Reccomend An Exercise Machine

[Mighty Mouse]

Tropo, I didn't state that swimming should be the only exercise that a person should use in order to gain overall fitness. Swimming is the best exercise that works most of the muscle groups without subjecting the body to joint impact. There are less injuries caused by swimming. (in most cases, no injuries at all.)

I do agree that swimming alone won't benefit body weight reduction but swimming uses almost all of your major muscle groups. True, it places a vigorous demand on your heart and lungs which is why this form of exercise won't suit everybody...but then, what form of exercise does suit everybody?

Bicycle riding and jogging also places a demand on your heart and lungs as do most other vigorous exercises. Progressive exercising is all about starting out slowly and building up the routine as your body and technique develops. The result will be good health and good fitness and that's why we all need to exercise.

My previous post was a suggestion that any person could perform different types of exercise without having to waste money buying exercise machines.

All of my training is done outdoors where one can breathe fresh air and enjoy the sights whilst moving from place to place. I never get bored because with jogging or bicycle riding you can choose a different route every day.

You stated this about bicycle riding: Outdoor cycling is too dangerous and difficult to control. You've got to allow for weather, wind, traffic and road surface conditions. Difficult and dangerous at night too...and there is always the chance of a mechanical fault or puncture.

That's a defeatist attitude.

I can't imagine anything more boring than being stuck in a gym riding a stationary bike, breathing the body odour stink of the next person and watching others flexing their muscles in front of a mirror.....not to mention also having to pay gym fees for that pleasure.

I agree with Humphrey Bear, a stationary bike in a gym doesn't travel up and down hills and therefore any benefits of stationary riding are minimal.

Weight lifters need gyms. Body builders need gyms. Those who just want fitness and strength through exercise don't need gyms nor do they need exercise machines.

[thomast]

I repeat forget calories. Physics, yes, human physiology NO: Read up on thermic/thermogenic effect, and homeostasis. You will find it in Human Physiology, by Vanders, Sherman and Luciano, the basic medical school textbook.

I did NOT say zero carbs, I said eat fruit before the exercise. I also said zero carbs after exercise till breakfast next day. Breakfast you can eat some carbs. Atkins has been much modified and improved upon. Atkins first cme out in the 70s, and I have folowed him since then, adding some of my mods. Try www.mercola.com a free bi-weekly health newsletter from an MD turned fully alternative, for good new science on body types and carbs, diabetes cure etc....

Edited July 3, 2008 by thomast

[dclaryjr]

You stated this about bicycle riding: Outdoor cycling is too dangerous and difficult to control. You've got to allow for weather, wind, traffic and road surface conditions. Difficult and dangerous at night too...and there is always the chance of a mechanical fault or puncture.

That's a defeatist attitude.

I can't imagine anything more boring than being stuck in a gym riding a stationary bike, breathing the body odour stink of the next person and watching others flexing their muscles in front of a mirror.....not to mention also having to pay gym fees for that pleasure.

I agree with Humphrey Bear, a stationary bike in a gym doesn't travel up and down hills and therefore any benefits of stationary riding are minimal.

Weight lifters need gyms. Body builders need gyms. Those who just want fitness and strength through exercise don't need gyms nor do they need exercise machines.

The safety/enjoyment of cycling can be very dependent on where you live. I used to ride upwards of 200 miles a week when racing, and the experience varied. I started riding while living in Las Vegas. That was mixed. I enjoyed the long rides out north of the city, but I had problems with drivers in town. I once suffered in ignomy of have a Slurpee thrown at me while wearing a 7-11 jersey! But from there I spent three years in Berlin and it was fantastic. It's a completely different culture, and auto drivers were trained to yeild to cyclists many situations that are not part of the law elsewhere. Plus they had great off-road trails for mountian biking. I returned to the U.S. to San Angelo, Texas. Again, it was a great place to ride. The highways around town had wide shoulders (to allow for farm implements) and people actually waved at you when passing rather than try to mow you down. But then I moved to Corpus Christi and subsequently decided that it was indeed dangerous after picking myself out of a ditch for the second time. So it can really vary. It's a great activity if you're in the right location.

