I’ve been going to the gym for a good 20 years to try and lose the fat belly. I’ve now stopped. Why? Well, I have all I need at home.
I have my dumbbells, a bench, and my bodyweight.
Also, I have my favorite and best exercise machine to lose belly fat. More on this later, but…
Do you know what having your exercise equipment at home means?
You can workout in your undies.
And, no more wasting time, traveling to and from the gym.
No more hearing loud grunts, quickly followed by a loud thud of dumbbells on the floor.
No more wiping sweaty pieces of equipment.
Most of all.
No more waiting.
If you want to know what is the best exercise machine to lose belly fat and why you should buy one to workout at home, keep reading.
Why should you invest in the best exercise machine to lose belly fat?
You finished your strength training.
Now you want to get some cardio in for the day.
But damn, all 5 treadmills are taken.
The 2 rowing machines are all occupied as well.
And the only elliptical trainer in the gym that was working yesterday has broken down, again.
Now you have to settle for either a bike machine or that strange ladder called Jacob’s ladder that no one ever uses.
You don’t want to use Jacob’s ladder because you don’t know what you’re doing. Heck, no one knows how to use the ladder.
So, a bike machine it is.
Then you realize your quads are still throbbing from yesterday’s heavy leg day.
Don’t you wish you had your own exercise machine to lose belly fat?
Well, maybe you are not in a position to buy right now, or you still prefer to go to the gym.
Either way, it will help to know the best exercise machine to lose belly fat, so you are not wasting your time.
And when that extra moola comes, you’ll know exactly what to buy.
The best exercise machine to lose belly fat for your home
Here’s the deal.
As mentioned earlier, I’ve been going to the gym for half of my life. I’ve used all the cardio machines a gym has to offer.
From the bike machine, rowers, to even Jacob’s ladder (I finally used it and somehow slipped and fell).
This is my opinion on what is the best exercise machine to lose belly fat fast, and it is subjective.
Treadmill
The treadmill is likely the most popular exercise machine on the planet. Why? Well, because it is easy to use.
Hop on, press the green start button, and run or walk.
There are other buttons, but they seem too complicated to use, and who has time to read a manual?
You just want to get going, adjust the speed by pressing the plus or minus and away you go, simples!
If you want to get into the nitty-gritty on what the treadmill can bring, you can always buy your own.But, even then, you’ll probably do the same. I know that’s what I do.
I never use the other functions, such as the 26+ programs embedded inside this running PC.
So, why did I buy one?
- Easy on the joints
- Accessible, rain or shine or people
- Great for any level of fitness
Easy on the joints
Well, other than its popularity, I love that it is easy on the knees compared to running on asphalt.
The treadmill’s platform has more give when you are strutting your stuff. Just think of your knees or joints as an egg. Do you know how to catch an egg, so it doesn’t break?
To prevent the egg from breaking when you catch it, when the egg lands on the palm of your hand, you pull back to go with the momentum of the egg.
But if you create resistance by not moving with the egg’s momentum, it will break.
I’m not saying your bones will break at that instance, but it will gradually degrade due to constant battering.
Having more give can reduce the force you put on your knees when running.
Accessible, rain or shine or people
This is one of the major benefits of having your own exercise machine; you sweat out the fat anytime plus, you don’t have to travel.
Do you know how much time you waste when you have to drive to the gym? I lose about 30 minutes of travel time to and from the gym.
Also, you can use it anytime you want. You don’t have to line up, wait, and waste more time. Time is precious nowadays.
Great for any level
The treadmill is great for anyone. Whether you are just starting or have been in the fitness scene for decades.
My first time using a treadmill was 23 years ago. I still remember how expensive Fitness First was at $70 a week.
I am not the type who loves to do cardio. If I can optimize fat loss without cardio, I would.
But according to Med Science, moderate to high intensity reduces a significant amount of visceral fat compared to low-intensity exercises such as lifting weights.
[source: Effect of exercise training intensity on abdominal visceral fat and body composition]
What is this visceral fat that I keep mentioning?
Visceral fat latches onto your organs and slowly secretes toxic chemicals. Over time, these chemicals will harm your organs, leading to cancers, and diseases.
[source: The clinical importance of visceral adiposity: a critical review of methods for visceral adipose tissue analysis]
More on visceral fat:
No one taught me how to use the treadmill. I just got on and saw the green “start” button and pressed it.
There is a “+” and “-” to adjust the speed of which you jog or run.
With this function, you can choose your workout difficulty. Making it ideal for beginners and veterans.
Personal preference and a testicles story
Now you are probably thinking, so what, all machines have a level of adjustments.
You are correct. All exercise machines have some sort of function to change the difficulty.
However, not all machines are created equal. It all comes down to preference.
