Treadmills, ellipticals, exercise bikes. These devices are well known to everyone and are extremely popular. With an exercise machine we usually pursue the goal of staying fit and, if possible, to train the whole body in a short time. But can we really achieve this with treadmills and the like? Or are there better full-body training options?
This is exactly what we look at in today’s article. So here you will find the Top 3 full-body exercise machines. Have fun! ?
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1st Place: The Rowing Machine
I am convinced that the rowing machine is the most underrated exercise machine of the world. Its effectiveness is hard to beat, but it still doesn’t enjoy the popularity it deserves.
The TV series “House of Cards”, in which the main character Frank Underwood is repeatedly seen on the rowing machine, has contributed something to the popularity of the workout machine, but there is much more to it than most people realize.
Anyone who omits the rowing machine when listing the best exercise equipment for a full-body workout simply hasn’t done any good research, because a rowing machine provides pretty much what should come closest to the term full-body workout.
But what exactly is trained? Would you like a small sample? Take a short breath, because this will be a looong list… ?
- Large Back Muscle (Latissimus)
- Back Extensor
- Trapezius Muscle/Neck
- Rear Delts
- Front Thighs
- Hamstrings
- Glute Muscles
- Calves
- Ab Muscles
- Biceps
- Forearm Muscles
You might think you’ve stumbled across the notes from my last anatomy class where we went through every part of the body once, but this is actually the list of muscles that you can work on the rowing machine. And actually, this is just the beginning, because this list contains only the mainly targeted muscles.
All in all – hold on…- about 80 percent of your muscles are trained with this exercise machine at the same time! 80 PERCENT! I think that’s all I need to say… ?
By the way, many muscles also means that our body has to expend a lot of energy to supply them. And how does it get this energy? Correct, it draws from our stored fat reserves.
So, the rowing machine is not only a perfect full-body exercise machine but is also ideal for burning fat and losing weight!
The only drawback I can think of is that for a rowing machine (at least for a good one) you have to dig a little deeper into your pocket. Due to the immense advantages, however, this price pays off in every respect in my opinion. Since rowing machines are also very durable, with a one-time, somewhat larger investment you’ll get the perfect exercise machine with which you can train your whole body extremely effectively for many, many years.
If this has sparked your interest, then I would suggest that you simply take a look at the following two models: The Waterrower and the Concept2 Indoor Rowing Machine. Both are very popular and I can recommend both of them without reservation.
Due to the great popularity of both models, they are not available at all times. Therefore, you should simply check the availability. Here you will find the Waterrower and here you will find the Concept2 rowing machine.
You will find tips on the correct rowing technique, as well as everything else you should know as a beginner on the rowing machine in this article.
2nd Place: The Vibration Plate
You might be very skeptical about the effectiveness of vibration plates or like many people, you might not even have heard about them.
Vibration plates still have a very tarnished reputation and many people just see them as a scam. I can tell you that your skepticism does not come from anywhere and I wasn’t very convinced either at the beginning.
However, if you take a closer look at whole body vibration workouts, you will soon realize that the platforms are really an extremely effective exercise device.
But what are vibration plates and why are they so effective for a full-body workout?
It is basically just a vibrating plate on which you can do exercises. In doing so, it transmits vibrations to our body. And here is the key point: The vibrations of the plate ensure that our body is always slightly out of balance.
Our body is therefore constantly busy restoring our balance by counteracting the vibrations. This is exactly what the so-called deeper lying muscles are responsible for.
What very few people know is that we can only consciously control and train about 60% of our entire musculature. These are for example the biceps, triceps and so on. Although we cannot consciously train the remaining 40% of our muscles in the gym and contract them in front of the mirror, these muscles are still of enormous importance.
Because these muscles are the so-called deep muscles. As the name suggests, they lie below the superficial muscles and are responsible for stabilizing our body.
Normally, we cannot consciously train them, but the vibration plate is used to target precisely these muscles.
So, if we combine vibration training with classic exercises such as push-ups or squats, we come closer and closer to what is a full-body workout. For example, if you do squats on a vibration plate instead of on the ground, you will not only train your legs, back and abs, but also nearly all of your deep muscles.
I hope I was able to explain to you that a vibration plate really is a wonderful, but still strongly underrated, full-body exercise machine. If you would like to have more information on this topic, or if you want to see the best exercises to get started, please feel free to visit this blog post.
The best vibration plate for beginners, on which I still train today, is the Powerfit Elite. If you’re interested, you should definitely take a look at this product for yourself. Here you will find it.
3rd Place: Fitness Trampoline
The fitness trampoline is not only an exercise equipment that is a lot of fun to train with, but it is also very effective and works many muscles at the same time.
With the fitness trampoline you can burn an enormous amount of calories in just 10-20 minutes and effectively train about 60% of your muscles. The jumping movement also has a positive effect on the deep muscles so that we can tighten our skin and fight cellulite.
Above all, training with this fitness device is a lot of fun and offers an exciting break from treadmills, ellipticals and similar exercise machines.
If you would like to do full-body workouts that are a lot of fun, you should take a closer look at this fitness trampoline on Amazon.
Final Thoughts on the Best Full-Body Exercise Machines
For most of us, the most important criterion when buying a new exercise machine is that is works out the whole body. Classic examples such as the treadmill or the exercise bike, undoubtedly have their advantages, but they are far from providing a full-body workout.
If you really want to keep your whole body fit, you are much better off with the still underrated possibilities of vibration plates and rowing machines. Maybe you will take these options into consideration. I would definitely be happy to hear about your experiences.
I hope that I could help you with this article. If you still have any questions or would like to share your own experiences, you are always welcome to send me a mail. Otherwise, I wish you a lot of fun and success with your new full-body exercise machine! ?
