11 Best Gym Equipment Pieces for Weight Loss

Updated January 2024

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If weight loss is a 2024 goal for you, you’re not alone. Exercising more and losing weight are the most popular options when it comes to making New Year’s resolutions.

When you need to start choosing a workout plan to follow for weight loss, exercises that elevate your heart rate are a must for burning calories and strengthening your heart and lungs. Performed consistently and with a bit of variety, they can help you attain your weight loss goal while elevating your mood and boosting your self-confidence!

Benefits of Exercising at the Gym

Working out at home limits the amount of equipment you have access to. However, if are considering choosing to only exercise at home, be sure to consider our list of recommended at-home workout equipment (affiliate link)!

When you opt for a gym workout, your options for variety increase greatly. The array of machines available to you will allow you to choose the best workout for achieving your weight loss goals. A gym also gives you access to personal trainers—a definite advantage. It all adds up to a more focused experience, which is more likely to lead you to weight loss success.

11 Best Exercise Equipment Pieces

Treadmill

Treadmills (affiliate link) burn calories in the form of walking or running with varied intensity. You’ll find this popular machine at practically any gym you visit. Their simplicity makes them a great machine for a beginner workout.

Pros: Treadmills are easy to understand. Their variable speeds can help you build endurance as your workouts advance.

Cons: A repetitive impact on a treadmill’s surface can cause joint pain.

Example Workout: Warm up at a walking pace for five to 10 minutes, and then increase your speed for another five to 10 minutes. Continue at a suitable pace for 15 to 20 minutes before gradually reducing your pace to cool down.

Elliptical Machine

An elliptical machine is excellent for working upper and lower body parts simultaneously, providing a more powerful calorie-burning workout. The motion resembles a natural walking gait with an oblong shape. Adjustable tension allows you to increase difficulty as you advance.  

Pros: Low-impact movement that activates your arms, chest, glutes, and hamstrings and makes for a great workout.

Cons: Low-impact movement also means having to be creative to maximize intensity.

Example Workout: Warm up for three to five minutes before ratcheting up the resistance every five minutes. Once you reach peak resistance, pedal backward for a few cycles before returning to forward pedaling. Cool down for three minutes.

Ski Machine

Cross-country skiing is widely considered the best cardiovascular exercise, and ski machines replicate this intense workout. Pulling on flywheel cables helps burn calories in a powerful motion. Some versions include a leg component for a more complete skiing workout.

Pros: Ski machines are kind to your lower back while working large muscle groups.

Cons: The pulling motion can take a toll on your shoulders and elbows.

Example Workout: Start with a simple warm-up before increasing your speed to create intensity. Alternate speed to simulate varied terrain. For a SkiErg machine, cycle through two minutes of pulling down and back, followed by a 90-second rest. Continue until you’ve completed a 30- to 40-minute circuit.

Recumbent Bike

Recumbent bikes position your legs horizontally to the pedals, keeping your lower back comfortable while providing effective calorie burning with less muscle soreness. It’s a great biking option for anyone with posture issues.

Pros: Horizontal positioning and a backrest mean less pain for your lower back and knees.

Cons: Core muscles aren’t as engaged, and limited positioning means limited workout variety.

Example Workout: Start with a simple warm-up before increasing intensity and alternating through higher and lower tension until you complete a 30- to 45-minute ride.

Rowing Machine

Rowing machines replicate the motion of rowing on water, which is a great cardio workout that helps tone and sculpt your legs and upper body. There are machines equipped with simulated oars, though most modern rowers use a handle attached to a flywheel.  

Pros: Rowing is great for calorie-burning while toning your arms, back, and legs.

Cons: Back, hip, and shoulder strain can result from regular rower use.  

Example Workout: Warm up with a few simple rows before pushing off for the open waters and rowing intensely. Vary your speed until you complete a 30- to 45-minute session.

Spin Bike

Spin bikes (affiliate link) recreate the motion of riding a bike in an outdoor setting with a variety of terrains possible. The most common workouts are spin groups, which feature riders led by an instructor who makes the ride fun and exciting.

