Training with a Precor Elliptical Machine
I own a Precor 546 Ellliptical Trainer and have done so for about 5 years. This is a machine that was used in many of the gyms throughout the UK in the early 2005/6 season.
I bought mine from eBay for around £150 down from the advertised £350 that the seller was asking for, and a long way from the £5000 they sold for when new. The fact that it filled his living room almost to the point that you could not move in there meant that he was desperate to get rid of it.
It obviously had not been working for him as he was around 18 stone, and that was not from muscle and rugby.
I made him an offer and he gladly accepted. The machine was no where near perfect and still has a knock when you put it up or down. The heart rate reading is always showing the max which is ok for me as I use my own heart rate monitor.
Apart from that all the other button and switches work perfect. I have stripped it down and checked the rear end out, and had to go to hospital as I almost chopped the end of my finger off just looking at how it worked and managing to get my hand in the wrong place whilst the machine was moving.
Fitness Training Machine
This machine is the perfect cardio training machine if you have the room to store and use it. It does take up quite a lot of space so make sure you have the room before you even consider looking for one. They are still available to buy now on eBay UK and USA.
The Precor 546 is a great winter training companion when you cannot get out to do your cardio training. At present as I write this article it is -12 outside here in Switzerland and there is no way I am going out on my bike in that weather. Not only will I catch a serious chest cold, I would also have no feel in my fingers after around 10 minutes. I have tried, and the max was 30 minutes before my so called thermal mega expensive gloves gave in.
The Precor has many settings for those who are looking to start easy and progress to new levels slowly. With 2 systems on the machine you can start by walking and just burning calories the easy way. Mind you if that is all you intend to do then I would go and take a walk in the fresh air which will give you far more benefits.
For those who are serious about loosing weight this is a superb tool. I like to make the most of my training and condense it as much as possible. by that I mean that I give it my max for around one hour and try and burn around 1000 calories so that I know I have done enough for the day to relax and enjoy myself after that.
Put the Precor on anything above 12 on the left and 12 on the right and you are in a serious training mode straight from the kick off. For those who like a little less action straight off try 10 on the left and 8 on the right.
In the winter season I use mine around 3 times a week if I cannot get out on the bike. Depending on which level you use it at you can make it feel like you are walking, running or climbing a mountain. With the right choice of music and the correct mindset you can burn a lot of calories without even thinking about it.
To mix my training I also use light weights, a Concept 2 Rowing Machine and the static training bike. Out of the four, the Precor is my favourite. You get straight into it and can do an hour without even thinking about it.
The Concept 2 Rower is a beast of a machine that is not to be used without serious consideration. So many people go out there and buy rowing machines without even trying them out. More on a wing and a prayer when they see in the mirror that they need to loose weight. A rowing machine is a serious piece of kit and most people manage around 8 minutes before stepping off. This is no where near enough for serious fat loss. 8 minutes is less that 150 calories even when blowing out of your arse and giving it max.
If your thinking of getting a rowing machine for your home or gym, consider an elliptical trainer as an obvious alternative. Not only is it more fun to use, it is also easier as well. The only downer is that the elliptical does not give a good a full body workout as a concept 2 does. Choose an elliptical with the moving arms if you want more of a full body workout.
You need to train for 20 minutes on a concept 2 at 500 rpm which equates to 500 metres every 2 mins. At this level you are considered to be a reasonable rower. Try it out for the 2000 metres which is a world wife recognised distance and see what you can do.
The world record is around 5 minutes and 30 seconds. If you manage to do it under 8 minutes you are considered a reasonable rower. The record above is only achieved by those who row in the Olympics like Steve Redgrave, Matthew Pinset and of course the nutter himself James Cracknell.
See more about the Concept 2 Rowing Machine here..
The Calorie Reader
Like a lot of machines and some heart rate monitors the calories that they actually say you are burning can be no where near what you are actually burning. The Precor and almost any other training machine I have used for cardio fitness does not measure your heart rate accurately. It looks at the rate of work that you do and the amount of pedal revs you achieve per minute and assesses what it think is correct. Unfortunately it is an absolute mile out.
