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 What the rower and the moving stairs may lack in traffic, they can
make up for in effectiveness and intensity for people willing to
think outside the box.
“What’s the best piece of cardio equipment? My short answer is the
one no one’s using,” said exercise physiologist Tom Holland, author
of “Beat the Gym.”
People tend to do what they’re good at and what they see others
doing, he said.
Holland's favorite under-appreciated machine is the moving stairs.
“It’s tougher than the traditional StairMaster, harder to cheat on,
and usually hidden away in dark recesses of the gym,” he said.
The treadmill is the most used machine, according to the trade
association IHRSA (International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub
Association), followed by resistance machines and elliptical
trainers.
Stair climbers and recumbent cycles are among the most ignored, it
says.
Hayley Zawadzki, personal training manager at the New York Health
and Racquet Club (NYHRC) fitness center chain in Manhattan, favors
the rowing machine.
“It burns a high amount of calories in a short amount of time,
activates large muscle groups and is also good for training cardio
endurance for marathoners and triathletes,” she said.
Zawadzki believes the rower is not very popular because it takes
some guidance to use properly.
“As a warm-up, it’s a great way to loosen up the body, break a quick
sweat,” she said. “Our trainers use it in circuit training as a
cardio burst between strength training intervals.”
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Nasario Meija, vice president at Crunch Fitness, said just as the
rower is not only for athletes, the recumbent bike, which puts
riders in a laid-back position, is recommended mostly for beginners.
“It does not require as much dynamic movement as a rower or a
treadmill,” Meija said. “It’s a good starting point into a
progressive cardio routine, or for people with lower back or knee
problems because it’s very soft on the joints.”
Holland said it’s a mistake to always do the same machines in the
same order.
“We need mix it up,” he said. “Start every workout with an exercise
you don’t like, or use one piece of equipment you’re not used to,
and the body will respond.”
(Editing by Patricia Reaney and Gunna Dickson)
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