Question...

[telophase]

Does anyone here have any recommendations for compact, small cardio exercise equipment? Something that takes up space in use, but which easily folds away, like those treadmills that can fold up, is also an option. (No non-recumbent bikes, plz, those things hurt me!)

I'm just looking at things that take significantly less floorspace than the recumbent bikes. My current bike needs about 6' x 3.5' of space.

Comments

[gaudior.livejournal.com]

My step-father got excellent mileage out of a sturdy coffee-table-- step up on it and down and up and down. Cheap and compact and you can find the equivalent wherever you travel.

Dunno about its precise muscle-and-joint benefits, but he definitely got his heart-rate going.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

Definitely an option - they have aerobic steps you can buy. I'd be extremely leery of any coffee table at my current weight! and the idea is to have the exercise equipment in the bedroom, hence the need to downsize.

Although what I'm considering at the moment is just getting rid of one of the bikes completely - if we want to work out together, there's the Wii and the Kinect (and, now that you've brought it up, a step of some ilk).

[vom-marlowe.livejournal.com]

There's some good joint benefits to stepping up and down--but only in moderation. It can be hard on the knees and ankles if done for too long (for cardio, basically, as opposed as for weight/resistance training), according to my ortho guy. I have a small step that I use sometimes--it's rated for various people weights and has some give to protect the joints. I bought mine at Target.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

I'm envisioning switching off between the remaining bike and the step - and the step is useful in some weights-related workouts also.

[weirdquark]

How compact do you want it?

Our elliptical trainer folds up, not that we usually bother because we have enough space to keep it out all the time. It probably takes up about the same amount of space as your bike when it's in use; and maybe half that folded?

[weirdquark]

Step plus bike is probably your best option -- it looks like you could fit a folded up elliptical machine in a corner with a bike, but it would make it very cluttered and would be a pain to drag the bike or elliptical out of the corner so you could use both.

[telophase.livejournal.com]

I'm getting more and more convinced of this as the best option.

(And BTW to anyone else reading this - I screened the comment above as it contained a link to an address we are considering, which I realized afterwards was now posted in public. Whee! :D)