Exercise Equipment Guide: Treadmills, Weights, and Home Gyms

What happens when your treadmill stops suddenly, and how can you troubleshoot common home gym equipment? Selecting the best mini-trampolines, resistance bands, and cross trainers can significantly improve your at-home fitness results and safety.

Cardio exercise.

How Much Height Is Needed for an Elliptical Machine?

You may be somewhat surprised at the size of your elliptical trainer when you first set it up in your home. The space requirement for an elliptical can be deceiving if you have only seen one at a fitness studio -- an environment that typically has several elliptical trainers standing in large, open spaces.

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Man Feet On Treadmill

A ProForm Treadmill With Excessive Noise

It can be very frustrating to suddenly have your ProForm treadmill start making excessive noise, whether it is a clunking, vibrating, humming or squealing noise. A motorized ProForm treadmill has a lot of moving parts. If these parts become worn or loose, they can make a variety of noises.

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People on treadmill in gym running

How Fast Is 10 on a Treadmill?

The console of a treadmill displays immediate feedback about your current workout, including distance, time, grade, calories burned and speed. If the console displays that your current speed is 10, this could mean 10 mph or 10 kph, depending on your treadmill make and model and how you set up your machine.

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Do Treadmills Measure Distance in Miles?

Treadmills provide a measurement of the distance covered in a workout, typically in either kilometers or miles. If your treadmill isn't displaying properly, modify the display to show the correct measurement.

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Woman Running On Treadmill At Gym

The Controls Are Not Working on a NordicTrack Treadmill

Although you hope nothing goes wrong with your NordicTrack treadmill, it's best to be prepared in case something does. Many glitches involving the controls on the console can be solved relatively quickly with some simple troubleshooting steps.

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Young man on stationary bike exercising with his personal trainer

Is an Exercise Bike Good for Cardio?

If your time on an exercise bike consists of leisurely pedaling while paying more attention to the overhead TV than to your heart rate, level of intensity or speed, then an exercise bike will not provide a good cardio workout.

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one man exercising fitness workout push ups in silhouette on white background

Perfect Pushup Workout

The Perfect Pushup is a piece of workout equipment that increases muscle activation when performing push-ups.

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Woman Balancing Exercise Ball on Feet

Alternatives for a Medicine Ball

A medicine ball is a weighted ball used for exercise. Modern balls are made of rubber or soft plastic, but they used to be made out of leather and stuffed with felt or horsehair.

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running on a treadmill

Troubleshooting a Treadmill That Won't Start

If your treadmill doesn't start, you will need to troubleshoot the possible cause. Depending on the make, model, age and condition of your machine, the problem might be something you can repair yourself.

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male legs in health club

The Treadmill Belt Won't Move

If you flip on the switch, set the speed and nothing happens, your treadmill is an unhappy camper. Troubleshooting involves putting on your inspector hat and taking a tour of the belt. You may have to proceed to the console if that doesn't solve the matter.

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The Best Workout Routine With Iron Gym

The Iron Gym is a piece of exercise equipment that you can use to complete strength training workouts in your home. With the Iron Gym unit, you can complete an array of upper body strength exercises, including pullups with a variety of grips, pushups, dips and abdominal crunches.

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Pulldown Exercises Without a Machine

Pulldown exercises are used to strengthen muscles in your upper body. You will know if you are performing a pulldown because your arms will be pulling down toward your body against a resistance.

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running in gym

Does an Inclined Treadmill Make You Gain Muscle?

Raising the incline on your treadmill is a way to make your workout a calorie-scorching, heart-pumping challenge. Running or hiking uphill increases muscle activation in many of the muscles of the lower body, which also leads to muscle gain.

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Man jogging in field

What Exercises Can You Do With an IT Band Injury?

Working out is one of the best habits to have, but even a small injury can set back months of progress. The iliotibial band, or IT band, can be difficult to address. Rather than thinking about what exercises can be done, focusing on proper healing and progression of exercises should be the focus.

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High angle view of a young man exercising in a gym

What Are the Standard Weights for Powerlifting Bars & Collars?

The barbell is an essential strength-building tool, both for the serious powerlifter training for competition and the beginner performing squats at his local gym. While simple in design, barbells can hold more weight than any other piece of workout equipment -- sometimes up to 1,200 pounds.

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Overweight woman on bathroom scales

How Much Weight Can You Lose Wearing a Weighted Vest?

Weight loss occurs when you burn more calories than you consume. This can be done through aerobic exercise, strength training and eating a healthy, low-calorie diet. Increasing the work you do while exercising can help you lose weight in a shorter amount of time; this can be achieved by wearing a weighted vest.

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young girl doing squats with barbell

Is the Weight Lifted on a Smith Machine the Same As Free Weights?

No weight lifted on any machine is the same as using free weights. In all cases, less effort is required to stabilize the weight, making the lift easier. In some cases, the Smith machine itself has a counterweight that reduces the weight of the bar, and often there is no way to know by how much.

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Fit woman using weights machine for legs

Best Exercise Machines to Tone Body

Weight machines tend to be safer and easier to use than free weights, and many help you get the most out of your workout by ensuring you follow a proper motion path without relying on other muscles.

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Replacement Parts for Gazelle Exerciser

The Gazelle Glider is a line of in-home cardio machines made by Fitness Quest and endorsed by Tony Little. As of March 2011, the Gazelle models are the Edge and Freestyle, though there have been a variety of models over the years. If you need a replacement part for your Gazelle, contact the manufacturer directly.

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