10 Most Beneficial Exercise Equipment Worth Your Time

Have you recently signed up for gym membership or visited the fitness center of the condo you just moved into and found yourself overwhelmed by the sheer number of machines, a lot of which look too complex and intimidating? Well, you don’t need to use all of them. Here we identify the gym equipment that are most effective in helping you burn fat, tone your muscles, and generally achieve your overall fitness goals—and share tips on how to use them.

1. Treadmill

Okay, let’s start with everyone’s favorite: The treadmill keeps you moving throughout your workout and it’s great for burning fat. You don’t even have to run on it—brisk walking at an increased incline should do the trick. Here’s a treadmill tip from Self: “Two efficient ways to use it for heart-pumping cardio are high-intensity intervals and walking with the incline set high. Treadmills are one of the simplest ways to incorporate high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which is an effective and efficient way to train. Because you’re ‘revving’ your heart rate multiple times during a HIIT session, your body uses more energy to return to a resting state after the workout is over, burning more calories in the process. This is known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), or the ‘afterburn effect.’”

2. Rowing Machine

Rowing machines are becoming more preferred among gym rats because they work out the entire body—especially the legs, arms, back, and core—all at once, while you’re seated! While it’s a bit of a challenge to use—there’s a proper way to do it and timing is key—and may tire you easily, it’s something you can get better at the more you use it. 

Self shares the following tips for using the rowing machine: “Start seated near the front of the machine with your legs bent and holding the handles in your hands and with a slight lean forward.

Push back powerfully with your legs then follow with your arms by bringing the bar to your ribs and lean back slightly. Pause here for a moment. Straighten your arms back out, then bend your knees to bring your body back to the starting position (repeat: legs, arms, arms, legs). It’s all about control and power—if you’re speeding through, you probably aren’t using proper form.” As they say, slow and steady wins the (rowing) race.

3. Stationary Bike

Another popular machine in any gym—so popular, there are now studios dedicated to indoor cycling—the stationary bike offers several benefits with less pressure on your joints. Spinning in the saddle reportedly can help you burn over 1,000 calories an hour and beat sleeplessness, according to Men’s Health . Check out this fat-burning workout you can do in increasing lengths over several weeks that Allan Peiper, a professional cyclist for over a decade, shared with the magazine.

4. Leg Press

If you want a firm and perky butt, the leg press is your best friend. Of course, as the name suggests, it also works your legs—specifically your thighs/quads, hips/glutes, and hamstrings. It mimics the movement of a squat and allows you to challenge yourself with heavier weights without sacrificing your form or your joints. 

To use it, follow this tip fitness expert Himmat Dhanda shared with Cosmopolitan "You want to adjust your seat so that your feet are parallel to the foot panel when you recline, keeping them hip width apart. Push with your heels and slowly use your quads to return to the starting position. Remember, the slower you go through the motions on a leg press, the greater the burn on your thighs and bum, therefore the better the results.” Keep your hip on the seat and don’t let your knees collapse inward or outward.

5. Medicine Ball

Meanwhile, if you want toned abs—maybe even a six-pack—you better grab one of those medicine balls at the gym. It will help you get a better core workout than just doing plain sit-ups or crunches. Here’s an exercise technique Dhanda also shared with Cosmo: "Sitting on the floor, hold a medicine ball with your arms straight out in front of your chest, lean back at a 45-degree angle and, bracing your core, rotate to the right as far as you can taking the ball with you, and hold the position. After a few seconds, reverse the movement and twist all the way to your left as far as you can, holding again. If you want to up the ante, raising your feet slightly off the floor will increase the burn.”

6. Kettlebell

Weight-lifting is something both men and women should include in their workout routine, as they’re proven to help burn fat besides building muscle. If you only have dumbbells at home, the gym is where you should experiment and try Kettlebells, popularized in the US by Soviet Special Forces trainer Pavel Tsatsouline. According to Men's Journal, “kettlebells are superior to dumbbells for two exercises: swings and Turkish get-ups, the best all-purpose core exercise ever invented. For the swing, Tsatsouline says, the off-set handle creates a longer lever arm than a traditional dumbbell would, allowing you to generate more speed and force.”

Here’s how to do the Turkish Get-Up according to the magazine: “Lie flat with a kettlebell held above you in your right hand, elbow locked and right knee bent to bring your foot closer to your body. Raise your torso up and to the left, to rest on your left elbow, always keeping the kettlebell straight above you. Push with your left arm and right foot until standing. Lie back down, continuing to hold that kettlebell in your upright arm. Repeat on the other side.”

7. Chest Press

Both men and women can benefit from a good chest workout, and the best machine for that is the chest press. It also works your shoulders and triceps, and even helps improve your posture when done correctly. It’s the machine you need for building upper-body strength, and it can help you work on your push-ups. Watch this video for how to use it.

8. Pull-Up/Dip Machine

You know what’s harder than a push-up? Pull-ups and bodyweight dips. They're great for your upper body strength and back muscles, even your lats, but boy are they one hell of a challenge. But thanks to this combo machine, you can select the weight you can work against your body weight, allowing you to “work on both of them while reducing the percentage of your bodyweight that you're actually lifting,” trainer Laura Arndt, C.S.C.S., told Shape. "This machine helps maintain good form as you build strength in your entire upper body, especially if you're a beginner or want to work on high-rep, low-weight sets," she says. For modified pull-ups and triceps dips, Arndt recommends “using 50 to 70 percent of your bodyweight for 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps.”

9. Lat Pulldown

The latissimus dorsi (AKA lats) is one of the largest muscles on your back and upper body, wrapping around your ribcage. This specific machine targets your lats and even your shoulders and biceps. Among the benefits of using this machine to strengthen your lats include improving your posture and protecting your spine from injury during other exercises, according to Nicholas Routson, an ACE-certified personal trainer, who spoke with Refinery29.

Building up upper body strength with this machine will help you work on your pull-ups. To use the Lat Pulldown, follow this tip Dhanda told Cosmo: "Ensure the long bar is clipped accordingly onto the weight attachment you want and grab the long bar, noting that the wider your grip, the greater the burn on your lats. It’s always a good idea to trial different arm positions to see what’s most comfortable for you. Keeping your back upright, arms straight and your abs engaged, pull the bar to your chest and hold for one second, then slowly return the bar to its original position, repeating until you’ve done enough reps or your arms need a break.”

10. Cable Machine

Don’t be daunted by this complicated-looking machine, which comes with interchangeable handles for use in various exercises. It’s actually great for working your entire body. As Rouston told Refinery29, “It offers the benefit of continuous tension throughout the entire range of motion. Challenging your muscle in every part of the range allows for more control, flexibility, and reduces imbalances.” Watch this video for a full body workout you can do using only cables.