I disagree with the comment above about stationary cycling. You can simulate all kinds of riding conditions on a good indoor trainer including hills. I do believe, however, that long rides on a stationary bike are torturous. I've commented in the past that they were invented by Torquemada for use in the Spanish Inquisition. I only get on them now to do short inteval sessions once in a while.

MM is correct in his conclusion IMO. To achieve overall fitness, no machines are needed. You can design a great program using body weight exercises and outdoor activities!

[whatsoever]

Or something simple and firm (but yeilding) to roll around on could offer a decent workout and bring on some quite sweaty excertions:

normal thing in pattaya its full of idiots, coming in with, retard comments, kiss it

You wanna lighten up (not just speaking metaphorically).

Most seem to agree that home excercise equipment is often a waste of time and space.

But if you can't even be motivated enough to get off that fat thing you invite me to kiss, to visit a few sport's shops, though, it's unlikely you'd excert it as far as your nearest gym - nor as far as your newly acquired multi-gym/clothes-horse.

And where did Pattay come into your reply, from?

Yeah, lighten up chubs Not everyone in Pattaya is a retard (99% agreed)

[telaksslave]

Or something simple and firm (but yeilding) to roll around on could offer a decent workout and bring on some quite sweaty excertions:

normal thing in pattaya its full of idiots, coming in with, retard comments, kiss it

You wanna lighten up (not just speaking metaphorically).

Most seem to agree that home excercise equipment is often a waste of time and space.

But if you can't even be motivated enough to get off that fat thing you invite me to kiss, to visit a few sport's shops, though, it's unlikely you'd excert it as far as your nearest gym - nor as far as your newly acquired multi-gym/clothes-horse.

And where did Pattay come into your reply, from?

Yeah, lighten up chubs Not everyone in Pattaya is a retard (99% agreed)

sorry about the miscalculation 88.9%

[wilko]

No diet, no gym, no "miracle" equipment.....get yourself a girlfriend and shag yourself fit!

[Ungabunga]

No diet, no gym, no "miracle" equipment.....get yourself a girlfriend and shag yourself fit!

One has to consider what happens when you get bored exercising and unfortunately the re-sale value of a gf is considerably less than a step-machine. See Pattaya Mail Classifieds.

Swimming on the other hand, is often free and far more enjoyable than sweating your nackas off in a gym. If you don't have a pool, simply visit a friend in a condo with a pool. Some condos in Pattaya have decent size pools such as View Talay 2 and Jomtien beach Condo (Rimhaad).

[wilko]

Yep - if you cant get it...swim....it's by far the most comprehensive form of exercise....you use more muscles swimming than in any other form of exercise.

most "unfit" people who take to gyms diets etc a really victims of their own life style....if you develop an active lifestyle you really don't need to worry about exercise by itself because you will be doing it anyway. Swimming walking and most outdoor pursuits involve getting the heartbeat up and putting a little pressure on those muscles...that's all you need.

PS - sports bars and WATCHING football don't get you fit!

[tropo]

You stated this about bicycle riding: Outdoor cycling is too dangerous and difficult to control. You've got to allow for weather, wind, traffic and road surface conditions. Difficult and dangerous at night too...and there is always the chance of a mechanical fault or puncture.

That's a defeatist attitude.

I can't imagine anything more boring than being stuck in a gym riding a stationary bike, breathing the body odour stink of the next person and watching others flexing their muscles in front of a mirror.....not to mention also having to pay gym fees for that pleasure.

You don't have the slightest clue about stationary bikes.

1. Stationary bikes can be found in many places without crowds. Where I use one, I'm alone.

2. They can be in your home.

3. You can watch TV while using it.

4. On a good exercycle the resistance can be adjusted to any level one desires. You can even have your heartrate automatically kept at any level you desire.

You didn't even bother to address the other issues.

1. What happens if the weather is really bad?

2. What happens if the traffic is heavy. Is it not dangerous? How about delays due to traffic where you have to stop? Will you not breathe vehicle emissions?

