beautiful body of water surrounded by about 10 miles of perfect running trails.  I ran, not jogged 6 miles on that trail, 3 to 6 days a week depending on the program I was using.  It was wonderful, a perfect runner's environment.  I moved away.  I ended up out in the country with no trails in a land of rock and crevices, where it would be easy to break foot, ankle or leg (not to mention the rattlesnakes).   Narrow roads and dangerous drivers kept me off the streets.  I began jumping rope and got up to 20 minutes.  This was alright, but I needed to get back into the deep aerobic range that 30 to 40 minutes of running gave me. 

So, I bought a motorized treadmill

I put that hulking machine right in front of my big screen TV.  Now I could watch CNN and workout.  Not as good as a beautiful lake, but not bad.  Motorized treadmills are loud you really have to turn your TV up so you can hear it.  Motorized treadmills are dangerous.  The track is made of a plastic fiber.  A good running surface is critical to avoid damage to your feet.  Light, fine gravel is best and what you will find on running tracks and well maintained park trails.  Your foot follows a circular motion as it is planted and lifted in a running stride.  That circular motion stops when running on a smooth non-giving surface like pavement or the mat of a treadmill.  The circular motion then occurs between your joints and they wear out.  But the worst thing about a treadmill track is that unlike gravel it can grab your foot.  If by accident the tip of your foot hits the track it is immediately pulled out from under you.  It is a terrible thing to be thrown down and ejected off the end of a treadmill.  Especially if you are watching a love scene in a movie.  Joking aside, you can hit your head or break a hip.  Really the only safe thing you can do on a treadmill is walk.  I don't think motor assisted walking is effective exercise.  Running on a motorized treadmill is just too dangerous.  In my "Starting With Aerobics" writing I explain that you should stand erect when you run.  If you hold on to the bar on the treadmill, you lean too forward.  People that run any distance on a treadmill don't hold on.  Actually your feet come out from under you much more easily when holding on. This is because you are leaning forward.   In any case, you think about your balance when you run on a treadmill.  It takes a certain amount of mental and physical energy to maintain your balance.  Therefore it is difficult if not impossible to enter into the meditative state required to run fast and go a long distance (see the "Starting With Aerobics" page). 

Club quality treadmills (the ones at gyms) offer much larger running areas and are much smoother.  They are much safer but still dangerous.  Club quality treadmills cost $2000 and up. You can get a very good home unit at the $1000 price range.  Quietness is another feature you gain as you spend more money.  Keep in mind that I am giving you my opinion based on my experience with the equipment.  I have known people that have run on $600 treadmills for years with great results.  Many people who love to run and live in the northern states run on a treadmill over the winter months.  Being able to run indoors allows them to maintain their running discipline and form until summer comes again.  Phoenix summers are so hot that a runner might use a treadmill over the hottest months.

(equipment photos for example only - pricing may not be accurate)

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Non-motorized (manual) treadmills - THE walking machine

To be honest with you this is a great exercise if you use a good one.  I bought one of these after giving my motorized treadmill to my father-in-law.  Mine was made by Nordic Track and unfortunately is no longer produced.  They are beautiful machines. Some of them were trimmed with wood.  The real beauty with manual treadmills is that they are designed for you to lean forward and hold on.  They are much safer.  Without a motor you must push the track with your stride. Your body is pushed forward requiring you to naturally hold on to the bar to push back.  There is much less chance of you falling because without a motor the track will almost immediately stop if you stumble.  I would rate the intensity of this workout somewhere between power walking and bike riding.  Because there is resistance instead of assistance it offers much more intensity than walking on a motorized treadmill.  An aerobic rhythm is easily obtained and maintained.

It is a perfect exercise to use in combination with an anaerobic program (lifting weights).  I used it for years.  This is also the perfect machine for those that want to briskly walk and not run their way to being fit.  The key word here is brisk.  You must choose to do a rate that will make you sweat.  There are inexpensive machines available.  You probably want to steer clear of the very cheap models.  Good engineering with heavy 4 inch rollers and a perfectly sized flywheel are what made the  Nordic Track so good.  Track adjustments are necessary on any treadmill.  When they are new, as they get broken in the track stretches typically on one side more than the other.  This causes the track to become un-centered, drifting over to one side.  At the outset when the machine is new you must more frequently adjust the track.  Typically the need to adjust the track almost completely goes away as it stretches to its final form.  Cheap machines require more track adjustments.  I moved from non-motorized treadmills to an elliptical only to gain a little more intensity.  I exercised on the manual treadmill for about an hour.  The same level of intensity can be achieved on an elliptical in 35 minutes.  Non-motorized treadmills are much shorter and easy to position and move compared to a motorized treadmill.  Because of the natural walking motion, they may be good machines for people with bad hips.

