You don't have to do cardio to lose fat, but cardio machines can be helpful for
boosting your metabolism and burning more fat.
And if you use interval training, you can get more results than if you did traditional
aerobic cardio. But that's another story for another time. Let's take a look at
which machines burn the most calories and which ones are worth your time.
An okay choice: Elliptical Machines.
The biggest reason to choose elliptical machines... => you've got a bum knee.
I have worked with clients with extreme osteoarthritis and we were able to use these
machines for a decent workout without pain - but the results didn't compare to clients
that used a stationary bike or treadmill for their interval training.
So in general, I'm not overly impressed by the elliptical machine for fat loss.
If you go into any gym, compare the bodies on the ellipticals to the ones on other
machines...most of the time, the people on the ellipticals make no progress from
month to month.
And having given the elliptical a "go" once or twice on my own, it just
didn't challenge me as a treadmill does.
But if you have bad knees, or if you are an exception to my experience, feel free
to keep rocking the elliptical!
Up next...The Stationary Bike
The bike can be easy on your knees as well, particularly if you are overweight and
can't support your bodyweight on the treadmill.
Personally, I like the stationary bikes a lot. The set up allows you to do a large
amount of mechanical work during your interval training - and that is what puts
Turbulence on the muscle and allows you to increase your post-exercise metabolism.
In fact, when I first started designing the interval workouts back in 2001, I used
stationary bikes exclusively.
I also think that the bike allows you to work very hard with less risk of injury.
Running sprints outside or on a treadmill requires a much more extensive warm-up
due to the explosive nature of sprinting.
If you don't know your body, running sprints or hills probably isn't the best place
to start. I've met too many people that have jumped right into hill training and
been hurt within 1 week. sprints.