The upright exercise bike is one of the most popular cardio machines for home workouts. By design, upright stationary bikes are more compact than other types of exercise bikes, such as recumbent exercise bikes and spin bikes. On an upright bike, your legs are positioned closer to your body, which makes the machine shorter in length than other bikes. Some upright exercise bikes are foldable, taking even less space. However, even the non-folding bikes have a small footprint, which makes them ideal for small homes and confined places.
There are two main types of upright exercise bikes. Bikes that use magnetic resistance, and bikes that use fan resistance (also called fan bikes or air bikes). Fan bikes have a big flywheel, that looks like a huge fan which produces resistance as you pedal. The faster you pedal the more resistance is created, and the harder the exercise gets. Learn more about upright bikes upright here.
Muscles
Cardiovascular, Legs (Calves, Quadriceps, Glutes and Hamstrings), Core Muscles
Exercises
Indoor pedaling and HIIT Workouts
Treadmills come in many designs, but all consist of a platform with a rolling sheet of rubber on a platform. Use a treadmill for stationary running or walking. A treadmill allows you to run or walk in the safety of your own home, away from the weather.
Muscles
It exercises your legs and cardiovascular system in the same way as outdoor running.
Exercises
Running and walking, for time or distance
Alternatives
Other cardiovascular exercises like running or walking outdoors, exercise bikes and elliptical trainers
Stability balls are giant inflatable rubber balls and are used for balance training exercises, as a platform for abdominal and plank exercises and as a back friendly seating option. The balance ball is excellent for isolating the core and practicing bench based exercise with balance training.
Muscles
Core, Abs, Back
Exercises
Plank and core exercises on an unstable platform; abdominal crunch, hyperextensions, planks, push-ups, wall-squats
Alternatives
Half ball like Bosu Balance Trainer
The elliptical machine is a treadmill-like stationary equipment that simulates the motion of stair climbing, walking and running without high impact stress on the knees and hips, while exercising the upper body with moving handles. Elliptical machines are excellent for cardiovascular training that works both upper and lower body muscles.
Muscles
Cardiovascular, Legs, Upper Body
Exercises
Low impact all-body cardiovascular conditioning.
Alternatives
Treadmills, Recumbent Exercise Bikes, Running, Stair Climbing
Deceptively simple in design this is one of the most effective ab/upper body training devices on the market, especially for its small size and cheap price. It is a handle with a rotating wheel in the middle. Just grasp each end of the handle while kneeling and roll out until your chest is parallel to the floor- then come back up.
Muscles
Abdominals, erectors spinae, deltoids, triceps, serratus, lats, hamstrings
Exercises
Ab wheel roll-outs
Alternatives
Straight arm cable pull downs, barbell or dumbbell bench pull-over
The lateral raise machine uses handles and pads on a rotating cam to develop shoulder strength by transferring weighted resistance through a cable or lever to the shoulders as they move upward and outward in a lateral motion. This is a machine for isolating the delts, in particular, the side deltoids, also called the middle or medial deltoids.
It’s not considered a machine for building mass and isn’t as popular as the shoulder presses machine or free weights.
Muscles
Middle Deltoids, Front Deltoids (Deltoid anterior)
Exercises
Lateral Raises
Alternatives
Dumbbell lateral raises (seated or standing)
The arm curl machine is superficially similar to the preacher bench. The difference is that the arm curl machine has a built-in bar attached by cable or lever to weights.
The main advantage of the machine is the constant resistance on the biceps throughout the whole range of motion. When using dumbbells, due to the law of gravity, the resistance lessens as you go past the vertical plane. Some arm curl machines can be used for triceps extensions, increasing the machine’s versatility.
Muscles
Biceps, Brachialis, Forearms, Brachioradialis
Exercises
Machine Biceps Curls
Alternatives
Preacher bench curls, dumbbell curls, barbell curls, close grip chin ups
The back extension machine is a specially designed bench that uses padded shelves and ankle supports to allow lower back training by waist bending. Many designs allow for incline sit-ups/crunches as well.
Muscles
Lower Back and Abdominals
Exercises
erector spinae, Hyper-extension, incline sit up
Alternatives
Barbell/dumbbell stiff-legged deadlift and the Good Morning exercise.
The seated row machine is a weighted rowing movement done from a fixed seat position. Weights are typically loaded onto bars attached by a lever to handles, a padded cushion supports the chest during the movement.