Pros: Spin bike sessions are fun interactive workouts that burn a ton of calories.

Cons: The intensity of a spin bike can be overwhelming and cause joint pain.

Example Workout: Begin with a warm-up pace for three to five minutes before varying intensity for a 25-minute ride. Cool down for three to five minutes afterward.

Stair Climber

Stair climbers are another excellent machine for beginners. Whether you choose a machine with actual steps or a more ladder-like design, the result is a machine that’s easy to learn and gives a great calorie-burning weight loss workout.

Pros: Stair climbers are easy, low-impact machines to master with a bonus benefit to your glutes and hamstrings.

Cons: There’s no upper body element on a stair climber, which makes for a limited workout.

Example Workout: After a simple warm-up, alternate between slow and fast climbing. Throw in a few double-step cycles to make things exciting. Continue through a 30- to 45-minute circuit. Take notice of your step count when you're finished for an added mental boost!

Air Bike

The air bike blends the benefits of a stationary bike and an elliptical machine for a stimulating full-body workout. Traditional pedaling provides the lower-body benefits of an exercise bike, while handles that shift back and forth like ski poles provide an upper-body boost. It’s a great full-body workout with minimal machinery.

Pros: The combination of upper and lower body movement maximizes your cardio effort. Tension can be adjusted to increase intensity.

Cons: Elbow, shoulder, and knee issues can occur.

Example Workout: Cycle through one-minute hard sprints followed by one-minute moderate sprints. Continue for a 30- to 40-minute circuit.

Lateral Trainer

A lateral trainer provides the motion of an elliptical machine using a side-to-side movement that challenges your glutes, thighs, and core for a cardio workout with muscle-toning benefits. It also helps condition stabilizer muscles that can be overlooked in other machine workouts.

Pros: Lateral trainers are no-impact machines that let you tone and strengthen your legs while burning calories.

Cons: Though there’s no impact, the sideways motion required can cause knee pain.

Example Workout: Begin with a simple warm-up before increasing the intensity of the machine to an animated walk. When you’ve adapted, increase again to simulate an easy jog and complete a 30- to 45-minute total circuit. Cool back down for three to five minutes.

Incline Trainer

An incline trainer is a treadmill that tilts upward to increase intensity. The position emulates hill climbing or hiking, forcing your heart and lungs to work harder and burn more calories with each step.

Pros: The adjustable incline adds intensity for a calorie-torching workout and an exciting mental boost.

Cons: As with flat treadmills, there’s a chance of impact injury to your joints.

Example Workout: Begin with a 0-degree incline for a 3- to 5-minute warm-up before increasing the incline by 10 degrees every five minutes until you reach a 40-degree peak. Then, work your way back down in the same manner. Continue through a 30- to 40-minute circuit.

Assisted Pull-Up Machine

The weight loss benefits of a bodyweight workout come into play with the assisted pull-up machine. Pull-ups are performed while the user is positioned on their knees on a platform. Tension can be adjusted to make pull-ups easier or more difficult for a nice variety of workouts.

Pros: No impact and adjustable bodyweight resistance make it a highly adaptable machine.

Cons: Adjustable body weight can mean a less intense workout.

Example Workout: Begin with a few sets to get your joints warmed up. Set a goal of 10 to 20 pull-ups per set with a 90-second rest in between. Continue for a total of three to five sets.

How to Choose Which is Right For You

Consult your doctor before beginning any exercise program to define your weight loss goals. Once you have a strategy, choose a machine that appeals to your sensibilities and give it a try. Start with a treadmill and move on to a ski machine or a spin class, for example. Advance only when you know you’re ready to. The more variety you add, the more successful your weight loss journey will be!

Final Thoughts

Weight loss is always a valuable goal to set for yourself, and keeping your machine workouts interesting is one of the most important factors for continuing onward once you’ve begun. Whether you opt for a single machine or choose to cycle through a series for variety, if you commit to learning the benefits of the workout, you’ll be on your way to achieving your fitness goals for this year and beyond.