The 3 Most Underrated Exercise Machines to Lose Weight

Woman on Rowing Machine

According to the World Health Organization, worldwide obesity has nearly tripled since 1975 with more than 1.9 billion adults being overweight at the moment. In order to counteract this trend, many people are turning to exercise equipment that they hope will enable them to train effectively in short time. But which exercise machine is particularly suitable for losing weight?

In today’s article we will get to the bottom of this question. First, we are going to look at the respective calorie consumption values, and then I will introduce you to three of the best and most underrated exercise machines for weight loss. Have fun! ?

Which Exercise Machine Burns the Most Calories?

Let’s face the facts: How many calories can you really burn with exercise machines? On the Internet, you will find extremely varying values and of course, each manufacturer puts his own devices in the most favorable light.

I have therefore decided to conduct a little experiment and try it out for myself. The exact calorie consumption values are of course different from person to person, but nevertheless we can get a rough estimate of how many calories you can burn with the different exercise machines.

On each of the machines, I conducted a 30-minute workout at the same intensity (based on my heart rate).  For the purposes of illustration, I projected the values for one hour.

Exercise Machine Calories Burned (per Hour)

Vibration Plate810 calories
Rowing Machine780 calories
Elliptical 690 calories
Treadmill590 calories
Exercise Bike570 calories

The Vibration Plate: Small but Powerful!

Training with a Vibration Plate

Many of you have probably never heard of vibration plates and the ones that have might be very skeptical about them which is mainly because they are often advertised as magic potions for weight loss. However, as we all know, there is no magic potion, no shortcut that will let you wake up with your dream body after the first application.

For this reason, many people are doubting the effectiveness of vibration plates and I too must admit that I was very skeptical at first.

However, when the vibration plate was introduced to me as part of my sports studies and I was so deeply involved in the subject, my initial skepticism quickly turned into enthusiasm.

Let me clarify one thing at first: Just standing on the plate, being shaken and doing nothing for 10 minutes will not help you lose weight! As I told you, there is no magic machine for weight loss and the vibration plate isn’t either.

Used correctly however, the vibration plate is still one of the most effective exercise machines and will help you lose weight faster! ? But what makes it so effective?

A vibration plate transmits vibrations to our body via one or several motors. These tiny vibrations will cause our body to lose balance over and over again. However, since our body is a true miracle of nature, we don’t have to do anything ourselves to maintain our balance.

This is done completely automatically by our so-called deep muscles. These are, as the name suggests, deeper lying muscles that are not visible on the surface.

In contrast to the biceps, which we can contract consciously, the deeper lying muscles operate in the background. But this does not make them any less important, quite the contrary!

In total, around 40% of our muscles are classified as deep muscles. However, we cannot consciously control or train them. However, the vibrations of the vibration plate activate the deep muscles as they are responsible for maintaining our body’s balance.

So, if we combine this with bodyweight exercises, such as push-ups or squats, we can maximize the training effect and target more muscles at the same time.

Because of this multitude of activated muscles, our body has to expend an enormous amount of energy to supply them all. And how does the body get this much energy?

Right, it has to draw from our stored fat reserves! And that should be music to the ears of anyone interested in losing weight! ?

Concluding, just standing on the vibration plate waiting for a miracle to happen will not help you losing weight. If you’re getting active however, the vibration plate definitely helps with weight loss, and helps you to reach your goals faster.

By the way, I myself train with the Powerfit Elite. If you’re interested in vibration plates or this model specifically, you should definitely check it out. Here you can take a closer look.

The best beginner tips for the vibration plate including the best exercises (+pictures) can be found in this blog posts.

The Rowing Machine: The All-Rounder!

Training on a Rowing Machine

The rowing machine provides an extremely effective full-body workout and is a lot of fun!

As I already said concerning the vibration plate, the number of activated muscles plays a big role in losing weight. The classic exercise machines, such as treadmills, exercise bikes, etc. are undoubtedly good exercise machines, but for the most part, we are exercising our lower body.

The elliptical, if used correctly, also targets some of our upper body muscles and comes closer to being a full-body workout, but still leaves out some important muscle groups as well.

And this is where the rowing machine comes into play! The rowing machine still doesn’t really belong to the most popular exercise machines and I must honestly say that I have no idea why, because the rowing machine really is the perfect exercise machine for losing weight.

The main reason for this is that rowing targets nearly 80 percent of our muscles at the same time. To give you a better understanding of this digit, I’ve created a “small” list of the mainly trained muscles:

  • Large Back Muscle (Latissimus)
  • Back Extensor
  • Trapezius Muscle/Neck
  • Rear Delts
  • Front Thighs
  • Hamstrings
  • Glute Muscles
  • Calves
  • Ab Muscles
  • Biceps
  • Forearm Muscles

No, that was not a summary of my last anatomy lesson, and yes, you are still in the right place if you are looking for the best exercise machine to lose weight! ?

