I'm saving up to buy some fitness equipment for my house soon. The way my wife and my schedules run I'm unable to make it to the gym at a reasonable time, so I figure I can buy a weightbench/all in one machine and something for cardio. This way I can workout while watching my daughter during the day. I have never really been one to exercise on a regular basis so it's all pretty new to me.

My question is this - which machine would be best for cardio/lower body workouts? A treadmill, cycling machine, or one of those eliptical things? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Doc

I love my treadmill. People will tell you that an eliptical is lower impact, and they're right, but the natural running motion of the treadmill does it for me. I'm actually on my second one as I recently killed my first (A POS NordicTrack), a fact I'm very proud of. I ran that fu@$#% into the ground!

That being said, a quality treadmill is an expensive piece of equipment. I spent $1700 and change on my new one (Fitline T400) and that's really considered entry level for a good quality treadmill.

If you do decide to go with a treadmill, research it well and don't buy ProForm or the other Sports Authority/Modells/Walmart models - they will break within a year, as my NordicTrack did. Also, if you're planning on running on it, get a model with at least 2.0 horsepower continuous duty, preferably 2.5 or even 3.0 HP (mine has a 3HP motor). Look for good warranties as well, with 3 years or more on the motor, and at least 1 year on parts/labor.

Good luck!

Quoted: My question is this - which machine would be best for cardio/lower body workouts? A treadmill, cycling machine, or one of those eliptical things? Doc

The best piece of equipment to get is the one you are going to use.  Go to a local equipment dealer who will let you try it before you buy it.  The place I bought my treadmill was like that.  I ran 3 miles on 4 or 5 different mills before I decided which one to buy.