# Does anyone own an at-home exercise machine that they actually use? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 9, 2012, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276 "2012-03-09T15:34:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Juicy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@Soylent\_Juicy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Juicy)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/21 "2012-03-09T21:17:00Z")
Well I WOULD be using my treadmill, Universal and elliptical if they weren’t covered in drywall dust from hubby’s basement reno. :mad: Years ago I bought myself the Chuck Norris machine - I forget what it was called, something like Fitness 2000, it was a sliding incline with pulleys and you used your body weight as resistance. Looked great on TV but it turned out that I’m not heavy enough to make it work effectively. I even tried holding hand weights while using it but it made no difference. I donated it to a senior’s centre for their gym after only a few months. I had an “Ab Roller” when they were trendy - gave it to a friend when I realized that just doing normal ab crunches were more effective. Sometimes I wonder about those exercise machines on informercials…does anybody actually use those after the novelty has worn off? Like the Gazelle, and that core-twisty one? ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/22 "2012-03-09T22:27:35Z")
Before I got my dog I used my elliptical regularly. Now that I have her, I feel I owe it to her to go out for walks. ---
**Author:** ![dzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@dzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzero)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/23 "2012-03-09T22:37:50Z")
> [@Onomatopoeia](#): > > I also have a TV/DVD combo unit wall-mounted within easy eye shot of all the equipment and exercise areas. I subsequently added a laptop and connected it to the TV to give me broadband entertainment options as I work out. This is the key in case that post got tl;dr’ed by a lot of people. I have a Reebok treadmill that has a tiny 7" LCD built-in. That’s the main reason I bought it - oh, and the built-in fan. Laugh at me if you want, but things that make working out a little easier are a lot more important than you think. The goal is to break the monotony. Another way to do this is to use equipment you can program. I can program the Reebok to change the speed and % incline in fairly short increments over a 1/4 mile course. Then it repeats. edit: there are many times when I look forward to getting on the treadmill because I pick tv serials to watch and often at the end of a lap, it’s like a mini cliff-hanger, so you want to go back. ---
**Author:** ![Greg\_Charles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Greg\_Charles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greg_Charles)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2012, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/24 "2012-03-09T23:07:36Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > … both me and Mr. Athena. Theseus? I once read an article where the author said his Soloflex machine was responsible for his good health. The day he bought it, he made a deal with himself that if he did any other physical exercise … biking, jogging, playing a sport … every day, he didn’t have to use the machine. So he did use it, but in sort of a “scared straight” way. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/25 "2012-03-10T00:09:18Z")
I am embarrassed to admit the number of exercise toys I have, but I do use them all. The newest is the Concept 2 rower. I rationalize that my toys cost a lot less over the years than would a health club membership … and save me the time and effort of having to go there. Plus no wait. I only watch TV when using the elliptical. On the rower I am focused on keeping my intensity where I want it, and the treadmill is just too loud. I also have a free weight rack, a good set of dumbbells, a dip stand, and a wobble board. They’re all in my unfinished basement with the washing mahine. The jump rope and the bikes are in the garage. A pair of fairly cheap minimalist running shoes too. No mirrors or bright colors anywhere. I don’t like monotony either. ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/26 "2012-03-10T01:03:35Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > I am embarrassed to admit the number of exercise toys I have, but I do use them all. The newest is the Concept 2 rower. (snipped) Yay! That’s the kind we got also! We were trending towards them anyway, and it sealed the deal that they had rail extensions that you could purchase (husband is freakishly tall) and the representatives we talked to were extremely nice about it. ---
**Author:** ![Fionn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/27 "2012-03-10T01:16:34Z")
I have a treadmill that I use for running two or three times a week. We bought it to replace the treadmill that we got from my parents, who were delighted to have it out of the garage. ---
**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/28 "2012-03-10T03:35:12Z")
If by “use” you mean “hang lots of clothes on it”, then yes. I use my stair machine constantly. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/29 "2012-03-10T04:11:01Z")
I have a recumbent bike. I use it 3 or 4 days a week. I also have a multi-station weight set. I use it 3 or 4 days a month. Then again, the room it lives in is under construction right now. If/when I ever finish, the bike will move back in there…and the TV will be on the wall…and I’ll get a lot more use out of all of it. -D/a ---
**Author:** ![GreenElf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@GreenElf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenElf)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/30 "2012-03-10T09:15:49Z")
I got a Soloflex at Goodwill for $40, and use it a few times a week along with dumbbells. It was a space-taking clothes hanger for about a year because a weightband broke and I didn’t have spare money to buy a replacement. Or I was lazy and that was my excuse. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/31 "2012-03-10T11:15:09Z")