This immense list of activated muscles is actually just the beginning, and yet impressive enough. In total, rowing machines work nearly 80% of our muscles.

Remember: Many Muscles = A Lot of Energy = Burning Fat = Weight Loss! ?

By the way, rowing is also considered to be very easy on the joints. With the treadmill, for example, strong impact forces weigh on our joints with every step. Especially when you are overweight, this might be a problem. Rowing does not have these impacts and is a real blessing for our joints.

So, if you are interested in losing weight, you should definitely take rowing machines into consideration… The best tips for the start including the proper rowing technique can be found in this blog post.

Rowing Machine in the Gym

Probably the most famous rowing machine is the Waterrower, which achieved international fame not least by its appearances in the TV series “House of Cards”. Although this rowing machine comes with a hefty price tag, it really has everything you would expect from an exercise machine.

It is of extremely high quality, has an awesome design, and provides a very good and natural rowing experience in the comfort of your own home.

You will certainly have to dig a little deeper into your pocket, but in my opinion this rowing machine is worth every penny due to its extremely high effectiveness and the very high durability! Especially for losing weight, it’s just perfect! But of course, that’s just my personal view on things. I’d recommend you to take a closer look at the Waterrower for yourself. Here you will find all the information you’ll need.

If you’re really interested in rowing machines but don’t want to invest too much money, I’ve got a good solution for you. The SereneLife rowing machine is perfect for beginners and provides a sensational price-performance ratio.

The rowing doesn’t feel as natural as with the Waterrower, since it doesn’t use water resistance but a combination of air resistance and a magnetic brake, but you can lose weight just as effectively with this model!

For $200-300 (the price can vary), you definitely can’t go wrong! Whether this exercise machine meets your expectations is up to you. Here you can take a look at it.

Ever Considered a Fitness Trampoline?

Fitness Trampoline

Fitness Trampolines are definitely underrated and may be an exciting break from your regular exercise routine. With this exercise equipment, you’ll certainly have lots of fun and additionally it’s the perfect way to lose weight.

With the fitness trampoline you can burn an enormous amount of calories in just 10-20 minutes and can effectively work about 60% of your muscles at the same time. The jumping movement also has a positive effect on the deep muscles and in addition we can tighten our skin and get rid of cellulite.

Above all, working out with this exercise equipment is a lot of fun and it provides an exciting break from classics like the treadmill, elliptical or exercise bike.  And if it additionally helps with weight loss, then it’s definitely worth taking into consideration. ?

The fitness trampoline also has the great advantage over other exercise machines that it’s very affordable and easy to store. If this equipment has aroused your interest and you want to give it a shot, take a look at this model to learn more.

This is The Most Important Factor for Weight Loss

Nutrition for Weight Loss

Weight loss is simple math! But don’t worry, you don’t have to be good at math and it’s not complicated at all.

You can imagine it like this: At the end of each day your body takes stock. It compares the calorie intake with the caloric output. If you have taken in fewer calories through food and drinks than you have burned during the day, you are losing weight.

Because for our body to function properly, we need energy in the form of calories. However, if we give our body too little of this energy, it has to help itself by drawing from our stored fat reserves, among other things.

If we consume too many calories, our body builds up these fat reserves. A very simple calculation.

The Weight Loss Formula
+ Calorie Intake
– Caloric Output
= Caloric Surplus (Gain Weight) or Caloric Deficit (Lose Weight)

So, you can train as much as you want on your new exercise machine… As long as the other component (nutrition) does not fit your goals, you will not lose weight!

It is therefore important for weight loss that you have a daily caloric deficit. However, this should not be too large either. I would recommend a deficit of about 100-200 calories a day. This means that you should burn about 100-200 calories more per day than you consume.

Training with an effective exercise machine is only half the story. Make sure you stick to a healthy and balanced diet, and then there’s nothing to stop you on your weight loss journey.

Final Thoughts on the Best Exercise Machines to Lose Weight

With the right exercise equipment, it will be easier for you to lose weight. It is especially important that many muscles are targeted at the same time, as this requires a lot of energy and will increase your caloric output.

The vibration plate and the rowing machine are both extremely underrated exercise machines that are just perfect for weight loss in every respect.

I hope that I could help you with this article. However, if you have further questions or would like to share your own weight loss experiences, feel free to write me an e-mail.

Otherwise, I wish you a lot of fun and success with your new exercise machine! ?

Team HTF

We are the team at High Tech Fitness and have a love for educating and sharing our insights on all things tech and fitness with you.

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