(equipment photos for example only - pricing may not be accurate)

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Stair steppers

You don't see these around much any more and I wouldn't mention them except for their good qualities.  For safety reasons at one point in my weight lifting (resistance) program I switched from free weights to machines.  One of the things I lost was my squat rack.  Squatting is just that, only with heavy weight on your shoulders.  I know I'm supposed to be writing about aerobic machines.  But the stair stepper is somewhere between aerobics and anaerobics.  Anyway, I have bad knees which is another reason I wanted to quit doing squats.  They are very hard on your knees.  I started using a stair stepper as an aerobic exercise.  Because it is an awkward and very intense exercise I found I could only do about 15 to 20 minutes.  This is not enough time to enter into the deep conditioning zone.  What it did do is get my legs in great muscular shape.  It was like doing squats or leg presses (which is what I do presently) but at a lower, safer level of resistance.  For women it is a very good leg shaping exercise.  With a stepper you don't use a large amount of resistance so it won't make the legs of heavy set women too large.  The aerobic exercise level is not as high as an elliptical  but you still get some effect.  Stair steppers can have a much smaller footprint than most exercise equipment so they can fit in a room very easily. 

The combination of a stepper with a light home gym can be perfect for a slender  woman to work out at home and keep in tight form.  Stepping is a more awkward motion that prohibits your ability to get into a rhythm necessary for long term intensely aerobic exercise.  You need more aerobic intensity than a stepper offers if you want to burn off excess pounds using aerobics.  If you have a history of heart ailments in your family you especially need to get into a higher level of aerobics than what a stepper offers.  A stepper may be too intense in an anaerobic sense for some people.  It's hard exercise.

(equipment photos for example only - pricing may not be accurate)

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Rowing Machines

I have several theories about aging.  One of them is about bending your body.  If I can do it, I always try to use natural animal motion or the motion of children in my examples about exercise.  When it comes to aging, you want to look at children.  As you grow older (unless you work in something like the building trades), you quit doing many of the motions you did as a child.  Watch a child as they play.  They run and bend over constantly.  If you are out of shape, you have quit running and bending your body.  You might sit at a desk all day.  The problem is that it's hard to look cool and play with children (now that's a joke, I love to play with children).  Squats and leg presses are great anaerobic exercises for strengthening the trunk of your body.  Some people either can't or don't want to do those exercises because they are hard to do and they can stress your back and/or knees.  The Rowing motion collapses your body in a total body crunch.  I used to do 1000 repetitions (that's a lot).  I was not happy with the results that I achieved with rowing.  I thought it should be able to flatten my stomach more than it did.  My stomach is one of my genetic weak points and for me traditional crunches only makes it bigger.  I thought using very high reps collapsing my body completely on a rowing motion would have a tremendous effect...but it didn't.  I am thinking that lifting very heavy weights as I did when I was younger can for some people cause the trunk to thicken.  Look at Olympic squat champions.  I wonder if a rowing motion might cause my stomach to flatten now that I'm older and don't lift such heavy weights.   I can't think of another machine that collapses your body more completely than rowing.  It is the exact motion children do and one you don't do as you get older.

