by James - This article may contain affiliate links.
Do you want to lose weight and don’t know what are the best home cardio machines? Here are the best four which help you to burn calories quickly.
- 1. Treadmill – Burning 500-1200 calories/hour
- 2. Stationary Bikes – Burning 500-1000 cal/hour
- 3. Rowing Machines – Burning 700-1100 cal/hour
- 4. Stair Climbers (Step Mill) – 800-1400 calories burned per hour
- 5. Jump Rope – Burning 500-1000 cal/hour
- 6. Punching bag for boxing or kickboxing – 600-800 calories burned per hour
- 7. Plyometric exercises
- 8. Weight lifting
- 9. Kettlebells
1. Treadmill – Burning 500-1200 cals/hour
A treadmill is the most popular gym equipment for sure and for a good reason. The incline treadmill is a versatile piece of fitness equipment that is suitable for any goal and fitness level. If you want to lose weight, it must be in your cardio routines.
Why does it work so well?
Because it stimulates two healthy natural activities: running and walking (low impact cardio). Both of them are ideal for losing weight and to keep your body fit and healthy. ????
NordicTrack T Series Treadmills
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But, if you want to get even better results, you should learn how to use it correctly. For example, forget the handles. They help you too much, and they do not let you use your entire body. This way, you will burn fewer calories.
Also, you can find many inbuilt features in treadmills. For example, you can increase the angle of the running area. On incline level, it is going to be much harder to run or walk means more calorie burn and increased heart rate. You can also use it for low impact workouts. The LCD display gives info on your practice.
Moreover, treadmills come with inbuilt programs such as high interval training (HIIT) ones which are proven to be burning calories after you finish the workout for hours by boosting your metabolism.
So, to get the most from your treadmill workouts, learn its functions inside out. ????????
Check out these treadmill buying tips:
2. Stationary Bikes – Burning 500-1000 cal/hour
If you do not like running or you want something a little bit easier than an exercise bike is maybe the best exercise equipment that help you lose weight.
The modern home exercise bikes are very comfortable to use since you can adjust them in many ways, for example, the front back position, the height of the seat or the handle bar, etc. So, you can set the exercise bike to your body providing comfortable usage even if you pedal for a long time. And the longer you cycle, the more calories you will burn.
JOROTO Indoor Cycling Bike
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On top of that, modern indoor bikes are so well-designed that you feel as if you were riding a real bike outdoor. Finally, they also come with inbuilt programs such as HIIT, and you can quickly alter the resistance. ????♀️
Some people find it boring, for them a spin class is a better option.
There are two types of bikes upright and recumbent bike.
3. Rowing Machines – Burning 700-1100 cal/hour
The rowing machine is my personal favorite, and I think it is the best cardio machine to increase heart rate. It works all parts of your body from top to bottom and develops the cardiovascular system very efficiently. Since, the rowing move is a compound exercise, meaning multiple muscles work together, it burns a lot of calories. So, you will have a full body workout. ????
Sunny Health & Fitness SF-RW5515 Magnetic Rowing Machine
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Furthermore, you can adjust the indoor rowing machine for your body, providing comfortable usage, and pick from some resistance levels. These cardio machines also come with inbuilt programs and thanks to their versatility you can use them for many types of training from low impact to high-intensity workouts. I think the rover is the best gym equipment for weight loss and toning.
Concept2 Model D with wind resistance is the best buy. There are models with water tank, air resistance, and magnetic resistance settings. But here are more indoor rower buying tips.
4. Stair Climbers (Step Mill) – 800-1400 calories burned per hour
Climbing stairs for a long time is a tough cardio exercise for sure. You have to lift your body weight and fight against gravity. The stair machine mimics the stepping motion making it one of the hardest cardio machines at the gym. But, that is why it is such powerful home cardio equipment for fat loss. Anyway, it is like an incline treadmill with stairs. ????
MaxiClimber
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On top of that, the stair stepper is as versatile as the previous models. You can change the speed and set it for various workout programs. The performance monitor gives all the info on your training. But, the price tag is high.
