They call it an Elliptical.

In reply to Toyman01:

Yeah, but...something something fulfilling life endeavor something something!

In reply to Duke:

We eat better since we've had kids. Since we don't want to deal with getting a toddler and a newborn out of the house, into car seats, and then dealing with them at a restaurant, we almost never go out to eat.

In reply to RX Reven':

The expensive ones at the community center where I go are the same thing. I had to stop using them because of it.

I do like the rowing machine also.

I used to use an elliptical a lot. If this was your first time just hang in there. The first time i used mine was almost exactly the same, i was completely wore out in no time. After a couple days 30-45 minutes was no problem. It happened really fast.

In reply to volvoclearinghouse:

I'm on the downside of kids. My oldest will be 30 this month. My youngest is almost 14. They aren't near as strenuous as a 5yo.

What's killing me is sitting in a truck, or at a desk, 80% of the day. Today, I put in 8 hours at work. I walked 1800 steps, and drove 300 miles. That is not conducive to being healthy.

tuna55 wrote:

Toyman01 wrote: In reply to volvoclearinghouse: Kids make a pool look cheap.

Kids make a free Porsche with a free Lotus parts car look cheap.

Kids make airplanes and horses look cheap.

Appleseed wrote:

tuna55 wrote:

Toyman01 wrote: In reply to volvoclearinghouse: Kids make a pool look cheap.

Kids make a free Porsche with a free Lotus parts car look cheap.

Kids make airplanes and horses look cheap.

Kids make twin super models in a free Lotus that ran when parked look cheap.

If they had a gauge to measure out of shape, there would have to be an added expense add on for me. My wife has an elliptical, and I agree 100%! Torture!

So, last week, I got fed up with being a lard, and I joined the local YMCA to use the gym there. As part of the deal, I got 3 personal training sessions to get familiar with the machines. As I was finishing up my last session last night, thinking of this thread, I asked the trainer about ellipticals. She said that this gym alone has 3-4 different types, and they are all different; some of them are straight up torture devices, some were really hard on knees, and some were much lower impact. I went on one of the better ones to try it out, and it wasn't terrible. I also have bad knees, and even though they have been killing me all week, this machine didn't hurt at all to use. YMMV, I suppose.

That said, I'm much more partial to the treadmill so far.

I've been running a lot more recently....last time I used an elliptical was in a hotel workout room that had one. It was definitely a good workout, but I have iffy knees from crashing mountain and dirt bikes, and it definitely made them hurt. Running, even on pavement in shoes that need to be replaced, oddly hasn't been horrible for my knees as long as I take walking breaks as soon as I feel a hint of joint pain. Typically I can get about 3.5 miles in, but lately, my knees have been doing better. I seriously think that running and building those muscles up must be helping support those joints better, because this is the best they've felt in a long time.

I have bad knees, have since I was in my early 20's. Ellipticals are awesome for me. speaking of.... I need to get my fat ass on one again.

In reply to Huckleberry:

C2's are fantastic and brutal all at once. Great if you're in a rush or not sure if you'll be able to get a full workout in later in the day. I have a friend that has one and challenges people to see who can burn the most calories in 5 minutes on it. That challenge results in copious amounts of vomiting. I can't think of another contraption that can take a human from zero to vomiting in 5 minutes.

captdownshift wrote: In reply to Huckleberry: C2's are fantastic and brutal all at once. Great if you're in a rush or not sure if you'll be able to get a full workout in later in the day. I have a friend that has one and challenges people to see who can burn the most calories in 5 minutes on it. That challenge results in copious amounts of vomiting. I can't think of another contraption that can take a human from zero to vomiting in 5 minutes.

I row a nice easy 2.10mi/500m for an hour or 13.1km whichever comes first. That sort burst vomiting stuff is for the crossfit nerds who have to hurry to the kettle bells next.

The rowing is my whole workout for the day.

Cheap old school exercise bike for the winter months here and for warmer weather its running outside. I don't have bad knees and the elliptical just isn't for me.

Nearly all exercise machines are crap. Especially if it's something that's meant to be some sort of weight training. Their problem is that they define a very specific path of movement, and it is not the same one your body naturally moves in. The ergonomics are always off. Even exercise bikes are off because they don't rock back and forth underneath you like a real bike.

If you want the sense of an elliptical, just go for a walk holding some light weights in your hands. If you don't want to spend the money on weights, grab two rocks.

You can increase calories burned and lower impact by walking on softer ground instead of pavement.

I spent 5 minutes on the elliptical last night to finish off my weight workout. Wanted to see if A) my knee could take it and B) if my F-d nervous system has calmed down a bit. Yes and yes. Right at the 5 min mark the knee said "enough" and I ended there. I was psyched to get that much in.

Weight work in the gym is going well but I have to roll in more endurance and balance work so I can hopefully give up this cane. I remind myself daily that "any" bit of exercise I can fit in is more than I was doing.