The Best Gym Machines For Weight Loss

It’s not always easy to find time to get to the gym every day. Whether you’re working late at your job, have kids to look after, or just have a jam-packed schedule, carving out time for fitness may be a struggle. If you do manage to squeeze in a quick sweat session, chances are that you want to make the most of your time at the gym. So what should you be doing? Which gym machines are the best for weight loss?

“Machines that give you free motion are going to be efficient for weight loss,” explains Noam Tamir, CSCS, certified personal trainer and owner of TS Fitness in New York City. “Because these machines allow for you to move with free range and don’t control your motion, you’re forced to engage more muscles in order to control the movement yourself. This is optimal for burning calories.” Machines that allow for both upper and lower body multijoint movements are also good for weight loss, explains Tamir.

Curious to know which machines these are exactly? We asked Tamir to share some the best machines at the gym that can help with weight loss.

Best Gym Machines for Weight Loss

1. Treadmill

Whether you’re doing sprints or steady-state cardio, both will help you burn fat on this machine, explains Tamir.

2. Airdyne Bike

This bike uses the air created from your pushing the pedals as resistance. Translation: The harder you work, the more resistance you create, so you’ll be burning mega calories if you really push yourself.

3. Cable Machine

This multifunctional machine allows you to do numerous exercises, from tricep push-downs and chest presses to lat pull-downs. Functional cable exercises engage multiple muscles, explains Tamir, and when done in a high-intensity-interval-training, or HIIT, style, you can burn calories during and after your workout.

4. Versaclimber

In order to use this machine, you have to work your arms and legs at the same time, so you don’t have time to rest either the upper or lower body. And the more muscles you’re using, the more you’re burning, explains Tamir.

5. Indoor Rower

While this machine may appear to work only the upper body, when properly executed, rowing is a complete body workout. It mimics the actual rowing movement, and can be done at a steady pace for a long period or in short, more explosive intervals.