Rowing machines are like elliptical machines in that they have numerous design configurations.  The cheap ones use hydraulic cylinders for resistance.  The better ones use magnetic resistance.  Some expensive ones use water resistance.  Some use wind resistance, which is NO resistance.  I like the cheap ones that use hydraulic cylinders because they can fit in a closet and they are easy to carry as they typically weigh only 50 to 60 pounds.  I can just take it out, through it in front of the TV, workout, and through it back in the closet again.  It is one of the few machines you can put in the trunk of your car.  You can find some very exotic rowing machines at Fitness clubs.  They can be designed to function just like rowing a boat, with massive frames and big wide oars.  Club machines may deliver more resistance and be more effective than a cheap machine.  I have never used them because you do (or should do) rowing motions in your resistance (weight) training.  You can get an unlimited amount of resistance doing cable rows on a weight machine.  If you have no intention to lift weights, a more intense rowing exercise might be perfect for you to gain overall musculature.  I want to do a high number of repetitions when I use a rowing machine.  I only want to repeatedly bend my body completely at the waste, so I don't need a lot of resistance.  Remember, I will also do heavier resistance when rowing using cables on a weight machine.  So I believe an inexpensive hydraulic machine works fine for me. 

Rowing is almost as awkward as stepping, so it also is difficult to get into an aerobic range.  For this reason I would only use it to augment my aerobic program.   Rowers have a seat that glides up and down a track as you row.  My old rower (made by Precor) had a flat track. Now days they design rowers so the track angles down toward the oars.  I believe this is a good thing that might make the motion less awkward and improve the machine as an aerobic exerciser.  Pulling myself forward again after rowing back is what made it a difficult exercise on the older machines.  With a downward angled track you should naturally roll forward and this should make it a much more fluid and rhythmic motion.

(equipment photos for example only - pricing may not be accurate)

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 Bicycles

Most people enjoy riding a bike.  They remember when they were younger and rode for hours and hours to special rural places or maybe through an interesting city.  The experience of bicycling is fast enough to allow you to cover miles and miles but slow enough to be able to find and savor all the interesting things that you just fly by in a car.  As you can tell, I love bicycling.  As of this writing, I just bought a new one I really love.  I use a bicycle only after I get myself fit using more effective  aerobic exercises.  This is because bicycling is much less effective than an elliptical or running.  Most people will not ride a bike at the intensity necessary to enter into a true aerobic zone.  For true aerobic effect you must raise your heart rate to your target heart rate for your age and sustain it for over thirty minutes.  Depending on your age, you would have to be going really fast on a bike to do that.  Despite this shortcoming, I find that riding a bike for many hours really is a great body shaping and calorie burning exercise.  In fact, for women, bike riding may be the absolute best way to get and keep great looking legs.  It also has a tremendous positive effect on the lower abdomen and buttocks.  I presently use a really nice "comfort bike."  I prefer road riding and road bikes but they require very flat roads.  The roads in Phoenix where I live can be very bad.  I like riding through the various cities (Tempe, Glendale, Chandler) in the area.  But I don't like riding on the streets in the Phoenix area.  The traffic is just too dangerous.  I need a bike that I can ride on the sidewalk as much as I can to avoid the crazy drivers. 

Mountain biking is in another realm.  If you ride a mountain bike over rough terrain, you can very easily get into the aerobic zone over a very short period of time.  One time I was riding a mountain bike over rocky terrain in Austin, Texas.  I had just gotten over some rough hills and hit some flatter terrain and started peddling full tilt to get to the next mountain.  I did not see a small (one and one half foot) cliff dropping before me.  I flew over it.  I hit and fell hard.  I was bleeding from many points and I hit my head on the rocks.  I could see that I could have easily totally incapacitated myself.  I was lucky I didn't because I was in a remote area...alone.  I had other lesser such experiences and realized that I was getting too old for the potential damage.  I tried to use my mountain bike on the road and realized the geometry of the design was all wrong.  A mountain bikes sets your body in a low hunched over position.  Your body weight is low and set more into the center of the bike's frame for stability.  It results in a terribly uncomfortable position for a long ride.  Eliminating the rough terrain cuts the intensity of the exercise and the bike is so uncomfortable to ride it is very difficult to get into an aerobic zone.  So don't buy a mountain bike if you are going to ride on the road or even a sidewalk.  It is very tempting to think of a mountain bike like a Jeep or a Hummer as being a match for your macho personality.  Don't buy one unless you are going into mountainous terrain,  You won't use it or it will work poorly for obtaining your aerobic goals.

