Any Cardio Recomendations for a bigger guy

[JayWarrior23]

Opinions on stairmaster and elliptical ? which one gets the better workout?

[obesebeast]

when i was 300+, I pretty much stuck to the recombinant bike until my knees hurt. Now that I've lost weight, I stick to the pool, much easier on the joints etc. If I could start all over at 300, I'd definitely go the pool route. You float better when fatter...swimming is hard now! I sink like a brick.

[Bostongeorge617]

Opinions on stairmaster and elliptical ? which one gets the better workout?

I 'like' (not really, maybe 'tolerable' more accurate) them both and tend to change from one to the other frequently, even within the same session when cross-training. I only step on a treadmill the day after leg-day when I'm hurting and do LISS.

[Beachman]

Do whatever cardio you like to do. The "best" cardio is the cardio you wil continue to do. Anything that gets your heart rate up for a set period of time will do.

Good luck!

[Big_Carphuna]

I prefer the pool or low bike, which I can add arm movements to. Both because I have the stress of running/walking on my knees.
Generally I do less than 25 minutes at a time, anyways, so once in while I will run a few miles or mix it up with stairs...but I don't like doing them.
I do agree with above, whichever you can tolerate better, you will burn more calories.

[jorgerod]

Opinions on stairmaster and elliptical ? which one gets the better workout?

one word, SWIMMING

Jorge

[Don71]

I use the elliptical and walk aswell.
But I don't do a lot of cardio. And my weight loss was much more from my diet and lifting which is very consistent. Not so much the cardio at all.
I've been getting good results from HIT lately too. Or at least my version of it.

[pumplikeeecummings]

Whatever you enjoy. If you enjoy it, your going to want to do it more. I like taking walks with my dog cause its relaxing. Find what you enjoy.

[kenonator]

Its rare but I love to swim

[thomaslux]

it might not be 'popular' for the bigger guy, but running is what really did it for me. you've got to ease in to it, obviously, but don't take for granted the idea that running is something you need to avoid til you lose weight. google the couch to 5k program (c25k) and see what you think - it really helps you reach the target of running continuously for 30min/5k. i recently took an overweight friend through the program, and over the 8-9 weeks he lost 20kg.

[Nyla_Nguyen]

Opinions on stairmaster and elliptical ? which one gets the better workout?

Elliptical are easier on the joints...depends on how big you are.

[wildbill20056]

In my opinion, and I've done way more fitness work than bodybuilding in the past, eliptical machines tend to be over rated by some margin.

Often you will find people saying something along the lines of, 'oh I burn more calories on the eliptical machine and it's way less work/tiring than the treadmill/bike etc'

When something feels like it's less work, it's pretty much because it is less work. I have no doubt you can get a good work out from an eliptical trainer but you really have to make sure you are getting the same sweat and heart rate as you would on a 'traditional' machine or other exercise e.g. running, swimming, rowing etc

For a start ignore the calorie counters on these machines, I've said it before, I'll say it again, you might as well bring a notepad and pen and write down the first number than comes to mind when you finish.

I'd really go with the folks recommending swimming here. It is, I would argue, without doubt the most effective, joint and bulk friendly exercise out there. If it must be gym based I'd use a rower all day long over an eliptical trainer.

Rowers are low impact, and assuming you don't have knee trouble (in which case swim or go work that eliptical machine till you get a sweat up), will give you a better work out imo.

Will

P.S. Running is awesome, yes, but again care would have to be taken with your knees and managing the higher impact of this exercise.

[wwaldo]

I recommend do a slow run on the treadmill for 15 minutes, starting out like at 5.5 or so, then do 15 minutes on the elliptical for 15 - 30 minutes. Every week bump up both the treadmill speed and the elliptical lvl by .1. In no time you will be doing an easy 6.5 run on the treadmill and a lvl 15 or so on the elliptical. This is how I worked it up and now do a 3 mile run around the track and 30 minutes on the elliptical five days a week. (btw 40 years old and 213 lbs here so not a "spring chicken")

[Nyla_Nguyen]

In my opinion, and I've done way more fitness work than bodybuilding in the past, eliptical machines tend to be over rated by some margin.