3. What happens if you puncture, or you suffer a mechanical failure.

4. How do you get a continuous hill climb?

5. What happens to your heartrate when you decend a hill?

6. How can you get in a decent workout at night? It gets dark in Thailand around 6pm all year around...very restrictive hours indeed.

7. How about heat exhaustion? It's hot here....carry a fan perhaps?

8. How about bad road surfaces with potholes?

You cannot get a workout on a real bike outdoors anywhere near as good as a workout on a Lifecycle...not even close.

Edited July 4, 2008 by tropo

[tropo]

The safety/enjoyment of cycling can be very dependent on where you live. I used to ride upwards of 200 miles a week when racing, and the experience varied. I started riding while living in Las Vegas. That was mixed. I enjoyed the long rides out north of the city, but I had problems with drivers in town. I once suffered in ignomy of have a Slurpee thrown at me while wearing a 7-11 jersey! But from there I spent three years in Berlin and it was fantastic. It's a completely different culture, and auto drivers were trained to yeild to cyclists many situations that are not part of the law elsewhere. Plus they had great off-road trails for mountian biking. I returned to the U.S. to San Angelo, Texas. Again, it was a great place to ride. The highways around town had wide shoulders (to allow for farm implements) and people actually waved at you when passing rather than try to mow you down. But then I moved to Corpus Christi and subsequently decided that it was indeed dangerous after picking myself out of a ditch for the second time. So it can really vary. It's a great activity if you're in the right location.

I thought we were discussing the benefits of exercising in PATTAYA. My comments about the dangers of riding a bike relate specifically to Pattaya, and there are no safe places here to ride a bike let alone get a decent workout on one.

[tropo]

I repeat forget calories. Physics, yes, human physiology NO: Read up on thermic/thermogenic effect, and homeostasis. You will find it in Human Physiology, by Vanders, Sherman and Luciano, the basic medical school textbook.

Why would I forget about calories when I'm concerned about fat deposits. It's basic physics. Anything you eat above your calorie use will be converted to fat.

Calories has everything to do with it.

Your idea of low carbs is great for a diabetic, but very limiting for an active sportsperson. You will not find many people who can maintain a very low carb diet for long. Compliance is the biggest nightmare on a diet like that.

[tropo]

Yep - if you cant get it...swim....it's by far the most comprehensive form of exercise....you use more muscles swimming than in any other form of exercise.

Obviously you've never tried a rowing machine, or an elliptical trainer? If you had, you wouldn't have made that statement.

Swimming has a lot of limitations, some of which have been mentioned above.

[Mighty Mouse]

Tropo,

Again, you are isolating outdoor exercises and picking them to pieces. Don't think of them individually, think of them as a whole.

First you picked swimming to pieces and now you doing the same with bicycle riding.

If the weather is bad on any particular day, you leave the bike in the shed and do skipping, get stuck into a punching bag or do a multitude of floor exercises.

If you can't find a track or a road somewhere to ride where traffic levels are acceptable, then don't bother buying a bicycle. I can think of plenty of places outside of Pattaya that would be suitable for cycling. Have bike will travel.

If the bike gets a puncture, fix it. Gym bikes break down too. The electronics of many gym bikes regularly break down and/or are inaccurate.

If you can't ride around potholes on a bicycle then you should be riding a tricycle with training wheels.

Outdoor hill climbs are what cyclists need. Riding to the top gives the rider a sense of achievement. He is beating an obstacle, not a clock or a gym bike thumbscrew.

Heat exhaustion !!! That's laughable. Long distance riders carry water bottles.

What do joggers do when they feel heat exhaustion? What do gym bike riders do when they feel heat exhaustion or do you recommend training in air conditioning?

Maybe you have never felt exhaustion with the exercises that you do. If you haven't, you need a change of routine.

Equally as laughable is your suggestion that you should ride a stationary bike whilst watching TV. To train properly, employing strict technique with any exercise, requires your full concentration. You can't get that if you are watching television and you will rarely be able to concentrate exercising at home with the constant interruptions and distractions.

If you train at a gym that has television sets on the wall, you should change gyms.