5. Jump Rope – Burning 500-1000 cal/hour
If you are on a budget or have no space to store a cardio machine, the jump rope is the best home exercise equipment for weight loss. Jump roping supports not only fat loss, but also improves coordination, improves bone density, breathing efficiency, and decreases leg muscle injuries.
How many calories can you burn with jump roping? That mainly depends on the intensity, aka. how many jumps you can make per minute, and how heavy you are. According to the skipping calculator here, a 200 lb person jumping for 30 seconds with 100-120 per minute, burns 550-600 cals.
The only downside is that if you aren’t familiar with jump roping yet, you need to practice. But, once you are accustomed to it, you can quickly learn various jumps to make your workout more intensive and versatile.
If you want to buy a skipping rope for home, get a speed rope that gives far faster rotation.
6. Punching bag for boxing or kickboxing – 600-800 cals burned per hour
A heavy bag workout is a fantastic way to burn fat. It’s a full-body workout as it burns a lot of calories in a short time. Also, it helps to release stress and much more exciting than running or cycling. Moreover, it boosts endurance, self-confidence, and coordination. ???? It’s better than a home cardio machine to get your heart pumping and add less impact on your joints.
According to Valdosta State University, a 200-pound person burns about 600 calories per hour with heavy bag workout. With spearing over 800, and if we fight in the ring, that number is over 1100. It also works your core muscles.
Century Original Wavemaster
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The downside of punching workout is that you need to learn the basics of boxing to perform the moves correctly to get the desired calorie-burning effect. But, there are tons of boxing tutorials for beginners online. Another problem is that you need space and correct installation for the heavy bag.
Alternatively, you can get a freestanding punching bag that doesn’t require installation, and you can place it int the corner of the room when you don’t need it. Speed or a double end bag also doesn’t require much space, but they are better for improving the boxing technique, but still sufficient workout for burning fat.
We have a detailed guide on how to buy a heavy bag for home.
7. Plyometric exercises
Plyometric exercises are great to develop explosive power, but also boost the heart rate quickly, so perfect burning fat. There are a lot of plyo activities for upper body and lower body you can do without any home gym equipment at all, such as high or long jumps, burpees, etc.
However, for a save and versatile plyometric workout a getting a plyometric box isn’t a bad idea. We can modify the height, and boxes give a stable platform to jump off and on.
8. Weight lifting
When we think about losing weight with exercising, we mainly think of cardio training. But, did you know that the more muscle mass we have, the faster the metabolism is? That means even if we don’t work out, the muscles burn calories. Also, when we train, we can burn more calories since more muscles requires more energy. ????
How to build muscle? With resistance training, which can be lifting weight or doing bodyweight conditioning. If you prefer weight lifting, you can start with a pair of adjustable dumbbells, but a barbell with weights is also recommended. For bodyweight strength workout, nothing special is required. A pull-up bar will do.
To get the benefits, it’s important to strengthen both your lower and upper body muscle groups.
9. Kettlebells
Kettlebells are versatile workout equipment that we can use for both strength and cardio workouts, and we can combine them. HIIT drills with a kettlebell, which includes swings, are particularly beneficial for losing weight.
The downside is that for various home exercises, we need different weights. Hence we need individual pieces that require floor space. Or, we can get an adjustable kettlebell that substitutes multiple items, and we can quickly change the amount of weight.
AmazonBasics Cast Iron Kettlebell
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Conclusion
Now you know which are the best cardio machines that burn the most calories. If you are a beginner, I recommend you pick one that you enjoy the most and stick to it for some time. If your fitness level is higher, you may try to combine the mentioned cardio machines. Also, don’t forget to use the functions of the machine to mix your cardio workout programs, for instance, change the pace of the resistance level, etc. This way you can have a high-intensity interval training that boosts your pulse up to the sky and the most efficient type of cardio workout for fat burning.
There are several other pieces of cardio workout machines out there, such as the elliptical machine, but it is easy to cheat on it, so I did not mention on this list.
FAQ
What is the best overall exercise equipment for home gym?
It is hard to tell since the answer depends on what your aims are. If you want to build muscle, I put my vote on dumbbells. If you want to have calorie burning workouts, I recommend the rowing machines.
