From the latest issue of CR on exercise equipment.
Elipticals:
1. Diamondback 1260 Ef
2. Sole E35
3. Precor 5.31
4. LifeCore CD-400
5. Smooth Agile DMT X2
Treadmills:
1. Precore 9.31
2. Landice L7 Cardio Trainer
3. ST Fitness 8921
4. PaceMaster Platinum Pro VR
5. True PS300
Why is it that people are soooo....fixated on cardio equipment for being in shape? Isn't weight training cardio too? It is ludicrous! Cardio is basically doing totally the wrong thing for weight loss or anything else. Unfortunately, fitness is an area where even if something is wrong, repeating it a million times makes it fact.
I suggest people really read the new ebook by Brad Pilon called Eat, Stop, Eat (www.eatstopeat.com). It's a highly controversial scientific look at how we eat and should eat. Basically there are only two facts when it comes to eating: we are either in a fed or unfed state. Problem is that were always in the fed state--and that's not the way our metabolism is built to work. He picks apart so many "facts" as having no basis in any science and then enumerates what the studies out there have shown. In addition, Brad talks about how the unfed state is important to trigger the release of hormones related to weight management.
Bottom line: if you want to lose weight, resistance training incorporated with periodic fasting is the best way to lose weight or anything else. There are many studies showing the effects of fasting for 24 hours, and reprogramming the way our bodies use fuel. One of the biggest myths: if you don't eat, you'll lose muscle mass and reduce your metabilism. False. Studies show caloric intake as low as 6-800 calories/day with exercise done over 5-6 months have no effect on metabolism but huge impact upon fat loss. So the resistance training is important to maintain muscle mass/metabolism while the fasting puts one in a caloric deficit. The beauty is that there's no stressing over what one eats, choce of food, etc./