Next, I suppose you will want to attack skipping as being dangerous. Yes, you could trip yourself up and get a bloody nose. Maybe you could overcome this by skipping on a mattress.

Let me try explain this to you again. Please turn off the TV so that you can concentrate.

The outdoor exercises, together with the non gym type exercises that have been suggested thus far in this thread, are a variety of physical activities that can be used in order to gain fitness together with a certain degree of strength. They are not listed here for the OP or anyone else to just pick one of them and hope to gain overall exercising benefit by exclusively using that one exercise.

The same applies to working out in a gym. You don't just do one exercise or work out on just one machine. You must have variety. Different exercises work various muscle groups in different ways.

Choosing a variety of the non-gym workout suggestions will eliminate boredom. As will choosing different outdoor areas/locations in which to train.

Tri-athletes run, swim and cycle. All outdoor training. Any strength exercises that they incorporate into their training routine, are usually performed indoors with weights but the bulk of their training is done outdoors, in various weather conditions. In other words, they are not fair weather trainers....as you seem to be.

Your comment: You cannot get a workout on a real bike outdoors anywhere near as good as a workout on a Lifecycle...not even close.

OK, tell that to the Olympic cyclists and the tri-athletes and be guided by their reply.

[Humphrey Bear]

There are those who prefer outdoor exercise - running, cycling, swimming - even walking.

There are those who prefer to use machines.

I am of the former - Tropo is obviously a member of the latter group.

The OP was looking for recommendations on which make of a certain machine was best and available locally.

So far he doesn't seem to have had an answer.

[tropo]

Tropo,

Again, you are isolating outdoor exercises and picking them to pieces. Don't think of them individually, think of them as a whole.

No, I'm analysing the benefits of biking outdoors and swimming compared to rowing machines, stationary cycles and elliptical trainers, and bringing to light the errors in your summary.

First you picked swimming to pieces and now you doing the same with bicycle riding.

I'm trying to explain that good stationary bikes are far superior to outdoor bicycle riding in Pattaya and giving a lot of reasons why.

If the weather is bad on any particular day, you leave the bike in the shed and do skipping, get stuck into a punching bag or do a multitude of floor exercises.

So now your saying that bicycling is a great exercise as long as the weather is ok. If it's not, then do some other form of exercise. That's the whole point...the exercycle is always there ready to go in any weather.

If the bike gets a puncture, fix it. Gym bikes break down too.

Ok, so we'll stop and fix the puncture then. If something breaks, we'll catch a ride home in a baht bus or thumb a lift and take up skipping until repaired. If we have an accident, we'll go to the hospital instead.

The electronics of many gym bikes regularly break down and/or are inaccurate.

A ridiculous comment. It the electronics break down, I'll hop of and use the adjacent machine. Gyms I use have many.

If you can't ride around potholes on a bicycle then you should be riding a tricycle with training wheels.

Another ridiculous comment. It's not always possible to avoid potholes at speed, just as it's difficult to avoid other hazards such as loose gravel, sand and oil...unless of course you're a beginner and pedaling slowly.

Outdoor hill climbs are what cyclists need. Riding to the top gives the rider a sense of achievement. He is beating an obstacle, not a clock or a gym bike thumbscrew.

Yes, they need hills, but hills are not always available when you need them are they?... and you can't dial in your grade...you take what is available? On a good indoor machine you can create instant hills - as steep as you like.

Heat exhaustion !!! That's laughable. Long distance riders carry water bottles.

So heat exhaustion is not possible in the hot Thai sun at 90% humidity?....you must be joking, right? You'd be hard pressed carrying enough water to keep you going for one hour in the hot sun at the pace I can maintain on an exercycle with a fan blowing.

What do joggers do when they feel heat exhaustion? What do gym bike riders do when they feel heat exhaustion or do you recommend training in air conditioning?

Maybe you have never felt exhaustion with the exercises that you do. If you haven't, you need a change of routine.

