Introduction
There are so many cardio options these days for the home gym, and it can be tough to choose the one or few to go with because it’s unlikely you have the space and/or budget for all!
Within this article, You’ll see that there isn’t a single piece of cardio equipment that dominates as the #1 choice for home gym owners.
The responses are very spread out between the rower, air bike, stair climber, BikeErg/upright Bike, SkiErg, sled, and treadmill.
After breaking down the data from the community, I’ll explain my answer (Jake) and Adam’s.
You can also listen to us chat about it in the clip below.
Community Response
As mentioned above, there wasn’t a single piece of equipment that dominated the answer of “If you could only have one cardio machine for your home gym, what are you getting?”
Nevertheless, the rower did eek out a victory with 22% of the total votes.
That was just ahead of the Stair Climber (21%) and Air Bike (19%).
The treadmill was a distant fourth, BikeErg/Upright Bike in fifth, SkiErg in 6th, and the sled chosen last.
Jake’s Choice – Air Bike
I’m going with an Air Bike & more specifically the Rogue Echo Bike for the following reasons.
- “Kill yourself in 10 minutes” – by that I mean that if time is limited, you have the ability to knock out a quick workout or burn some steam in just a few minutes.
- I can easily move around/take outside. I like the ability to move outside every once in awhile to get some sun.
- You can wear any shoes & combine them easily with lifting weights. If you are doing a cardio/lift on a treadmill or stair stepper, you’ll likely want to wear running shoes, which can be uncomfortable for many while lifting.
- Much cheaper than most treadmills/stair climbers, which are also at the top of my list.
- It will last forever & require basically zero maintenance.
- Therefore, it’s ultimately one of the best overall value cardio options you can choose from.
***I will say, though, if money is not an object, I would likely go with the STEPR.
Adam’s Choice – Motorized Treadmill
Adam is consistently training for long-distance races. Therefore, his choice is pretty simple. It would be the motorized treadmill.
- Can accomplish both hard runs & slow runs. This type of treadmill is easier to keep pace than a non-motorized option.
- His schedule is limited, so running outside cannot always happen.
- Via his Truform Review: “Having a motor to keep pace can be ideal for endurance running. Maintaining a consistent pace on something like the TrueForm can be difficult, and putting in a long workout on an air runner compared to a treadmill can be twice as taxing. It is also more difficult to ease into a run on a motorless treadmill, especially if you fight fatigue and soreness.”
