Best Exercise Equipment Approved List

Cardio Secrets Approved List of the Best Treadmills, Elliptical Trainers, Exercise Bikes, Heart Rate Monitors and Home Gyms Last Updated

Don't make the expensive mistake of buying the wrong cardio equipment for your workout program. If you're looking for exercise equipment for your home gym, check my recommendations below for the best affordable treadmills, elliptical trainers, and exercise bikes that will make your cardio training a pleasure.

To make your life easier, the following approved list of equipment can be purchased online - factory direct from the manufacturer - saving you hundreds of dollars on taxes and local store markups.

**Equipment List Updated

Approved Treadmill List

Best Treadmill Under $900	Finding a good treadmill in the budget category can be difficult at best. If you're strapped for cash and need a quality machine that won't break the bank get one of the new Fuel Treadmills below... Fuel FT94 Treadmill Fuel FT96 Treadmill

Best Treadmill Under $1000	If you can spring for a few more bucks over the entry level treadmills, there are two good machines I recommend in the under $1000 price range that are worth the investment... Sole F63 Treadmill Smooth 5.45 Treadmill

Best Treadmill Under $1500	The under $1500 price point is the heart of the treadmill market and the sweet spot for value per dollar. There is a standout winner that I recommend that's best in class with a strong motor, large running area and stellar warranty... Sole F80 Treadmill

Best Treadmill Under $2000	You're probably starting to see a pattern here with my treadmill selections, but there is good reason - both Sole and Smooth offer value, long warranties, strong motors and factory direct pricing that can't be matched by local retailers... Sole F85 Treadmill Smooth 935HR Treadmill

Best Treadmill Over $2000	Sure you could spend $4000 on a treadmill but you don't need to. The new Nordic Track S 3000 packs a commercial drive system, 5 horse power motor and an unmatched cushioning system for half of what it should cost. NordicTrack S 3000

Approved Elliptical Trainer List

Best Elliptical Under $600	The new fuel FE44 elliptical is big on features and small on price. You won't find another elliptical in this price range that can compare to the 18" stride length, articulating footplates, 14 programs and heavy weight flywheel. Fuel FE44 Elliptical

Best Elliptical Under $800	If you're a serious athlete you should avoid the Nordic Track 1300, if you're not, you'll get a lot of good cardio workouts with the power incline ramp, 18" stride length and quick target toning. Nordictrack Commercial 1300 Elliptical

Best Elliptical Under $1000	Things get serious when you get into the mid-level price range. This Schwinn offers telemetric heart rate control, articulating footplates, 16 levels of resistance and a huge 300 pound weight capacity. Schwinn 438 Elliptical

Best Elliptical Under $1300	The Sole E35 elliptical trainer is one of the few genuine bargains in the fitness industry today. It's unheard of to get a wireless telemetric heart rate controlled machine for this price. Throw in16 levels of eddy current magnetic resistance, a massive flywheel for smooth action and ergonomic inwardly sloped footpedals and you have a winner. Sole E35 Elliptical

Best Elliptical Under $1600	While not the most flashy elliptical on the market, the Sports Art E80 is a solid rear drive elliptical trainer. If you can do without some bells and whistles on your machine (like you have your own heart rate monitor) the E80 has strong components and a sturdy design that will last for years. Sportsart E80 Elliptical

Best Elliptical Under $2000	With it's huge 400 pound weight capacity and solid, stable ride, the Sole e95 is what an elliptical trainer should be. Quiet, fluid, and comfortable to use for long workouts. Sole also developed an exclusive foot pedal adjustment angle mechanism that you can customize to fit the exact way you walk (saves wear and tear on your ankle and Achilles tendon) and sets you up in the proper bio-mechanical form for exercise. There's no other elliptical trainer under $2000 that can give theSole E95 a run for its' money - it's not even a close contest. Sole E95 Elliptical

Approved Heart Rate Monitors

It seems like everyone is making heart rate monitors these days, put the only brand I recommend getting is Polar. Polar Heart Rate Monitors have been, and will continue to be the industry standard that all other monitors are measured against.

Polar F7 Heart Rate Monitor	Intended Use: General Fitness The Polar F7 isn't the cheapest heart rate monitor Polar makes, but in my opinion it's the cheapest option you should consider for your workouts. Polar F7 on sale w/ free shipping

Polar F11 Heart Rate Monitor	Intended Use: Fitness Enthusiest The next step up from the Polar F7 is the Polar F11. The F11 has some key advantages over the more basic F6 that are worth the extra investment if you're serious about tracking your training and bringing your results to the next level. Polar F11 on sale w/ free shipping

Polar RS200 Heart Rate Monitor	Intended Use: Running If you're into running, the Polar RS200 is a great monitor that will do about everything you'll ever need for running heart rate training. The RS200 is a different animal than either the F7 or F11 as it's geared specifically to the running crowd with some must have features you'll want - especially if your training for a 5k race or marathon. Polar RS200 on sale w/ free shipping

Polar RS400 Heart Rate Monitor	Intended Use: Running If you take your running seriously or are training for an event and need to know every last detail about your training, the RS400 heart rate monitor is the one for you. The RS400 goes above and beyond the RS200 by providing more detailed analysis of almost every facet of your workout. Polar RS400 on sale w/ free shipping

Polar S725x Heart Rate Monitor	Intended Use: Triathlon Training Going above and beyond watches like the RS series, the s725x is the mid-level model in the triathlon series and is Polar's most popular wrist computer ever. You'll never be at a loss for data as the s725x will track all running and cycling performance indicators and other training conditions like altitude and temperature. Polar s725x on sale w/ free shipping