Exercising at home is a real alternative for anyone who wants to exercise regularly but does not necessarily want to join a gym.
Some of the cross trainers and exercise bikes that are now available for home users provide excellent levels of exercise. The workouts that can be done on these machines compare very favourably with those that you would associate with professional gym equipment.
Cross trainers and exercise bikes that are marketed for home use are understandably smaller in size than those you normally find in the gym. This does not however mean that they are lacking in features or that they are not up to the job.
If you are trying to decide whether you should invest in a cross trainer or an exercise bike the choice does tend to depend on what exactly you hope to achieve from the machine.
In general terms people who use an exercise bike tend to want to work, primarily, on their leg and abdominal muscles. Exercise bikes also provide excellent cardiovascular exercise.
A cross trainer will work on the same areas as an exercise bike but will also work on several additional areas as well. In fact a cross trainer is several exercise machines rolled into one. Not only does it provide exercise for legs and abdomen and heart but can also be used to strengthen the arms, back and shoulder muscles.
A cross trainer is referred to as being a 'low impact' exerciser. You get the same benefits that you would expect to get from jogging but avoid most of the problems that joggers often suffer from.
Jogging puts a great deal of strain on your back, ankles, shins and knee joints. Using a cross trainer avoids these problems as your feet are always in contact with the machines foot plate. This means that you are not subjected to the constant jarring that a jogger has to contend with. The intensity of the exercise itself is however just the same as you would expect from a session road training. You burn just as many calories using a cross trainer as you would by jogging.
A cross trainer allows you to set the resistance level of the machine to suit the user's fitness level. On the more expensive machines the resistance level is usually set electronically whilst the budget machines rely on a manual adjustment.
The slightly more sophisticated machines also have a number of programmes built into their computers and the user selects the one which most fits his (or her) requirements.
Virtually all cross trainers, even the most basic models, tend to have a monitor of some description that gives basic information about the workout such as distance, time, speed and calorie consumption. Some of the mid price range machines also monitor the users heart rate.
If you are still undecided whether a cross trainer or exercise bike is what you need there are actually machines that combine the functions of cross trainer and exercise bike.
There is obviously a cost involved in purchasing an exercise machine of your own. Bear in mind that this will however be a one off cost and you should be able to use the machine for many years to come. If you compare this to an annual gym subscription even buying a relatively expensive machine could be classed as a saving in the long term.
One other benefit of owning your own exercise equipment is convenience. You can schedule your exercising comfortably around your everyday life and exercise any time that is convenient for you.
You can even do your workout while you watch tv if that is what you want to do.
Exercising in the privacy of your own home can have a lot of benefits. If you buy something like the JTX Magnetic Cross Trainer for example you can virtually do the same exercise routines you might do at the gym. Even the less expensive cross trainers are capable of providing quite a high degree of exercise.
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