gazelle elite

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

im not one to believe any thing i see on those fu cking infomercials, but my girlfriend told me she really wants one of those gazelle things. its that thing that's supposed to imitate cross country skiing that the dude with a blond pony tale sells.

now from what i can see it actually looks like one of the only television marketed products that would work well as an arobic exercise. my girlfriend isn't looking to lose weight as she's a size 3 now, but she wants to she wants to tone up a bit.

i have had her try pushups and other body weight exercises, but she won't keep up on them for more than a couple days. i know that these exercises would be superior, but it comes down to something that she may actually do vs. something she wont.

does anyone else think it might work? has anyone ever had one of these things and had any luck with it? used one in a gym maybe? is it a joke and am i stupid for even giving it a second glance? is there really any meaning to life at all?

[Kungfu boy]

I swear dude every time I go to Academy somebody is either looking or buying one of those things. My guess is that it will work as a aerobic workout but it'll probably take a while to start sweating etc. on that thing. Tell her a good 2-3 mile run 3 times a week would be cheaper and more effective. On the plus side you can go with her and get your cardio done too.

Its hard to find a dedicated training partner though, and sometimes spouses, girlfriends etc. don't make the best ones.

[vingtsunstudent]

is that an eliptical trainer?
vts

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

kfboy . .. heard, but like i said she wont keep up on anything like that. in her defence about the running though, it would be allot harder for us to do it with the two year old. not impossible, but any excuse will do for her. she wants to work out but has slowly become aware of her limited dedication. i would figure the same would go for a machine as well, but i remember back in highschool her mom got one of those u shaped crunch rockers and she actually did use it every day until her brother broke it. she just needs another thing around the house that she can hop on and off in a matter of minutes.

vts . .. what's an eliptical trainer? its supposed to mimick skiing so the arms and legs will move in reverse directions sort of making an elipse ... . is that what you mean?

[IronFist]

I know a bodybuilder who says it's not bad for cardio. You said you've had her try bodyweight exercises like pushups and stuff. That's fine and good for strength or muscular endurance but pushups won't give you much cardio. What are her goals?

IronFist

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

ahh . . the man i was hoping to hear from .. .

"What are her goals?"

/\
' "my girlfriend isn't looking to lose weight as she's a size 3
' now but she wants to she wants to tone up a bit. "
'

that's really it man. she just wants to tone up a bit. at 100lbs she's not looking to lose any weight just firm up. that's where i was going with the body weight exercises. she likes walking but she'd have a hard time sticking to a program like walking every day. she a very unmotivated person all around. which is actually why my nuckles look the way they do.

like i said the only reason im considering it is because it's something i think she actually would keep up on. somehow having a piece of equipment sitting there makes it easier in her mind. she used one of those ab machines religiously until her brother broke it. plus if i spent the money on it and she ended up not using it she knows i'd beat her with it.

is cardio good for toning up too? i figured it would be but now that i think about it im not really sure. she's not looking to get ripped, but to have more energy and not be so soft.

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

got dam nit ... they keep fu cking up my arrow. it's supposed to point upwards to my initial post. i'm not sure what other information you need,.

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

anyone have any more info?

[IronFist]

I waited to answer your question because your "up arrow" was so crappy that I was dumber after having seen it. I had to wait for the IQ points I lost to come back. =D

that's really it man. she just wants to tone up a bit. at 100lbs she's not looking to lose any weight just firm up.

Well, some basic weight lifting would be good then, IMO. If she whines about "I don't wanna get HUGE like all those bodybuilders" then explain to her how woman have hardly any testosterone and can't get huge without tons of drugs and blah blah blah how it's not going to happen. When she doesn't believe that, and she won't because she's a girl and all girls think that if they even look at freeweights they will get HUGE, just say something like "if you get huge I'll buy your a Porsche" or some shít. Find a way to convince her that weight training is GOOD FOR YOU and that she won't turn into a bodybuilder overnight.

that's where i was going with the body weight exercises. she likes walking

Walking is good and all but it won't really "firm you up," unless you're a newbie to walking and I'm assuming she's been walking for a while which is how she knows she likes it.

is cardio good for toning up too?

Yes. Burning calories is the only way to "tone." However, since she weighs 100lbs I doubt she's overweight.

i figured it would be but now that i think about it im not really sure. she's not looking to get ripped, but to have more energy and not be so soft.

Well, the running thing would probably accomplish the "more energy" thing. Maybe put her on a program of Deadlifts, Bench, and pullups (or assisted pullups if she can't do pullups. Most girls can't when they start so it takes a little bit to work up to real pullups). Maybe like 2 or 3 sets of each exercise. It will firm her up but won't put on much size. The only muscle mass she might gain would be at the very very beginning and only if she's new to lifting weights.

Make sure her diet is good, too.

How the hell do I write so much all the time?

If you have more questions lemme know.

IronFist

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

see that's the thing. i suggested all this before and weights are completely out of the question. not because she's afraid of getting big, but because she just wont do it. the main reason im all about this is because she looks good but she's extremely weak and unhealthy. i guess no worse than your avarage american, but i find avarage americans rather pathetic. i did manage to get her to lift with me once and she had a lot of difficulty benching 30lbs. she also has no energy. ever.

you gotta understand im working with a lot of limitations ... especially motivational ones. the only body weight exercises she'll keep up on are crunches. not to take anything way from crunches but it's not going to do much for her health. running is out of the question and walking would be do-able, but inconvenient so i worry that it's not something that would be kept up on. even though she would sweat with it, when she would look at a machine, somehow it would seem like it's doing the work out for her in her mind.

i guess my question is if you think this machine would be anywhere near as good a cardio workout as walking. if not what would be the best cardio machine on the market?

[premier]

Isn't it great..

With that machine you get all the good things like sweating, work out and agony of cross country skiing, but eliminate all the bad things like fresh air, beautiful scenery and fun rides down the hill?


premier

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

you forgot the blinding sun, freezing cold, broken bones, and real interaction with people outside the family, office, and kwoon.

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

you got to look at the negative side of things man. if you never look at the negative side of things you risk becomeing extremely positive.

[Kumkuat]

If she wants to 'tone' up, tell her to lift heavy and stuff. It doesn't matter if she can only bench 30 lbs, is weak and fragile, you have to start somewhere. Anyway, if she really hates weight training, there is nothing much you can do. Oh yeah, those gazelle is not really that good since you are not really working hard on it. The pendulum motion assists in the movement, so your muscles aren't doing much work.

[GunnedDownAtrocity]

that makes sense, but do you really have to strain your muscles all that much for a decent cardio workout? running is supposed to be awesome, but i don't consider it that taxing on the muscles unless you lack endurance. what you're saying about the pendulum motion definately makes sense but i thought there was some resistance involved . ... i could be wrong though ... that's why i'm askin about it here.