Comfort bike...that sounds weak doesn't it?  It is a bad name for a bike that incorporates some of a road bike's lightweight design and the suspension features of a mountain bike with a relatively comfortable, more upright position for the rider.  They typically come with narrower tires with a flat tread compared to a mountain bike.  The smaller the tire and tread and the bigger the wheel, the easier the bike pedals.  You might be thinking that you want the bike to pedal harder - it's about exercise, isn't it?  With a bike that you will be using on sidewalks and roads, you want to get distance.  The gratification with a mountain bike is in being able to get back into the wild and rough terrain where no man has set foot before.  When you are riding on the road or in the city the gratification is in being able to get somewhere.  I love to be able to set a distant destination in the city.  Tempe, Arizona is 14.5 miles away from my house and is a cool college city.  I love to ride my bike there and back for a total of 29 miles.  I end up doing thirty some miles because I ride around the city enjoying the art galleries, restaurants  and stores.  This would be a very difficult ride on a true mountain bike.  It would be very uncomfortable because of the poor and inefficient pedaling position.  You would apply way more energy into the fat knobby tires.  Comfort bikes cost much less than mountain bikes or road bikes.  Probably because of the stigma of name.  My bike is almost as light as a road bike and yet it has shock absorbers on the front fork and the seat stem.  I live in the center of a bunch of new neighborhoods where riding a road bike would rattle your bones because of the construction damaged roads.  The suspension makes a big difference in your ability to spend time on the bike.  While It pedals almost as well as a road bike, having a suspension allows me to take it off road where it will handle anything that I am willing to risk.  You must remember that a comfort bike sits higher than a mountain bike and because of this is not as stable.  But you can still use it very effectively in rough terrain (not mountains).  The biggest benefit of a Comfort bike is that you sit in a much more comfortable upright position than either a mountain bike or a road bike. 

It's much easier to spend a day on a comfort bike than a road bike.  To lessen air resistance, a road bike puts you into a "racing" position where you are low and uncomfortably bent over.  It's interesting that both mountain bikes and road bikes bend you over but for different reasons.  I bought a road bike and returned it just prior to purchasing my comfort bike.  The road bike hurt my lower back - partly because it rattled my bones because it did not have suspension, partly because of being uncomfortably bent over.  I love road bikes because the science of bicycle manufacturing is to eliminate as much weight as possible.  A good road bike is amazingly light and they pedal with almost no resistance.  Try one at your neighborhood bike shop.  You will be amazed.  You can get road bikes with mountain bike handlebars to raise your riding position a little.  But if you are going to ride on anything but very smooth surfaces, you want a suspension.  When I was younger, I could take the impact...I can't anymore.  A true comfort bike has 27 to 28 inch wheels as opposed to 26 inch mountain bike wheels.  The bigger the wheel, the better a bike will roll.  The larger diameter wheels of a comfort bike offer the biggest difference in their capability to roll and get more distance than a mountain bike.  Now days you can buy comfort bikes that are almost as light as a road bike.  The added strength, comfort and limited off road capability makes them the best choice for most people.  A road bike is the only way to go if you are looking to do over 70 miles or if you have perfect roads.  If there are any bumps in the road you will be much better off with a comfort bike.  You can still do 70 miles if you get a good one. 

It is very difficult to get a consistent true aerobic workout using a bicycle.  One reason for this is because a bicycle freewheels.  It can roll for long periods with no energy applied.  If you ride uphill you get exercise.  If you ride downhill you get very little exercise.  Another reason is that It takes too much time for most people.  I estimate you would have to do about 20-35 miles on a mountain bike, 35-60 miles on a comfort bike, and over 70 miles on a road bike.  While a bike ride might not offer a true aerobic workout, it does deliver muscular conditioning.  You can gain tremendous leg and abdomen conditioning riding a bike.   For people new to exercise, a bike can deliver a workout much easier than most methods because they are just that...easy.  It will take months to develop the discipline and form to use running as an aerobic conditioning.  You could spend a day on a bike tomorrow and receive some excellent muscular conditioning.   But the key word here is "day."  You have to exercise over a period of many hours to receive the effect.  Because of this I use bike riding as weekend entertainment that replaces only one of my elliptical workouts (weather permitting).  There is good shock value in going from elliptical to biking (see the "Aerobic" page).  That is because the muscles used in bicycling somewhat work against those used in elliptical training and radically work against the muscles used in running.  This will make an elliptical or running workout harder and  more effective.  You must not use shock training until you are very fit and experienced with your primary exercise.  When you are just starting out, you have to be careful not to negatively affect your ability to do your primary exercise, be it elliptical training, running or something else (see the "Starting With Aerobics" page).