Using a Heart Rate Monitor
If you just want to train and are happy to believe what the machine tells you then you do not need a heart rate monitor. However as a guide an hour on the Precor or any gym machine at around level 8 and level 10 will show around 900 top 1000 calories burned for around 1 hours work at a heart rate reading between 135 and 155.
This will be around 200 calories more than you have actually burned. so although it looks pretty good it is actually around a 1/5th out.
This is the same as the Garmin Heart Rate Monitors. they also measure by distance and speed, which when you are climbing a mountain and burning less calories that when you are pedalling on the flat is a little annoying.
However as you climb to a harder rate with the Precor to a level above 14 you start to get into the correct heart rate reading. I know this as I wear a Suunto T6D. This is the best heart rate monitor I have ever owned, and I have owned them all from the Garmin 405cx to thePolar T60, both of which were good but with reservations.
I use a Garmin 705 heart rate monitor when I am on my bike, and this is great for mapping places to ride and for building your own maps to use, but no good as a heart rate monitor.
The Suunto T6 is perfect for use with any indoor training as it gives you a very accurate heart rate reading. I know this as it records calories faster when you are working harder, unlike any of the other heart rate monitors I have used.
The good thing about using an indoor trainer is that you still have the chance to train even when the weather is really against you. This means that you have no excuse for not putting in an hour when you need to.
Choosing The Right Music
With some decent training music an hour goes by fairly quickly. I use around 10 songs on my google phone ( soon to be an iPhone 5 ) to keep myself going. Choose music that has a good beat to it and that makes you want to work at a rate that you can manage, or a rate that actually helps you along. I change my music when I get bored with it. This can be fairly quickly with some songs, with others they can last a really long time as they help to push me when I need it.
Your Training Kit
Make sure you have got your kit ready well before you are due to train. I get mine together the night before so that I know I can get straight onto it.
- Trainers
- Shorts
- Vest
- Heart Rate Monitor & Belt
- Water Bottle
- Mobile Phone
- Headphones – good quality. No shit as this will spoil the training
- Pen and Paper to record your finishing stats
- Meal to consume within 20 mins of finishing
- Shower Kit
Your kit is really important. This is the no 1 reason why people do not train enough. The biggest excuse they can find. “I forgot my kit”. It really is a poor excuse and one of the main reasons why people get lazy. Get your kit ready the night before, or ready in your bag by the door to take to work with you. Even better is to leave a second set at work ready for training. This way you can bring a set in and take the dirty one home when needed.
Keeping a Record
Keep a record of what you achieve. It is a great feeling knowing how you are doing and looking at your stats from previous sessions. I keep a record of all my workouts and try and run an online record with one of the top online trainers. Find below a list of three that I use. As with all trainers they only work with some equipment, so your records will never be perfect.
Enjoy and Relax
The main thing about indoor training and using your indoor machines is to look forward to it, relax and enjoy it. Easier said than done for those who are a lot overweight and not looking forward to they and loose 2 stone. However if you go into the session with a positive mindset and take out of it what you put in you will feel much better.
Regular Training Sessions
Try and make your training sessions as regular as possible especially if you are trying to get weight off. If you are on a serious weight loss routine you will need to train around 6 days a week. The biggest factor in training is what you eat. You need to burn more calories than you actually consume each and every day. If you don’t manage to do this you will fail in your objectives.
There is no point training three times a week and burning 1000 calories a day if on the days you are not training you are consuming far more calories than you actually burn. It is best to have just one day a week off and train 6 days a week. You don’t have to bust a gut every day but you do need to burn more calories than you actually consume to loose weight.
See more about training sessions here
See more about weight loss here
So get to the gym and get that new years resolution going. Don’t give up before you have even started. A good machine at home or in a gym will do you the world of good. If the weather is to cold to get outside then the gym is the perfect place to burn those calories. Others in the gym will be in the same position as you and will be trying to burn calories or lose a few kilos of fat. Join them and get rid of that belly.