Often you will find people saying something along the lines of, 'oh I burn more calories on the eliptical machine and it's way less work/tiring than the treadmill/bike etc'

When something feels like it's less work, it's pretty much because it is less work. I have no doubt you can get a good work out from an eliptical trainer but you really have to make sure you are getting the same sweat and heart rate as you would on a 'traditional' machine or other exercise e.g. running, swimming, rowing etc

For a start ignore the calorie counters on these machines, I've said it before, I'll say it again, you might as well bring a notepad and pen and write down the first number than comes to mind when you finish.

I'd really go with the folks recommending swimming here. It is, I would argue, without doubt the most effective, joint and bulk friendly exercise out there. If it must be gym based I'd use a rower all day long over an eliptical trainer.

Rowers are low impact, and assuming you don't have knee trouble (in which case swim or go work that eliptical machine till you get a sweat up), will give you a better work out imo.

Will

P.S. Running is awesome, yes, but again care would have to be taken with your knees and managing the higher impact of this exercise.

Elliptical can be intense workouts as well when you increase resistance over 10 and maintain a speed of 6.0-7.0. I guarantee you'll be sweating before 10 mins, change it up with some intervals.

Play a sport, basketball is good. Swimming is good as well but not the best. The cold water actually decrease your metabolic processes and increase your appetite. You want to stick to exercises that raises your body temperatures and rev up your metabolic processes.

"Swimming in cold water stimulates your appetite so that you want to eat more. Many people feel extremely hungry after they've been swimming, especially if the water is cold.

As a result they simply replace all the calories they've burned with a large post-exercise meal, completely wiping out any potential weight loss benefits of the swimming."

thefactsaboutfitness.com

[Lector606]

Elliptical can be intense workouts as well when you increase resistance over 10 and maintain a speed of 6.0-7.0. I guarantee you'll be sweating before 10 mins, change it up with some intervals.

Play a sport, basketball is good. Swimming is good as well but not the best. The cold water actually decrease your metabolic processes and increase your appetite. You want to stick to exercises that raises your body temperatures and rev up your metabolic processes.

"Swimming in cold water stimulates your appetite so that you want to eat more. Many people feel extremely hungry after they've been swimming, especially if the water is cold.

As a result they simply replace all the calories they've burned with a large post-exercise meal, completely wiping out any potential weight loss benefits of the swimming."

thefactsaboutfitness.com

I agree! The treadmills in my gym max out at 12.0MPH which is way too slow for interval work, but I can totally wreck myself using an elliptical with the resistance set VERY high for short periods of time (~30 sec). Additionally, movements that involve the upper body tend to raise heart rate more than movements that only involve the lower body, so most people will actually find that their perceived exertion on, say, a bike, to get their HR to a given % of max is much higher than it is on an elliptical. Of course the calorie monitors are hopelessly inaccurate (unless your elliptical measures your core temperature! lol) but if you pay attention to your heart rate then you don't need them at all.

I think cycling, climbing stairs (but not running them if you are very overweight) and using the elliptical are all good options, but taking up a sport is by far the best one. In addition to the obvious choices like soccer, basketball etc, sports like squash, badminton and racquetball are awesome for cardio and fat loss, and you're so much more likely to keep doing something you enjoy than just sitting on a machine watching the numbers go up.

You could also try barbell complexes, circuit training type workouts, or things like sled dragging. There are a TON of options out there.

[plumher]

Elliptical can be intense workouts as well when you increase resistance over 10 and maintain a speed of 6.0-7.0. I guarantee you'll be sweating before 10 mins, change it up with some intervals.


"Swimming in cold water stimulates your appetite so that you want to eat more. Many people feel extremely hungry after they've been swimming, especially if the water is cold.

elliptical is my fav. Some are better than others for easy on the joints. I get 45 min about 4 dqays/week and (according to the machine) i burn 700 calories at an avg hr of 138-145 depending on how much I push it and how much E & C I've taken that day. I'm wringing wet when done and it doesnt hurt my old knees.

In a few months though A new Golds gym is opening that I bought a membership for and they are putting in a saline pool for lap swimming so that will be nice to try out..

[viperjax]

pretty much anything will work at this point since you will be benefiting from newbie gains. It's like figuring out the first time you enter a gym whether to do barbell or dumbell curls. Anything you do will work initially - if you put in consistent correct effort.