There have been times that I propose a bike ride to older adults.  Usually they just don't want to do it.  They think it's for children.  Whenever I have won out and gotten a little riding group together you should see the smiles on their faces.  You are out in the world looking at all the little things that you miss in life as you get older.  You can roll through beautiful city plazas, gardens and parks, savoring the environment.  You can go down the side streets and see things you would never have seen any other way.  You can go into the beautiful countryside and back again because on a bike you have the range to do it.  You can also get killed if you aren't careful.  You must watch for cars at all times.  The lady that sold me my bike told me of a friend of hers that got hit by a car coming out of an alley on the sidewalk.  You must always be looking left and right.  Ride on the sidewalk whenever you can, but still always be looking.  I get up on Saturday put on some sun screen and ride my bike to somewhere I like or have never been before.  I really enjoy seeing the area I live in just like when I was a child.  Remember when you were young and took the time to know all the secret places in the area you lived?  I take it slow (not too slow) and I stop and spend a little time here and there at parks or interesting stores and I will frequently get a bite to eat.  Unlike high-intensity exercises, you can eat and return to your workout with little chance of it upsetting your stomach or stopping your workout.  When I'm done riding my bike, I feel aerobically exercised.  I don't know why because I know the intensity of the exercise is not enough.  I think it is because after four hours of continuously working out I believe I must obtain some significant aerobic effect.  Maybe I am confusing the feeling of being aerobically fit with the real toning effect bike riding has on my musculature, especially my legs and stomach.  I feel good and I feel tight.  Riding bikes alone or with a group of good friends is great exercise and for some of you it will be the best time of your life.  It is a wonderful way to get outside of your house.

(equipment photos for example only)

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Stationary bicycles

Recumbent bicycles are the among the worst exercises you can do.  Riding a bike on trails, sidewalks and roads requires using muscles to balance and control a moving bike.  Planting yourself on a stationary bike removes the element of balancing lateral motion.  This eliminates a large amount of intensity that you get from regular bicycling.  Bicycling is already low on the aerobic scale.  You have to spend a lot of time on one to get an inferior aerobic workout.  A combination of motions make outdoor bicycling is a great muscle toning exercise.  Stationary bicycling eliminates many of those motions and is aerobically less effective than outdoor bicycling.  This means that it will take hours and hours of exercise to have an effect.  Because they don't freewheel and there are no hills to go up or especially down, the resistance delivered by a stationary bike is consistent. This is one good thing they have over moving bikes.  But, if you turn up the resistance the motion becomes uncomfortable and difficult to maintain over the hours it will take to have any effect.  Recumbent bicycles are relatively large machines that will be hard to place in a room.

(equipment photos for example only - pricing may not be accurate)

Upright stationary bikes are better than recumbent bikes.  This is because the upright position requires some balance control using your muscles...but not much.  You are still planted compared to a moving bike.  One consideration in the favor of stationary bikes is for extremely overweight people.  Some stationary bikes designed for home use may be more capable of supporting heavier people than other types of machines designed for home use.  A heavier person could use one as an interim solution until they are fit enough to progress to a more effective solution.  But in this case I might recommend walking, power walking or a non-motorized treadmill (see above).  Or a heavier person could go to a fitness club and use club grade equipment.  Or they can purchase club grade equipment.

(equipment photos for example only - pricing may not be accurate)

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Power walking, jogging and running

