I went through with the most recent workout pledge on Friday night.

Due to recent media attention this was the biggest workout pledge by far.  I was forced to stay on both the treadmill and elliptical for 93 minutes (plus two for cool down) — putting me in the gym for 3 hours and 10 minutes Friday night.

This was the first workout pledge I tweeted while I worked out.  It was a new experience, a positive experience I’d do again;  the support I received kept me going for the last hour when my legs started failing.

A few Twitter followers that provided support Friday night:

30Days2ANewLife
JackedDragon
JeffSarris
lsuaimzgurl
willwalters
theantijared
emilytate512

Recap of Friday night’s workouts

I started out on the treadmill machine a little after 7 PM Friday.  I maintained a speed varying from 3.4 (when I took pictures) to 4.0.  Incline levels varied as well, ranging from 1.1 to 5.1.  It was a brisk walk with some hills thrown in.

The 95 minutes on the treadmill were easy compared to the 95 that were soon to follow on the elliptical.  While I was on the treadmill daydreaming, fighting boredom, I realized I needed to make a bigger workout playlist for pledges.  Other than realizing I need to bring a book for “next time” and needing to urinate for the last 30 minutes, I had a smooth workout.

I burned nearly 1,000 calories and walked over 5.5 miles in 95 minutes on the treadmill.  Other than stiffness in the legs, I finished the workout unscathed.

It wasn’t until I stopped stretching and went to the rest room did the scary reality sink in:  I’m about to start the hard part.  I had only done 95 minutes on the elliptical before once (when I did 99), but that wasn’t following 95 minutes on the treadmill.  I was sore, tired, and wanted to go home.

The only place I was going, though, was on the elliptical.

I started my workout on the elliptical machine after a short break used to go to the restroom and fill up my water bottle.  After typing in level 20 (out of 20) into the machine it turned on and I immediately knew I was in trouble.  I got onto twitter for some support and found Lethal Weapon 2 on television (the one with Joe Pesci), settling in for a long, painful workout.

Looking back, I have no idea how I managed to keep going.

Around the halfway mark on the elliptical, about two and a half hours after my current cardio session started, my legs began to buckle.  I had to lean against the machine’s console so I wouldn’t fall down.  This was the moment I wanted most to quit and say “no thanks” to the remaining 45 minutes, but I didn’t.

I got back on twitter and looked for support — I found it and kept going.

With about 20 minutes left my water ran out and my cell phone battery was dying, which meaned no more twitter updates.  I turned off the music application on my phone (G1) to conserve the battery and simply ignored my water problem — I wasn’t about to quit now. Luckily, the battery in my phone lasted long enough to snap a final picture and I was able to wipe the machine down, stretch, guzzle down 20 ounces of water, and walk out of the gym alive.

It was easy to fall asleep once I got home.  My legs were sore and stiff, but I could walk.  I was a little sore Saturday and only did some light cleaning, but hit the gym Sunday hard and did 30 minutes on both the treadmill and elliptical.

I’ll be back at the gym tonight fully charged.

Hopefully, in a couple of days, I’ll be reminded why I do these workout pledges and why I felt the need to workout for 190 minutes Friday night.

I want the 230s.

My wife and I are considering setting up a home gym.

We’re contemplating it for a couple of reasons.  First, my membership at Better Body Fitness is up for renewal in a couple of days ($99 for 3 months).  I always like to know I’m getting the best value for my money.  Secondly, my wife decided to start an elliptical workout program to lose some baby weight.

So, we’re trying to decide:  home gym or gym memberships?

Cost Comparison

A gym membership for both of us at Better Body Fitness would be $198 every 3 months or $792 $460.80 for 12 months.  It has all the elliptical machines, treadmill machines, dumbbells, etc we could ever need.

While a home gym would cost more money upfront, I shouldn’t have to spend any more money for at least a few years assuming nothing breaks.  We already have a cheap elliptical machine (by ProForm) in the house that we purchased a few years ago for about $350, but to be frank — it’s crap.  I don’t think it’s ProForm (I’ve only heard good things), I just believe buying an elliptical (or any cardio) machine is a “you get what you pay for” kind of deal.

With that being said, if we did buy a new elliptical machine for a home gym we’d choose a more expensive elliptical model in the $750 range.  It’s worth it.

Convenience

If convenience was the only deciding factor, we’d pull out the Visa with 0% for 12 months and hit Dick’s Sporting Goods tonight!  My gym lacks any sort of childcare services, so that means either my wife or myself has to stay home and watch our daughter while the other goes to the gym.

That’s not very practical.

Space

A home gym, even a single elliptical machine, would take up a lot of room.  We live in your typical 4-bedroom suburban house consisting of an office, baby’s room, guest room, and masters.  While we could cram a small gym into our house, we certainly don’t have what you would call an abundance of space.

Privacy

My wife dislikes the lack of privacy in the gym.  In other words, she dislikes the perverts.  By talking to other females in my family, apparently my wife is not alone in this sentiment.  While I don’t think this is a problem in my gym (we’re a bunch of good ole’ country folks), I honestly wouldn’t notice if it was.

Personally, I don’t need privacy.  I’m a man.  I could show up at the gym wearing nothing but my underwear, unshaven for weeks, and jump on the treadmill and start running.  Men have no emotion or feelings.

Overall

Ultimately, I think my wife and I are going to workout separately.  We’ll end up buying an elliptical machine to go into a small home gym and I’ll stick with Better Body Fitness. While my wife wants to concentrate on cardio, I know I’ll begin focusing more and more on building muscle — requiring a smorgasbord of free weights and machines.  That’s how you get buff, afterall.

