A stair stepper consists of a pair of foot pedals on a frame with handlebars or handrails. These are attached to an alternator with a chain drive. The alternator creates resistance, which supports your body weight as you step. At higher intensity workout levels, the foot pedals give you less support, so you’re forced step faster and higher as you strive to keep from bottoming out the pedals and ascend the imaginary “stair.”

The most familiar brand name of stairstepper machine is Stairmaster.

It’s a familiar sight at most gyms to see people propping themselves on the handrails while they use the Stairmaster. By using their arms to take the load off their legs, they’re reducing the intensity of their workout while the control console shows them burning calories at a high rate. Some models of stairstepper have addressed this problem by replacing the full set of handrails with a wishbone-shaped handlebar in front of the user that’s only useful for balance. However, bigger people may not feel as secure on these machines because they look less stable. It’s tempting to cheat when your workout isn’t going well, but supporting your body with your arms on a stair stepper defeats its purpose.

A stair climber looks like a three-step escalator with a railing on each side. Stairclimbers have a revolving staircase that cycle endlessly toward the bottom of the machine as you climb toward the top. The stairs revolve from 30 to 156 steps per minute, which ranges from a very slow walk to a dead run. You intensify the workout by pushing a button on the console and speeding them up.

A stairclimber could very well be the most intense workout you can get on a piece of exercise equipment. Each step is a full 8 inches high, and when the machine is humming along at high speed, you’ll be sweating and gasping for breath in a hurry. Cheating by leaning on the handrails won’t decrease the intensity of your workout much on a stairclimber. A popular item in most gyms, they nonetheless are getting hard to find as many manufacturers have stopped making them. Maybe the commercial gyms have stopped buying stair climbers because they’re trickier to maintain under constant use than less complex pieces of equipment. Or maybe the workout they give you is too much for all but the most dedicated gym rat.

Stairmaster is the best known manufacturer of stair climber machines. The earliest model was named the Stairmaster 4000 PT Gauntlet, which is an appropriate name for the intense workout this machine provided. Later designs included the Stairmaster Stepmill 7000PT. Although hard to find new, refurbished models are available at reasonable prices with short-term warranties. A used Stairmaster can be a terrific investment and a great fitness machine to add to your home gym.

To use a row machine, you sit in a seat situated close to the floor at the back of the unit, and place your feet against a footbrace. Grasping the handles or a T-bar, you pull your body backward against the rowing machine’s resistance with an even balance of arm and leg strength. This gives you an aerobic workout while building muscle strength because of the resistance on your arm and leg muscles. Many rowers say that indoor rowing is the ultimate cross training workout.

For some reason, though, rowing isn’t the first choice of most gym members and people shopping for a home exercise machine. It’s possible that the cheap rowing machines that hit the market in the first wave of home rowing machines left a bad impression on people. But the more likely explanation is that using a rower machine is a blend of grueling and extremely boring. Nobody complains more about this than competitive rowers themselves, who would rather be out on the water in a racing shell than indoors laboring on an erg. But unless they live in a climate where they can row year round, their sport demands that they stay in shape during the winter months, so the rowing machine is an indispensable part of their home fitness equipment collection.

Most competitive rowers favor the air rowing machine. This classic design consists of a nonmotorized fan that spins each time they take a stroke by pulling backward on the T-handle. The fan blades create resistance against the air and increase the effort needed for a stroke. Air rowers are sometimes called ergs, and competitive athletes look forward to indoor erg tests with a mixture of anticipation and dread. Coaches will often use an erg to test which position to place team members in the shell for the entire season, so poor performance can mean being relegated to a less favorable position in the boat.

There are many brands of rowing machines available, including Concept 2, Bodycraft VR100, Body Row, Kettler Coach, Kettler Kadett, Lifecore R900, Row E3, Spartan Sports, Schwinn, Stamina ATS 1400 air rower, and Tunturi.

A new concept in rowing machines is the Water Rower. This machine uses a wheel with fins submerged in a water tank to provide the resistance for each stroke. Water rowing is meant to closely simulate what an actual rowing stroke feels like in a rowing shell.

For most home fitness enthusiasts, rowing is an acquired taste, and some of them never acquire it. But if you like cross training, or if you can’t run as much as you’d like to due to knee pain or other ailments, give a rowing machine a serious look. Discount rowing machines are available online at bargain prices.

People who like to ride a fitness bike fall into three categories. The first is the serious cyclist who is kept indoors by bad weather. Although many cyclists ride in the wintertime, the experience isn’t always pleasant, and it can be dangerous when conditions are slippery. A stationary bicycle allows athletes to keep up a training routine during the off season without a break, enhancing their performance in the summer months.

The second group of exercise bike enthusiasts are people who for one reason or another can’t or don’t want to use equipment that involves walking or running. People with disabilities and injuries fall into this category. So do people who are just starting out in a fitness program and want to take things slow at first, as well as those who simply want to maintain their current fitness level with an easygoing aerobic workout. These folks can be found sitting on an exercise cycle perusing a magazine or avidly watching their favorite TV show, barely breaking a sweat as they give their heart and legs a moderate workout.

The third group of people who like exercise bicycles is runners and walkers who want a cross-trainer. Spending one or two days a week on an exercycle gives their knees and other joints a break from the rigors of running and leaves them refreshed for their next run.

It’s no secret that a stationary bike isn’t as intense a workout as other types of fitness machines. Cycling is meant to be a long-term, low-level aerobic activity. Although elite cyclists may have the muscle and coordination to make a workout on an exercise cycle an intense cardio experience, most people don’t. However, exercise bikes can certainly put your heart into its aerobic zone, and because your heart rate will be on the low end of that zone, you can ride for much longer than you’d be able to run. Sustained low-level exercise is very good for your heart, and is probably safer for people who are out of shape, overweight, or recovering from heart disease.

To increase the intensity of your workout, you can program the exercise bike to produce more resistance on the pedals. A set of built-in programs is a nice feature to have on a fitness bike. Some models even record your personal workout routine and replay it on demand.

Some brands to look for in a stationary bike include Schwinn and Life Fitness. The Schwinn Airdyne uses a fan to produce resistance instead of an electric motor.

Most people are familiar with the upright exercise bike, which looks just like a regular bicycle with a saddle and the pedals below your torso. But not everyone is familiar with the recumbent exercise bike, which changes your seating position so you’re leaning back, with your legs out in front of you. Recumbent exercise bikes have wide seats with backrests, so they’re very comfortable. Instead of hunching over a set of handlebars, you’re reclining in comfort and can flip through a magazine as you pedal away. Many riders report that their back problems cleared up when they switched from an upright exercycle to a recumbent. Schwinn makes several models, including the Schwinn 230, the Schwinn 203, and the Schwinn 231.

The mini exercise bike has burst on the scene recently and is a favorite of people with very limited space in the home. This is simply a set of pedals in a small box that sits on the floor. Mini exercise bikes are pedaled from a sitting position in an appropriate chair and have adjustable resistance just like a full size model. Quality varies greatly in these machines. The best ones have a high rate of customer satisfaction, while the worst are little more than cheap junk.

Reading some exercise bike reviews will help you make up your mind when you’re ready to buy. Whether you’re a serious cyclist or just starting out in your fitness regimen, a stationary bike makes working out a lot easier.