My old roommate had a manual treadmill in the living room. He would use it every night while he watched TV. But my mom must have gone through 5 exercise machines by the time I left home, none of which were used for more than a couple weeks before becoming glorified dressmaker’s dummies. ---
**Author:** ![groo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecd19e/32.png) [@groo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groo)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/32 "2012-03-10T16:21:41Z")
I bought a Total Gym (a superdeluxe model from several years ago) from someone through Craig’s List for $450. It’s great; it doesn’t take up much room and I can set it up in 90 seconds in my living room. This 90 seconds, combined with being able to listen to TV or music while I exercise, has been critical to keeping up with the exercises. My cardio exercise is three sets of 80-100 inclined squats, and the Home Gym can emulate most weight training exercises except for bench presses. However, the equivalent new model costs ~$2000, and I don’t think it would be worth it. I’d suggest buying one from someone on Craig’s list or E-bay. In the past, I had a stationary bicycle that I never used, as well as a home weight bench that I seldom used because I had to pull it out from a corner of my garage every time I lifted weights. Going to the garage, pulling my car out and moving the weight bench was just enough bother to make me find all sorts of excuses not to bother. I think the pattern in this thread is thus: whatever you get must be easy to set up and must allow you to read/watch/listen/whatever, because otherwise, it’s boring. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/33 "2012-03-10T16:45:18Z")
> [@groo](#): > > I think the pattern in this thread is thus: whatever you get must be easy to set up and must allow you to read/watch/listen/whatever, because otherwise, it’s boring. Thanks for all the replies. Yes, this does seem to be the key to consistency and follow through. Also working the exercises firmly into your daily routine. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/34 "2012-03-10T16:51:03Z")
Yes, and my family uses our stationary bike every day or almost every day, depending on the person. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/35 "2012-03-10T18:41:27Z")
Had one of the first Nordictrack ski machines, loved it. We used it more or less regularly for about five years before finally getting tired of it. About a year ago we got an elliptical, and both still like it. . ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2012, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/36 "2012-03-10T22:27:10Z")
I have a stationary bike (bought c. 10 years ago for c. $200) that I’ve been riding pretty religiously for the past 3 months (and off and on before that). Alas the internal parts have given up the ghost, I don’t know how to access them (the entire pedaling mechanism is enclosed), so I’ll be getting a new one in the next few days (which will hopefully be more durable and thus will have to be more expensive). If the wii or some other console (or even computer game) would allow me to synch it up to say a Tour de France simulation (with adjustable difficulty levels), I’d probably be pretty obsessed about riding it. ---
**Author:** ![begbert2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/begbert2/32/3357_2.png) [@begbert2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/begbert2)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/38 "2019-10-03T21:01:24Z")
Define “actually use”. I have an exercise bike that sometimes I use every night, and sometimes I use not at all, for spans of months at a time. How that goes seems to depend on a type of mood that operates at a subconscious level - consciously I’m quite content, and often cheerful, but I have reasons to be depressed, and it seems that those only manifest in whether I can muster the motivation to get on the bike. At the moment I’m in a “not at all” phase, but one hopes eventually things turn around and I get back on the horse. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/39 "2019-10-03T21:12:32Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > Yup, I have a Schwinn Spin bike that I bought maybe 12 years ago that gets used quite a bit, by both me and Mr. Athena. Is it super fun? Heck no, it’s dull. But it’s a good, quick workout for busy days. > > But in general, working out at home _is_ dull. The only way that works for me is that I’ve made a commitment to make it as pleasant as it can be. The bike isn’t in a dingy garage or basement; it’s in a nice, finished room with a big window. I have a TV set up with a Tivo and a DVD player. I try to make sure there’s something good to watch while I’m on the bike - I’ll save a good movie, or (even better) a series. Right now I’m re-watching the last season of Mad Men in anticipation of the new season starting, and the rule is that I only get to watch it while on the bike. I posted this 7 years ago; it’s still all true, except now we stream video rather than DVD/Tivo. So yeah, we use it. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/40 "2019-10-03T21:24:56Z")
Yes, a treadmill. I’m probably getting a Gazelle again as soon as I save enough. If I had room for a treadmill AND a stationary bike, I’d use both. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276/41 "2019-10-03T23:13:23Z")
Ha, all the Dopers with dust-covered unused exercise machines have been boycotting the thread all this time. :dubious: Our treadmill gets regular use (not every day, but often) in season, meaning that when the weather is too lousy to run outdoors I use it. Compared to running it’s less enjoyable though it’s not too bad working out to “Forensic Files”. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-own-an-at-home-exercise-machine-that-they-actually-use/615276.md?page=3)