Muscles
Back, Lats, Middle Back. Forearms, Biceps, medial/rear Deltoids, Traps
Exercises
Seated rows using different hand positions.
Alternatives
Barbell bent-over row, dumbbell bent-over row, seated cable rows and pull/chin-ups.
The T-bar row is a bent over row performed using the far end of a barbell. Jam one end of the barbell in a corner and load the other end with weight, now grab the heavy end and pull; that’s a T-bar row.
The t-bar row has evolved somewhat since its beginnings. Now there is a cross bar acting as a handle, and the unloaded end of the barbell is anchored and hinged. But it’s still the same highly effective mass builder.
There are very few exercises that are as effective for adding strength and mass to the back and arms while developing a powerful grip. For lats, biceps and forearms, the T-bar row is one of the best exercises.
Muscles
Back muscles, Lats, Traps, Biceps
Exercises
T-bar row
Alternatives
Barbell bent over row, one arm dumbbell row, close-grip chin-ups.
The lat pulldown is a multi-joint movement that mainly trains the back, shoulders and biceps muscles by simulating a pull/chin-up using a bar connected to a weight-stack by cable and pulleys.
The most versatile designs include an option for seated rows. Using different hand grips, you can isolate certain pulling muscles more than others. The lat pulldown can also be used from various positions to train triceps and abs.
Muscles
Latissimus dorsi (Lats), Trapezius (Traps), Biceps, Delts (undergrip works more biceps)
Exercises
Lat pulldown movement, cable ab crunches, triceps press and biceps curl
Alternatives
Pullups and Chin ups (with chinning Bar), Dumbbells, Barbells
The seated calf machine isolates the soleus muscles of the calves from a seated position using a weight loaded lever moved by raising your toes and pushing the attached knee pads.
This is somewhat of a controversial machine. The soleus is positioned underneath the Gastrocnemius muscle and some experts believe it’s a waste of time to isolate it, at least for size that is.
The notion is that by doing straight leg barbell/dumbbell calf raises or calf presses (on a leg press machine) you can work both the Gastrocnemius and Soleus that’s underneath it. Others believe the Soleus can ‘push’ the Gastrocnemius muscle, making for an overall more muscular appearance to the calves.
Muscles
Soleus
Exercises
Seated Calf Raises
Alternatives
Donkey calf raises with a partner, Standing barbell calf raise, Smith machine calf raises
This has been the go to machine for isolating the hamstrings. This machine comes in two versions, lying and seated leg curls.
Muscles
Hamstrings
Exercises
Leg Curls
Alternatives
Stiff-Legged Deadlifts, Squats
The leg extension is one of the oldest and best ways to isolate the quadriceps muscles.
The machine consists of a padded lever attached by a hinge to a seat or bench and loaded with weight directly or by cable to a weight stack.
Muscles
Quadriceps
Exercises
Leg Extensions
(Most machines are dual Extensions and Curls in one so you can also do Leg Curls)
Alternatives
Squats, Lunges, Stair Climbing
The smith machine is a barbell fixed on steel rails with a stabilizing base. The only movement is up or down the rails.
The major advantage of the smith machine is that you can perform many exercises without a spotter.
It’s a very versatile piece of equipment that is found in almost every gym. It’s used mainly as a substitute for barbell squats, barbell shoulder presses, etc… The fixed movement allows you to concentrate more on the target muscle and less on balance.
Muscles
Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes, Pectorals, Deltoids, Triceps, Lats
Exercises
It’s used for many movements that can be performed in a vertical range such as squats, bench press variations, shoulder press, bent-over row, deadlift variations, high pulls, lying triceps extensions, and squat variations.
You can even perform leg presses with the Smith Machine by lying on the floor and pushing the bar up with your legs.
Alternatives
Barbell exercises such as; bench press, bent over row, deadlift, lying triceps extension, squats, shoulder press and high pulls.
The hack squat machine could have been called the incline squat machine. The machine is designed to isolate the quadriceps muscles by angling your body backward as you perform the squat movement. Besides an intense focus on the quadriceps, the hack squat will also effectively train glutes, hamstring, and to a lesser degree calves. Some hack squat machines can also be adjusted into a leg press machine.
Muscles
Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Gluteus
Exercises
Hack squat and leg press
Alternatives
Barbell hack squat, barbell squat.