Ok, now you're getting personal. I doubt you'd have any chance of keeping up with me during a 2 hour gym workout, either on any cardio machine, or weights. I'm extremely fit. I avoid heat exhaustion by keeping the body cool and hydrated when I exercise, and air conditioning and fans play a big part in keeping my body at a comfortable, efficient operating temperature.

Now you're saying I don't train hard enough because I have never felt heat exhaustion...that is a really stupid comment.

Equally as laughable is your suggestion that you should ride a stationary bike whilst watching TV. To train properly, employing strict technique with any exercise, requires your full concentration. You can't get that if you are watching television and you will rarely be able to concentrate exercising at home with the constant interruptions and distractions.

You're the one complaining about boredom of stationary bikes, not me. I don't watch TV when I bike...I keep my heartrate high and concentrate on my program...often sustaining over 90% maximum heartrate. If however a person is doing a more moderate session and sustaining a moderate constant heartrate, then watching TV is a good option to avoid boredom.

to be continued....

[tropo]

If you train at a gym that has television sets on the wall, you should change gyms.

A dumb comment as most of the good gyms have TV monitors. If TV's bother you, just look away.

Next, I suppose you will want to attack skipping as being dangerous. Yes, you could trip yourself up and get a bloody nose. Maybe you could overcome this by skipping on a mattress.

I don't believe I've been discussing skipping, but now that you mentioned it, I don't rate it as a worthwhile exercise at all, but that's another story.

Let me try explain this to you again. Please turn off the TV so that you can concentrate.

The outdoor exercises, together with the non gym type exercises that have been suggested thus far in this thread, are a variety of physical activities that can be used in order to gain fitness together with a certain degree of strength. They are not listed here for the OP or anyone else to just pick one of them and hope to gain overall exercising benefit by exclusively using that one exercise.

The same applies to working out in a gym. You don't just do one exercise or work out on just one machine. You must have variety. Different exercises work various muscle groups in different ways.

You're the one who has lost concentration here, so please switch off your TV.

We've basically been discussing which is THE best machine to use for weight loss. It's pretty obvious that a variety of exercises would be more beneficial than just one, but here we're seeking to find the best ONE that the OP can buy in order to achieve his goals. There are 2 amazing indoor machines which can just about do it all as discused - rowing machine and elliptical trainer. Both are far superior to outdoor cycling and swimming.

In other words, they are not fair weather trainers....as you seem to be

I train in all weather...indoors. If you are insinuating that I'm a pathetic trainer, the invitation is open to watch or join me at the gym and I'll show you how real men train.

Your comment: You cannot get a workout on a real bike outdoors anywhere near as good as a workout on a Lifecycle...not even close.

OK, tell that to the Olympic cyclists and the tri-athletes and be guided by their reply.

Olympic cyclists do use indoor machines in bad weather. They often swim indoors too. Didn't you know this?

They must spend a lot of time on their bicycles to train for what they do...riding outdoors. Here's an example, an outdoor rowing champion will not beat an indoor rowing champion and visa versa. In all sports, specificity of training is very important. Riding a bicycle competitively involves a lot of technique. There's a lot more to it than just fitness.

[dclaryjr]

I thought we were discussing the benefits of exercising in PATTAYA. My comments about the dangers of riding a bike relate specifically to Pattaya, and there are no safe places here to ride a bike let alone get a decent workout on one.

I didn't get that feeling at the time. It sounded like you were generally knocking outdoor cycling as being unsafe.

[dclaryjr]

The OP was looking for recommendations on which make of a certain machine was best and available locally.

So far he doesn't seem to have had an answer.

I think we covered that pretty well much earlier in the thread before it got off on this indoor/outdoor debate.

[Mighty Mouse]

I thought we were discussing the benefits of exercising in PATTAYA. My comments about the dangers of riding a bike relate specifically to Pattaya, and there are no safe places here to ride a bike let alone get a decent workout on one.

I didn't get that feeling at the time. It sounded like you were generally knocking outdoor cycling as being unsafe.

He apparently is knocking everything other than his beloved stationary cycle machine and his rowing machine.

I'm just wondering how he manages to get to the gym if it's raining outside.

