[She]

I’m about to max out my elliptical machine’s resistance settings. When I do, I want to purchase a second piece of cardio equipment to shake up my aerobic routine.

I’m considering purchasing either an exercise bike or a gazelle. I don’t have room for a treadmill, so that really isn’t an option. My question is as follows, even though a gazelle is technically listed as an elliptical device, it has a very different range of motion than my current elliptical and by leaning forward on the gazelle, I should be able to work out my upper body and core more. These two factors make the gazelle very appealing to me.

My question is, am I overestimating the effective difference between the gazelle and a standard elliptical device? In essence, I want to keep my body guessing to maximum my exercise benefits. Do any PT’s or fitness gurus have a suggestion as to which piece of equipment I should purchase and why?

I already do strength training every other day and regularly change up my routine, so there’s no need to address that particular issue.

Thanks!

~Julie

[Meg]

Hi Julie! I've never tried a gazelle, so unfortunately I can't give you any advice about it.

As for bikes, I personally find them much less challenging than ellipticals. IMO, bikes are an easier workout and my fear is that you might be disappointed in the level of difficulty. Have you had a chance to compare a bike to your elliptical?

You say that you've maxed out your elliptical's resistance. Have you tried increasing intensity in other ways than resistance? Speed and/or intervals, for example? I find that I can get my heart rate higher by lowering the intensity and going faster - like 180 - 200+ RPM. Since you're already doing strength training for your legs, you don't need to try to build muscle with high resistance. Have you tried FLYING on your elliptical to see if it gives you a better workout?

BTW, I don't think it's a big deal to shake up cardio the same way we change up our weight routines. As long as you're getting your heart rate into your target zone, you're getting the calorie burning benefits of cardio exercise. I did the same amount of cardio on the same machine every day for a year and lost 122 pounds, so I think the same old routine worked OK for me.

[hellcatjill]

I have a gazelle, but we just got it before we moved and I've only gotten to use it a few times because of that. I like it because it doesn't hurt my knees the way bikes do. Leaning forward certainly seems to work out my arms (at least by the feel of it).

[She]

Hellcatjill: The fact that the gazelle doesn't hurt your knees makes the gazelle sound even more appealing to me. Though I do not have knee problems, per se, I am always looking for ways to avoid them by keeping my aerobics low impact

Meg: What exactly is FLYING? I assume you mean going really, really fast?

I'm currently on my elliptical 12th resistance setting, which means I only have 2 more upgrades left. After I maxed out the final two levels, I figured that I would become faster and faster since my legs should grow accustomed to the resistance. At that point, I thought I'd start doing some HIT (?) training, where I alternate between slow and fast paces.

I think it's pretty interesting that we may not need to shake up our cardio the same way we shake up our weight training. - Also, I was afraid that the bike would be much easier for me than my current elliptical machine and therefore leave me dissatisfied with my workouts. Your post seems to confirm that. The only way I saw possibly around this, was spinning - but I'm not totally certain even about that.

Thanks for all the input!

~Julie

[2BFIT1]

I recently purchased this elliptical crosstrainer. It works both upper and lower body, or each separately. It has 20 levels of resistance and several different workout programs to pick from. I don't think that I could ever out-grow this one, which is why I chose it.
http://us.home.lifefitness.com/conte...ipticaltrainer

[Meg]

Sorry for being confusing, Julie! 'Flying' is what I always say to myself when I'm going to take off and let 'er rip on the elliptical - kinda a little pep talk to me (we're gonna FLY now!) Yeah, I mean really, really fast.

I think that your idea of moving into HIIT training is a good one. It's High Intensity Interval Training, the same idea as the intervals I suggested as a way to increase intensity. Spinning uses the same principles of interval training, which is why it's such an awesome workout too. I suppose you could do intervals on a bike in order to make it more challenging, though I've read that we burn more calories when we do cardio on our feet rather than sitting down (since you have to move your whole body weight).

Sil - I am SO jealous of your elliptical trainer! That looks awesome!

[WaterRat]

The only way I saw possibly around this, was spinning - but I'm not totally certain even about that

I would certainly agree that unless you're really really into it a stationary bike won't give you as good a workout as the elliptical/cross-trainer. But you mentioned spinning, and from what I've read and heard from my friends by email (one of whom teaches spinning) it can be a very good workout. It seems to me that it is an HIIT exercise, done in a class setting. I know my friend spends lots of time getting the music for her class, has to be "just right" for the tempo she's setting. She is very fit! When she broke her arm (outdoor biking) she just moved to running and was able to do 5K the first day. Now she's back spinning.

My gym has just gotten spinning bikes, and is currently getting the trainers trained and certified. After the build-up from my friend, I'm anxious to try it, at least as a change.