Power walking is defined in the Wikipedia (an online encyclopedia) as walking at a speed at the upper end of the natural range for the walking gait, typically 4.5 to 5.5 mph. In this range walking and jogging are almost equally efficient.  The walking gait may deliver significantly less impact to the joints.  I have never used power walking.  My wife has used it and feels it is a very effective aerobic.  I quit running because of damages to my feet.  So I have to believe that power walking is a way to go for people like myself - those whose joints and ligaments cannot take the impact incurred by jogging or running.  Based on my wife's experience, I recommend power walking, especially if you have access to walking trails.  There is something very special about exercising outdoors.  You are in the natural environment, where you were meant to be.  You must use sun block if you do it when the sun is high. Fresh air and sunshine can invigorate and motivate your workout.  You must maintain or exceed a 4.5 mile per hour gate.  I can see where the biggest problem with this exercise will be the natural tendency to let your gait wind down to a level too low to maintain your target heart rate.  Any rate of walking is better than no exercise at all.  But, people that expect body forming results from their exercise must keep their rate of exercise up to a level that causes them to sweat.  If you are not sweating, you need to raise your rate of exercise by increasing your gait if you want to burn calories and gain tightness.  You must monitor time to control gait.  As you monitor the time it takes to do your workout, you will discover the fastest time you are capable of producing.  Set that time as your benchmark.  If you consistently find yourself doing your workout in less time than your benchmark...lower your benchmark time or add distance.  Apply the three set rule covered in the "Starting With Aerobics" page.

Jogging is running with a smaller stride.  The level of intensity from running is governed by two factors: the height you raise your knee and your gait (speed).  With walking you hardly raise your legs at all.  Jogging or running requires you raise your knees.  The higher the knee is raised, the longer the stride.  One way of shortening a run is to kick your leg out in an attempt to gain a longer stride.  Raising the knee higher naturally results in your leg kicking out in a longer stride.  Pushing your leg forward is an unnatural motion that breaks the natural almost circular motion that is the best form for jogging or running. 

Running is probably the most effective exercise a person can do for aerobic conditioning.  It is the perfect exercise for younger fit people to use to sustain an aerobic effect over thirty minutes.  The rate is perfect and it offers the shortest time to exercise to gain the maximum aerobic result.  But nothing is perfect.  As covered in the "Starting With Aerobics" page, running depends on balance and form more than any other exercise.  You must control your breath and use an odd number of strides over the period that you inhale and exhale.   The delicate balance that must be maintained in order to effectively run can be easily upset by doing opposing exercises.  For example, a person that runs a great distance at a tremendous rate will be stopped in their tracks if they do six sets of ten squats using a weight approaching their body weight.  Why is that?  The effect to and development of muscles that results from squatting diametrically oppose that required for running.  You can't extensively do squats or leg presses or ride bicycle and then run a great distance.  You can do these exercises a little bit, recreationally.  But if you do them to a point they have a large impact, your next run is over.  The result will be that you will not able to do a great distance as you did before.  It will hurt too much.  Your run can never be the same while you are doing these opposing exercises.

Another problem with running is impact.  My feet were damaged by running.  An added reason for this damage is that I used racing shoes instead of training shoes.  Training shoes have a much thicker sole designed to absorb impact.  If you are considering running or jogging, buy the best training shoes you can afford.  Regardless of the shoe you wear, running can damage the feet of people with weak bones and ligaments.  Running consumes more energy than any other exercise except jumping rope.  It is very difficult to run and maintain a weight lifting regimen because of the extent that an effective run will exhaust you.  Running alone is the most euphoric meditative thing you can do.  But combined with weights it's exhausting.

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Enter the elliptical trainer

Elliptical exercise can offer an ALMOST perfect aerobic exercise over a thirty minute period.  It is perfect for older people or younger people who are balancing weights (anaerobics) with aerobics.  The elliptical delivers no impact to your bones.  But the elliptical does hold your feet in a constant position.  This means that for some the limited twisting that does occur in the motion can be felt in the knees and hips.  I have found the negative motion very minimal.  But my brother who has a bad hip can't use an elliptical.  The intensity of elliptical exercise is somewhere between bicycling and running.  I would say it is well over three quarters as effective as running.  While not quite as effective as running, it is perfect, and I mean that it is a perfect exercise to do in conjunction with a weight or resistance program.  You can do both without totally exhausting yourself.  You can do a forward elliptical motion that effects your muscles much the same as a bicycle.  Or you can peddle backwards doing a reverse motion that effects your muscles much like jumping rope.  I never do a forward motion.  I exclusively peddle in reverse.  Why is that?  The muscles used in the reverse motion are in no way impacted by doing leg presses.  Leg presses, depending on the machine used, can be very similar to squats.  They will upset your ability to do the forward motion on an elliptical machine.  But they have little to no effect on the muscles used in the reverse motion.  This feature is what makes an elliptical the perfect aerobic to use with resistance training and weight lifting, particularly squats or leg presses.  In my opinion the reverse motion is the only way to go for anyone using the machine.  The reverse motion is more natural than the forward motion and is more conducive to the rhythm required to sustain much longer periods of deep aerobics.

