To lose weight, you must burn more calories than you eat. Combining low-calorie eating with high-intensity exercise is the best way to shed pounds consistently. Workout equipment that elevates your heart rate and causes you to break a sweat burns more calories than machines that barely get your heart pumping. If you want to lose weight, choose equipment that can burn at least 400 calories per hour and has enough resistance to further increase your calorie-burning potential.


Whether you walk, jog or run on a treadmill, using this machine can help you burn lots of calories fast. According to Harvard Health Publications, walking burns approximately 220 calories in 30 minutes, and jogging or running can burn more than 1,000 calories per hour. Raise the treadmill's incline to increase your workout resistance and burn even more calories. Walk at a slow to moderate pace for at least 30 minutes daily if you're new to exercising. As your stamina and endurance build, increase the speed and duration of each workout to shed fat quicker.

Stair Climber

Stair climbers are cardiovascular machines that burn calories while toning the muscles in your legs and buttocks. This piece of equipment works the quadriceps, calves, hamstrings and glutes, providing both aerobic and strength-training benefits. With this high-intensity machine, you can burn more than 250 calories in 30 minutes, according to Harvard Health Publications. Muscles are more metabolically active than fat, so the muscles that stair climbers build stay active and burn calories long after you stop exercising. Stair climbers have various resistance levels as well. Use a stair climber for 20 to 30 minutes three times weekly to lose weight while sculpting your lower body.

Elliptical Machines

With an elliptical machine, you can burn the same number of calories you would on a treadmill without placing stress on your joints. According to Harvard Health Publications, a 185-pound person burns 400 calories in 30 minutes on an elliptical trainer. This machine activates muscles in the arms, legs, shoulders and glutes, building stamina, muscular strength and muscular endurance all at once. Raise the elliptical's resistance to near its maximum level for an intense, fat-burning challenge. Choose an elliptical machine when you want a low-impact aerobic workout that tones your upper and lower body while burning hundreds of calories per hour.

Stationary Cycles

Stationary cycling enhances cardiovascular fitness without placing stress on your joints. You can burn over 600 calories with one hour of stationary cycling, and most cycles have magnetic resistance, allowing you to intensify your workout and shed more pounds. Cycling provides strength-training benefits as well by working the glutes, calves, hamstrings, adductors and quadriceps. If you have bone or joint ailments, alternate stationary cycling with other low-impact cardiovascular activities that burn enough calories to contribute to your weight-loss goals.

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