[Mighty Mouse]

We've basically been discussing which is THE best machine to use for weight loss. It's pretty obvious that a variety of exercises would be more beneficial than just one, but here we're seeking to find the best ONE that the OP can buy in order to achieve his goals. There are 2 amazing indoor machines which can just about do it all as discused - rowing machine and elliptical trainer. Both are far superior to outdoor cycling and swimming.

Yet again, (sigh) you have targeted cycling and swimming. Jogging is by far the best and quickest way to lose body fat. The other exercises will benefit overall fitness and should be used in conjunction with jogging.

.....and just to finish off, according to your own summary of the OP's needs, you have been asked to suggest but ONE exercise machine. According to my calculator, a rowing machine and a elliptical trainer adds up to TWO.

Perhaps you would like to suggest a treadmill machine to eliminate outdoor jogging...now let's see...that makes....THREE.

Maybe you could now price all of these machines and compare the price with the cost of doing the same type of exercises outdoors. Buying a road bike would be the main expense...with a puncture repair kit thrown in for good measure.

Let's hope that the OP doesn't need to add another room to his house in order to accommodate all these machines.

[tropo]

We've basically been discussing which is THE best machine to use for weight loss. It's pretty obvious that a variety of exercises would be more beneficial than just one, but here we're seeking to find the best ONE that the OP can buy in order to achieve his goals. There are 2 amazing indoor machines which can just about do it all as discused - rowing machine and elliptical trainer. Both are far superior to outdoor cycling and swimming.

Yet again, (sigh) you have targeted cycling and swimming. Jogging is by far the best and quickest way to lose body fat. The other exercises will benefit overall fitness and should be used in conjunction with jogging.

.....and just to finish off, according to your own summary of the OP's needs, you have been asked to suggest but ONE exercise machine. According to my calculator, a rowing machine and a elliptical trainer adds up to TWO.

Perhaps you would like to suggest a treadmill machine to eliminate outdoor jogging...now let's see...that makes....THREE.

Maybe you could now price all of these machines and compare the price with the cost of doing the same type of exercises outdoors. Buying a road bike would be the main expense...with a puncture repair kit thrown in for good measure.

Let's hope that the OP doesn't need to add another room to his house in order to accommodate all these machines.

It's pretty obvious after a flurry of inbedded insults and nonsense posted, you're running out of intelligent thoughts.

Jogging is not the best calorie burner by a long shot. Where do you come up with this stuff? The fastest fat burner would be the exercise where you can burn the most calories and that depends entirely upon the intensity and duration. A jog burns a lot less calories than an intense session on a Lifecycle, rower and elliptical trainer. A fast sprint however would burn a lot of calories, but would be unsuitable for fat burning due to the short duration of the activity.

Personally I burn 900 calories in an hour long session on 2 indoor machines (bike and elliptical). I'd like to see you match that in a jog or outdoor bicycling.

Something else you obviously didn't know: Jogging is a very catabolic activity that diminishes muscle mass, whereas the above machines can stimulate muscle growth. If you were heavily muscled to begin with, you'd be losing fat and muscle while jogging in the hot Thailand sun. Maybe ending up a skinny, wiry guy with very little muscle mass is to your liking....each to his own.

I've discussed a number of machines and highlighed their pro and cons. Where did I insist on the OP buying more than one? My choice was clear from the start - the elliptical trainer. It's easy for me to burn 1000 calories an hour on the elliptical trainer (I've managed 600 cals in 30 minutes)...with aircon and a fan too. Even an unfit trainer should have no trouble losing fat with one.

Mickey Mouse, there has been a lot of progress on exercise equipment technology. You should get yourself an update.

Edited July 5, 2008 by tropo

[tropo]

I thought we were discussing the benefits of exercising in PATTAYA. My comments about the dangers of riding a bike relate specifically to Pattaya, and there are no safe places here to ride a bike let alone get a decent workout on one.

I didn't get that feeling at the time. It sounded like you were generally knocking outdoor cycling as being unsafe.