Where do you get buff every day?

I’ve used all of the popular cardio machines found in most gyms including the treadmill, elliptical, stationary bike, and stairmaster.  I wanted to share the experience I’ve had with each one over the past several months and hopefully help someone find the best cardio machine that works for them.

Stairmaster Machine

Honestly, I’m not a huge fan of the stairmaster.  Logistically speaking, using the machine makes my water bottle bounce out of the cup holder (no fat jokes, please).  It doesn’t seem as if the machines (I’ve tried a couple at my gym) are designed “properly.”  Overall, the stairmaster seems like a gimmick.

It’s a treadmill.  Cut down the middle.

Stationary Bike

Cycling is a low-intensity workout (good for beginners) that burns few calories in comparison to its counterparts like the treadmill and elliptical machine.  It probably has to do with the whole sitting thing, but don’t quote me on that.

Kidding aside, cycling is really fun.  It may not burn as much calories as running on the treadmill, but after all, what does?

Treadmill Machine

It’s undeniable that you can lose more calories by walking/running on the treadmill than any other machine.  Unfortunately, it takes a lot of “practice” before you’re able to clock in a hard, long workout session on the treadmill.

I originally started on the treadmill when I weighed 344 pounds, but even walking on the treadmill for more than 10 minutes was a hard task to accomplish.  The elliptical machine on the other hand…

Elliptical Machine

I’m biased.  I used the elliptical machine to help me almost exclusively lose 90 pounds.  While I’m glad I eventually switched to the treadmill, the elliptical machine will hold a special place in my heart for a very long time.

I actually use the same elliptical for every workout at my gym.  I’m attached.

The elliptical is a great cardio machine workout if you’re new to the gym.  If you’re just starting gym cardio workouts (and are overweight) you should find the low-impact motion of the elliptical machine much easier to handle than walking or running on the treadmill.

Ultimately though, the elliptical machine will only provide resistance for so long.  One day, months or maybe years from now, you’ll reach a point of diminished returns, much like I did.

Once that happens, it’s time to get on the treadmill.

I figure I’ve had at least 100+ workout sessions on the elliptical since I started going to the gym 4 months ago.  Those countless elliptical workouts have helped me lose a lot of weight, as you might have noticed.

Today will be the first day I won’t step onto the elliptical at the gym. I’m trying to increase the intensity of my gym cardio program — something that can’t be accomplished by sticking solely to the elliptical machine.  I’ve become much too comfortable with the elliptical and it only gets easier by the day.

That’s why, starting today, my new cardio machine is the treadmill.

With today being the end of an era so to speak, I wanted to take a look at the elliptical workout program (and its progression) that has been the foundation of my physical activity program and has helped me lose 82 pounds in 19 weeks.

The Beginning

At the beginning of my gym career I wasn’t able or even willing to attempt the elliptical.  I was on the stationary bike for the first week or so, afraid to step foot onto the elliptical machine because of it’s “bad reputation.”

Early Elliptical Workouts

After a week of going to the gym, I finally tried the elliptical because an old lady was on my stationary bike.  After a couple of days of pain I was able to do 30 minutes on the elliptical at level 1 and burned 320 calories.

I was hooked — my career on the stationary bike was over.  It didn’t take long until I was going strong (it’s rhyme time, baby) and in just under 3 weeks on the elliptical I was at level 7 doing 40 minutes every workout.

Increasing Resistance & Intensity

After working out on the elliptical for a month I was able to build a steadily progressing routine.  Each week I moved into a new level with a jump of two levels every other week.  I think it’s incredibly important to keep up a level of resistance and intensity with every workout, elliptical or not.

By skipping levels and by performing endurance “marathons” (workout pledges), I was able to stay one step ahead of my body’s “comfort zone.”

Getting Cocky, Lazy, or Both

While my intensity on the elliptical machine had been progressing and increasing for months, the time I would spend on the elliptical each session would decrease.  45 minute workouts turned into 20 minute workout some days, with an occasional but rare 30 minute workout thrown in.

As I started to lose weight, I found it easy to justify working out less — either because I thought I deserved to workout less because I had lost so much already or I simply thought I could keep losing weight without working as hard.

I believe this is fairly common, so be careful on your workout program.

Coming to an End

On April 17th, I went through with my second workout pledge and also went from level 18 to level 20 on the elliptical.  This is where I would stay for the next 6 weeks, leading up to this past Friday.

When I first started at level 18 I was still in the “dip” that I talked about above, only working out for 20 minutes or so on the elliptical a day.  But, once we got into the second week of May, I realized that I was getting too comfortable and increased my elliptical workouts back up to 30 minutes.

Will I get on the elliptical machine again?  Absolutely.  Will it be apart of my regular cardio program, Monday through Friday?  No, it won’t.  While it’s sad, considering the literally days I’ve spent on it over the past 4 months, it’s time for something new in the name of progress:  the treadmill.

Starting today, I’ll begin to let it earn its place in this journey of mine.  If you have any treadmill workout tips or anything I should know, leave a comment.

I went to the gym tonight planning to workout for 45 minutes on the elliptical.  I even posted on twitter I was going for 45 minutes.  Well, once I stepped onto the machine something just “snapped” and I entered 99 minutes.

I wanted to beat the machine once and for all.  And so I did.

22 minutes left:

Almost done:

Finished:

Getting on the elliptical machine Monday will be like restarting the Nintendo 5 minutes after you just rescued Princess — just to do it all over again.

Where do I go from here?