Unlike a treadmill, you are very stable on an elliptical.  On some units you can hold on to a bar in front of you or to the sides.  But I highly recommend you use one that has a "Dual Action" motion.  Years ago ski machines were very popular.  (I owned two of them).  While ski machines are a little too awkward to easily maintain an aerobic rhythm, they offered an upper body exercise that emulated ski poles used in cross country skiing.  You can get this feature on an elliptical machine.  This feature greatly increases the aerobic intensity but most importantly it rotates your waist producing a highly effective waist trimming motion.  The combined motions create one of the safest and the most effective aerobic exercises you can do indoors.

(equipment photos for example only - pricing may not be accurate)

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Jumping Rope

Jumping rope is the most effective aerobic exercise an extremely fit person can do indoors.  There is nothing like it.  If you can do thirty minutes at a rate over 120 revolutions per minute, you have no fitness issues.  You are an animal.   Some people might contend with me that it is that effective.  All I can say is do it and judge for yourself.  I was happy to be able to do 20 minutes. Fast running (15 mph+) with a long stride is more aerobic than jumping rope.  But fast running is very exhausting and requires a perfect balance and control of mind and body typically not achievable by working people and/or older people.  Interestingly, the reverse motion on the elliptical is more similar to jumping rope than to running.  But unlike the elliptical, jumping rope will be more negatively effected by other anaerobic exercises such as squats, leg presses and bicycle riding.  Obviously rhythm is the secret to being able to jump rope, especially over an extended period.  Jumping rope is not as natural or as easy of a motion as running.  This makes it more difficult to get into an aerobic rhythm and less fun and less comfortable to do over an extended period.   For some reason this exercise always drifts out of my life.  I think it is because it is very difficult to do over ten minutes.  It's too rigorous and noisy  to do while watching TV.  It is a very difficult motion for people just starting out who are not in good condition.   It's hard on chandeliers too.  But, you can get a jump rope for under $10.  Compare that to the price of an elliptical machine.  I found that costly leather jump ropes are not as good as the cheap plastic beaded ones.  One thing to remember...do not use a plastic bead jump rope barefooted.  The stinging pain of one of these things hitting your toes is unforgettable.  Jump rope workout videos are available to teach you how to do it right and to show you a variety of jumps.

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Aerobic Dance...or calisthenics done to your favorite music

Some of the fittest people use aerobic dance because it's fun.  Don't think it is easy though.  This type of exercise is typically lead by an instructor who will put you through many different motions and calisthenics that will definitely work you.  For those of you who like to dance this may be the most fun you will ever have while getting yourself in top form.  But again, be aware that this is definitely not an easy way to go.  Group aerobic instructors are always in top shape and their workouts will typically be much harder than most aerobic exercises.  But the advantage is in the motion.  Depending on the instructor, you may move your body in ways that will give you more overall tone than any other aerobic exercise.  Some Instructors use tools such as portable "steps" to add vertical resistance to the motions.  Like running, this exercise may tire you to a point that it can impact your ability to do anaerobic exercise (resistance exercises such as lifting weights), and it will take more time than most aerobic exercises such as the elliptical.  But if you are already in good form,  this may be the only exercise you need.  These classes can be available from gymnasiums and fitness centers.  Sometimes they are available at churches or community centers at much less cost.  You can use video taped programs or DVD's and you can even find instruction for free on your television set.  But I think the keys to dedication and success are best found in a live personalized service.  You might be able to meet some great people.  Aerobic dance is not just for women!  Boyfriend and girlfriend, man and wife can go on a date to an aerobic dance class to enjoy a wonderful night of fitness entertainment.  For some couples, this is the easiest and most fun way to maintain fitness in their lives.

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Silly machines

Every once in a while a new form of exercise machine hits the market.  Health Riders are another type of machine that appears to be a great motion but is just too awkward to achieve the rhythm necessary to easily get into the aerobic zone.  It's not really a silly machine in its function.  What made it silly was that it became so prolific.  The price for it fell through the floor.  When they were popular, everyone had one sitting off to the side in their house or apartment.  This was the classic coat rack.   Consider the fact that the elliptical trainer started out a silly unknown machine that was originally sold in infomercials.  New and innovative machines will be coming and should always be considered in the quest for the perfect fitness experience.