Take me, for example. I had a problem with my testicles. Doctors called it testicular torsion, no joke. Testicular torsion is basically when your spermatic cord twists and cuts off the blood supply to your testicles.
It can cause tremendous pain, and it’s considered an emergency. I had to go to the hospital to get it treated.
My testicles have never been the same after the surgery. Cycling for me causes pain in my testicle, where I had the operation.
I hate leg days!
The stair climber or elliptical machine works out your legs. I and most people I know hate leg days. In saying that, leg days are crucial if you want these results:
The rowing machine could be hard for beginners because it does need a bit of effort to get started. Again, you will be using some leg power for this one.
The treadmill emulates walking and running on flat or steep terrains. Humans have been walking and running since the beginning of time. Making the treadmill the most natural exercise machine ever built.
How to lose belly fat at the gym fast!
Now that you know my favorite and best exercise machine to lose belly fat, here’s a couple of ideas you can start today to lose weight faster.
- Spend 1-hour cardio
- Skip the weights
- Do the HIIT
- Incline that treadmill
- Walk it
Spend 1-hour cardio
If your primary focus is to lose weight, you should do 1 hour of cardio 4 – 5 times a week or more.
You see, when you do cardio, you are burning fat while achieving a calorie deficit. This is a surefire way to lose belly fat.
The good thing about doing an hour of cardio daily is that you don’t have to watch your calories.
If you are eating right and not overeating, you will be in a calorie deficit without starving to death.
Skip the weights
Skipping the weights, for now, to focus on weight loss is probably best if you want to lose weight as fast as possible.
In a study by the Journal of Applied Physiology, they found that aerobic exercise offered better results in reducing fat and body mass.
And a combination of cardio and strength training or strength training alone resulted in a lesser loss of fat.
[source: Effects of aerobic and/or resistance training on body mass and fat mass in overweight or obese adults]
In saying that, you do need strength training to maintain and build lean muscles.
For now, focus on losing the fat. And if time permits, perhaps you can squeeze in some dumbbell curls, crunches, or push-ups
Do the HIIT
Do you want to lose belly fat at the gym fast? Well, you should read this.
HIIT stands for high-intensity interval training.
As the name suggests, HIIT involves a lot of intensity.
The following is how you can do HIIT on a treadmill:
- Warm-up for 2 minutes or less.
- Pick up the pace where you’re at 80 – 90% of your maximum heart rate for 30 seconds. Find your MHR and Fat burning zone here.
- Drop the intensity to 50% of your max heart rate or whatever you think you can catch your breath for 2 minutes.
- Repeat steps 2 and 3.
- Do more if you can to lose belly fat as fast as possible.
There is a benefit to doing HIIT. Research shows that high intensity reduces a significant amount of visceral fat compared to a steady moderate-intensity workout.
[source: The Effects of High Intensity Interval Training vs Steady State Training on Aerobic and Anaerobic Capacity]
Incline the treadmill
Inclining the treadmill will add a variety to your treadmill workout. With an inclined treadmill, you are also working out your quads as well as losing body fat.
When your cardio improves, instead of increasing the speed, how about making the treadmill a little steeper, this will add another dimension to your monotonous treadmill exercise.
Or, you can increase both the speed and incline, giving your workout an intense boost.
Walk it
Sick of running? Try walking.
If you want something easier on the joints, just walk it.
You don’t have to be running to achieve fat loss, but it does help you burn it faster.
Even if you walk it, you can still burn fat fast.
In your next treadmill session, how about you put it in the max incline and just walk.
Increase the speed if it’s too easy.
Make sure you are breathing hard; this is one way of knowing that you are in the fat-burning zone.
Walking sounds lax and timid, but I guarantee you’ll sweat like a pig if you follow what I mentioned above.
Best exercise machine to lose belly fat – the short version
When it comes to choosing the best exercise machine to lose belly fat, it all comes down to personal preference.
I’m not the type who shies away from new things; in fact, I have a shiny object syndrome – I like new things.
I don’t get embarrassed if I do something wrong or funny. Heck, I even laugh about it if I do something stupid. Maybe that is the reason why I’ve tried so many exercise machines.
While one person has only tried one cardio machine in their entire life, I’ve tried dozens. I’ve tried all the fitness machines, even the weird ones. But in the end, I always tend to go with the treadmill.
It is easy on the joints, and it’s great for anyone. Someone new to fitness can start using the treadmill from day 1.
There are also variations you can do to lose belly fat faster on a treadmill. You don’t even need to run.
Investing in a treadmill should not be taken lightly; they can be quite expensive but…
Think about your health. What does it cost you to live a little bit longer?
Your medical bills will probably cost more if you don’t focus on your wellbeing now. It’s not too late.
You will not go wrong buying a treadmill. Provided you use it, otherwise, your treadmill will just become an expensive decor.