Exercise bike V elliptical trainer?

[martinalex]

I've reached a point where I can't seem to lose any more weight just by diet/calorie counting.
So will have to take the plunge and do some actual exercise!!!
I have a sedentary job and couldn't face going to the gym (plus the cost) and my knees would fall off if I tried jogging.
Hence a home exercise machine!
Haven't got room for a rowing machine but have about £100 to spend on either an exercise bike or an elliptical trainer (looks like a bike but you stand up on threads and push/pull long upright bars)
Have you tried either of these with weight loss in mind rather than muscle building?
Would appreciate any thoughts or experience shared.

[pilchardthecat]

The elliptical is much better for weight loss and muscle/core strength, but you can't get a decent one for the home (you need to spend four figures to get one that's any good)

So if you're dead set on staying at home, get a bike.

[MacGee]

join a gym or go running....most people fail with home equipment.

[BenM77]

You are not likely to get anything very good for £100 when it comes to an exercise bike or cross trainer.

Check out kettlebell workouts on YouTube, swings alone will give you a good cardio workout. They are cheap and easy to store

[pilchardthecat]

BenM77 said:

You are not likely to get anything very good for £100 when it comes to an exercise bike or cross trainer.

Check out kettlebell workouts on YouTube, swings alone will give you a good cardio workout. They are cheap and easy to store

Just don't let go of one, or you'll be repairing holes in walls/windows/cats/etc

[martinalex]

Cheers for the tips.

It has to be home based - I don't want to pay gym fees and until I have a passing degree of fitness/better body confidence, there is no way I'm going to workout in public.

Jogging will knacker my knees, which are not great anyway, but I want to preserve the function they already serve.

Looked at those Kettlebell things - I reckon they would give me arms like a chimpanzee - but my main focus is weight loss - I really don't want to build muscles apart from an improvement in general tone. Also, I couldn't go swinging those things around my living room - what about my telly?

So, decent elliptic trainers are v expensive - I was concerned about that. But I've seen lots of reasonable/cheaper bikes and let's face it, they're not as complex as elliptics so I think I could get one that would be good enough at my budget - in any case the budget will not be going up unfortunately.

Anyone used a home bike for the same purpose? Can I lose more weight that way?

[pilchardthecat]

You'll do better on a cheap bike than a cheap elliptical.... it really is that simple

You should get some dumbells and maybe some push-up handles or a pull-up bar - muscle raises your resting metabolic rate and having more of it means you burn more calories just by being alive

[Halb]

Buy a kettlebell, use it.
You will not get muscles like AhNOld.

[BenM77]

Any cardio kit for that price will be crap unless you get lucky on eBay secondhand. Any kit that is belt resistance instead of magnetic are crap. I know this through past mistakes and will only buy decent kit now.

If you don't fancy a kettlebell then the dumbbell's suggested are also a good idea, a kettlebell would be best for the cardio you are after IMO.

[martinalex]

Okay, thanks, so magnetic is important on a bike - didn't know that - this is the cheapest one I can see on Amazon

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Confidence-Stow-Bike-Folda...

Would this be good enough - given it has to be under £100

As you say a bike is really my only option rather than an elliptic and I haven't got much space

I probably will get some light weights too. Appreciate what you're saying about the kettlebells but I just wouldn't have the space to swing 'em.

[LordGrover]

Where are yOu? I have an exercise bike you can collect foc York iirc

[martinalex]

Cheers for the offer - east coast though - amazon it is!

[BenM77]

Sorry but I am trying to be honest with you, kit at this price will be rubbish. The bike in the link looks pretty bad, if you are uncomfortable then you will not use it.

Save your money and do some bodyweight exercises, even an exercise DVD would help more than a poor piece of equipment. There are plenty targeted at weight loss.

Squats
Push ups
Sit ups
Squat thrusts
Star jumps
Lunges

All better than a cheap bike !

[Halb]

BenM77 said:

Save your money and do some bodyweight exercises, even an exercise DVD would help more than a poor piece of equipment. There are plenty targeted at weight loss.

Indeed. I was thinking of the insanity or 90x workout. I have not used these so feel a little uncomfortable advocating them, but people on here have.

[martinalex]

Cheers - appreciate the input. I suppose I'm looking for the lazy way to burn calories - hence the bike.

I've tried sticking to an exercise routine before, although not with a video and I've always let it slip.

With a bike, I'm kind of hoping something I can just do in front of the telly will help me burn calories, without hopping up and down vibrating the floor.

It is a lazy approach I know - I'm hoping it's a start that would get me going - take your point about the bike needing to be comfortable.

[NorthDave]

martinalex said:

Cheers - appreciate the input. I suppose I'm looking for the lazy way to burn calories - hence the bike.

I've tried sticking to an exercise routine before, although not with a video and I've always let it slip.

With a bike, I'm kind of hoping something I can just do in front of the telly will help me burn calories, without hopping up and down vibrating the floor.

It is a lazy approach I know - I'm hoping it's a start that would get me going - take your point about the bike needing to be comfortable.

A personal trainer at my Gym told me doing weights will burn fat quicker than cardio as the body builds muscle etc. I know what you mean about not building muscle as the worry is you will just get bigger - this will not happen. Try it for one week and you will feel better for it. You can also do more quicker - you would want to be doing 45 minutes of cardio (or fat burning exercise) to be worthwhile where as 20 - 30 minutes of weights or body resistance stuff will be much more beneficial.

Rather than £100 on a piece of rubbish equipment I would buy a gym ball for £20 and learn some exercises off Youtube.

[pilchardthecat]

NorthDave said:

A personal trainer at my Gym told me doing weights will burn fat quicker than cardio as the body builds muscle etc.

That is bks though