Aerobic fitness exercises...the factors you should consider

Safety is always the most important consideration.  It won't do you much good to get fit and then break a hip or something on a motorized treadmill.  Rhythm is very important.   Some exercises are very effective but are awkward making them impossible to sustain over a period of time long enough to get into an aerobic zone.   It is the rhythm of an exercise, the ease in which one motion blends into the next that determines your ability to sustain it over a period of time.  The amount of resistance should be considered.  Some exercises are more anaerobic than others.  That is they will stress and build muscles more than typical aerobic exercises.  While building muscle is a good thing, an exercise must not be so hard that it can't be sustained thirty minutes into the deep aerobic zone.  An exercise must be easy enough so you don't have to waste energy thinking about doing it.  You want to be able to get into a relaxed state and for some exercises such as running even a meditative state, so you can forget about time and discomfort.  I would say pain but I want you to always be aware that you can hurt yourself by over exercising and doing it wrong.  If it hurts you should immediately stop and assess the pain to determine if you are damaging yourself.  Ask someone you know with experience with the exercise (preferably a medical expert) if a particular pain is to be expected during a workout  and at what level.  I will tell you that you must balance discomfort when you workout.  But if it hurts stop and analyze it.

Another important thing to many people is time effectiveness.  With an elliptical machine, running or jumping rope you do the recommended 30 minutes of exercise at the perfect level of intensity and you walk away from it. These exercises offer the fastest and easiest way to get a deep aerobic workout.  You will have to give more time to most of the other exercises discussed in this writing.  Some exercises will not be easily capable of raising the heart rate of a younger person into their target zone.  They simply won't work as an aerobic exercise.  Some exercises are in between.  They can get you into an aerobic zone, but again, they will require you to exercise for a longer period of time. 

If you are thinking about buying a piece of equipment...

...you might want to join a club and try before you buy.  You don't have to buy a machine without trying that type of exercise first.  I don't enjoy dressing for and driving to and from a health club.  It is just too much time for me to waste.  But that's just me.  Many people thrive in and enjoy the gym environment.  When I get interested in trying a new type of exercise, I research it and buy the machine.  If I don't like it, I sell it or give it away.  If you are a person with children, exercising at home may be your easiest choice.  This depends on how easy it is to get your children together and ready to travel.  Most gyms have child and even infant care.  But getting them there can be a major undertaking.  One you can forgo if you have equipment at home.  You can exercise while the baby is playing or sleeping.

What is the difference between the inexpensive and commercial equipment?  Larger bushings and/or roller bearings will allow the commercial grade equipment to function more smoothly and for years and years...maybe a lifetime.  Some of the less expensive equipment will be hard pressed to survive three years.  But, I have owned cheap equipment that survived for years and years too.  Generally, you get what you pay for especially when it comes to smooth faultless function, but not always.  For home use, most of the middle grade equipment shown in this writing should be very smooth in function and last as long or nearly as long as commercial grade equipment.

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* Time is relative to intensity relative to target heart rate.  It is loosely  based on 30 to 35 minutes at an individual's target heart rate for their age using an elliptical machine or running.  Any exercise approaching 60 minutes may not be intense enough to raise the heart rate to target.

** It is this author's belief that an acceptable rate cannot be maintained on this machine. Therefore most people will not be able to obtain the target time of 30 minutes.

*** It is possible to get a true aerobic using a mountain bike in the mountains or by riding at the level of a bicycle racer.  Due to safety constraints, it is assumed most people will ride at a much reduced intensity.

Note:  The information in this chart is based on the experience of the author.  This information is only accurate if an individual maintains an effective rate of exercise.  This information is loosely accurate because it is dependant on an individual's rate of exercise.

WARNING:

Before using this information or beginning any exercise program, consult your physician. This is especially important for persons over the age of 35 or with pre-existing health problems.  Mark Jorgensen, Dr. Terry Simpson and all of his affiliated organizations assume no responsibility for personal injury or property damage sustained by or through use of this information.