Convenient Home Cardio Equipment

[Collabera]

I am looking to buy a machine for cardio I can do at home. By home I mean a one bedroom apartment that is already full of stuff and is small to begin with. I am thinking a stationary bike you would find in a gyms spin class but they are a little out of my price range. At least some of the ones I have seen.

Does anyone have any experience with this stuff? I need something that will work well for MISS cardio since I do my HIIT cardio at the gym after lifting. I want to be able to do my fasted MISS cardio and also seperate my MISS sessions from my morning lifting sessions without making two trips to the gym.

Living in Washington State, and having unfriendly weather most of the year, doesn't allow me to go run hills outside or go jogging much.

[0001Delta]

The bike is a great idea, but they are quite fragile IMO and wear down pretty quickly in my experience, unless you are getting one of those pro- spinning bikes, but those things are HEAVY to move around, and once they break... they are done... mine had it's 50 pound metal disk fall off after 4 years of abuse and I had to sell it to a scrapyard.

I'd tell you to stay away from bikes just for sake of your balls anyway. Seriously, I don't know how cyclists pull it off.

I'd say your best bet is the ol' threadmill, one that allows you to get some inclination, even if slight, although it would take a lot of space (Threadmills dubs as a very good coat-hangers tho, think about it).

And you could also get an elliptical. I've seen quite a few models on the internet that seem compact enough yet solid looking.

[PhoebeusFenix]

My favorite piece of cardio I've ever owned(minus commercial grade stuff) is the good ol' FUEL Fitness brand elliptical that can be seen on Longevity by Skip.

I bought one after seeing it on his videos and 6+ years later my ex girlfriend still destroys that thing daily lol. Fairly small footprint too.

[Sammich]

A suggestion: check Consumer Reports to see if they've reviewed any recently.

[Jen]

I have a precor elliptical that I used almost daily for 8 years, its my fav piece but its big. I actually had to put it in storage last year when we moved until I can figure out where to use it.
I also have a commercial spin bike that I have had about 15 years. I like that its small but I can honestly say I do not and have never actually enjoyed using it. Its shitty on the back and seat unless I stand. I usually do most of my cardio in the standing position on it. No fun.

[DC_catholic315]

With delta
You can get a fairly cheap Walmart treadmill that folds up
Inclines
And has variety of speeds
I have one
It's lasted pretty well and gets the job done

[Jared Ragsdale]

Check craigslist. People are giving their equipment away daily.

If you're looking cheap - try to find an airedyne bike. It can be a little noisy but you can do some serious HIIT and also your MISS cardio on that thing with no problems. Probably get away with less than $100.

[steve302]

I have always enjoyed the Stair-masters. Very small footprint. Hiit or Miss no problem. plus easy on the joints

[Kidrok (Hop)]

I got one from Sears about 10 years ago....ProForm, paid $300 for it and it still going today. And it folds up when not being used to minimize the space it takes up.

[Collabera]

I've got a couple of options listed here to look into. Thanks guys.

Last night I found a lot of spin bikes for under $300 but after reading reviews, they all seems cheap and ready to fall apart.

I found a few of these here that seem kind of interesting:

http://m.sportsauthority.com/products/17195066

There's a few different variations of those. One even with uprights that detach you can hold onto. Hell I've even looked into those little stepping hip toners that work on a little air cushion or shock. I found one at Sports Authority for maybe $50. All in all, I still have to be comfortable doing my cardio. Otherwise I'm just gonna hate it even more.

[Collabera]

Check craigslist. People are giving their equipment away daily.

If you're looking cheap - try to find an airedyne bike. It can be a little noisy but you can do some serious HIIT and also your MISS cardio on that thing with no problems. Probably get away with less than $100.

I can't find any that are both cheap and look relatively sturdy. I'm not concerned with the noise. My neighbors scream and yell at each other all the time so they can deal with the sound of me doing cardio.