It's unsafe everywhere. To get fit you'll be riding a 2-wheeler with 1-inch width tyres at high speed with very little protection. One accident at say 40 - 50 km/h will soon undo any benefits from the exercise. Sure, you can ride slowly to diminish the severity of a potential accident, but you won't get fit riding slowly.

The point I made is that it's not just unsafe in Pattaya, it's extremely unsafe.

I spent a decade riding 2-wheelers around cities to get fit. When I discovered Lifecycle (and some other trick machines) I got rid of my bike. I call this progress. Mickey Mouse is stuck in the past, yet to discover the benefits of high-tech exercise equipment.

[binnsy]

Soi 2 beach nice little exercise only 1500 for short peroid

[Ulysses G.]

I've discussed a number of machines and highlighed their pro and cons. Where did I insist on the OP buying more than one? My choice was clear from the start - the elliptical trainer. It's easy for me to burn 1000 calories an hour on the elliptical trainer (I've managed 600 cals in 30 minutes)...with aircon and a fan too. Even an unfit trainer should have no trouble losing fat with one.

tropo, do you have any suggestions on what would be a reasonably priced elliptical trainer that would last for a long time? What brand and type and approximate price?

[tropo]

I've discussed a number of machines and highlighed their pro and cons. Where did I insist on the OP buying more than one? My choice was clear from the start - the elliptical trainer. It's easy for me to burn 1000 calories an hour on the elliptical trainer (I've managed 600 cals in 30 minutes)...with aircon and a fan too. Even an unfit trainer should have no trouble losing fat with one.

tropo, do you have any suggestions on what would be a reasonably priced elliptical trainer that would last for a long time? What brand and type and approximate price?

I don't have any experience with domestic models. I've only used the Life ellipticals found in gyms. These commerical models are very expensive.

[Ulysses G.]

I have a feeling the only ones worth buying would be above $2000 U.S.

[dclaryjr]

It's unsafe everywhere. To get fit you'll be riding a 2-wheeler with 1-inch width tyres at high speed with very little protection. One accident at say 40 - 50 km/h will soon undo any benefits from the exercise. Sure, you can ride slowly to diminish the severity of a potential accident, but you won't get fit riding slowly.

The point I made is that it's not just unsafe in Pattaya, it's extremely unsafe.

I spent a decade riding 2-wheelers around cities to get fit. When I discovered Lifecycle (and some other trick machines) I got rid of my bike. I call this progress. Mickey Mouse is stuck in the past, yet to discover the benefits of high-tech exercise equipment.

I think Mr. Mouse made a couple of statements I disagree with about exercise equipment, but I totally agree with him that we have choices, and one doesn't need to exercise inside to achieve a high level of fitness. I got very fit riding and running outdoors-plus I ENJOYED the ride! I wouldn't trade a two-hour training ride through a forested area of Berlin to dripping sweat on an indoor bike for anything. Machines are not the only answer nor in all situations are they the best answer. Your personal situation based on your place of residence may change the equation.

One more thing--any statement that attempts to be dogmatic concerning exercise, fitness, weight loss etc. MUST be taken with a grain of salt. There are any number of "experts" who can cite studies showing different forms of exercise as being the best. They can't all be right. What it boils down to is finding out what works for YOU, and what YOU will do on a continuous basis.

[dclaryjr]

I have a feeling the only ones worth buying would be above $2000 U.S.

I believe the top of the line Concept2 rower can be shipped to Thailand for less than that.

[tropo]

I have a feeling the only ones worth buying would be above $2000 U.S.

Definitely the ones I would consider worth buying for home use would be over $2000, but I've been using commercial quality machines in gyms for many years.

15 years ago I purchased a Concept 2 rower in Australia for AUD $2400 and an HRT exercycle for AUD $3,500.

How much one is willing to spend depends on one's priorities. I've always considered fitness a number one priority.

Edited July 5, 2008 by tropo

[INTJ]

I too am in the market for an elliptical machine.

Saw one the other day in Tesco the other day for 6,900.

Had a quick go on it, it felt cheap and clunky.

Must be somewhere in Pattaya that sells reasonable quality gear at a reasonable price ?