So what is a good choice for a cardioascular machine?

I feel bad that I have only given negative examples of Cardiovascular equipment. To be fair I decided before I did any more negatives I would give you a positive one. The key to a any style of training is how much it will impact your overall muscular efficiency, positively or negatively. In the examples of the recumbent bike and the Stairmaster, they were more on the negative side. In other words the negative impact the machine had on your muscular efficiency far outweighed any positive benefits you could get from it. 

There are some negatives as well, it is impossible for their not to be on a machine. Any machine that tries to replicate an action our bodies are meant to do outside on changing terrain are going to be limited in their effectiveness.  Take for example the Stairmaster. What is the best version of that machine, simple, go for a hike or snow shoe for that matter. The other real big issue is the lack of integration involved. What I mean is that there is never a realistic movement that allows the body to coordinate the movement of the upper and lower body. The handles most machines come with are a joke and I recommend you do not use them.

There are a few that do at least  a decent job of emulating a version of a more functional move. One that I really like but you wont find it in most gyms is a VersaClimber. It was popular for awhile in Gyms in the late 80′s but it has not been seen as much for one reason in my opinion, its really hard! The gym I used to work at, ADAPT, put them in. They were without a doubt one of the best Cardio machines I have ever used, and I have tried pretty much all of them. Check out this video. I was looking for a decent one but all I could find was people going nuts on these things. Please do not think this is the best way to use it. I just wanted you to have a visual of it.

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What I like about it is that is is a vertical simulation of a bear crawl. The machine actually has some proper integration to it and does allow for a decent amount of range of motion for the hips, shoulders, and back. The more I used it the more I liked how you could actually emphasize different muscle groups as you were doing it.
If your gym has one then go for it. Just try a few minutes of it at first but mix it into your regular cardio routine.

There are some negatives to this machine as well and i will go over those with you soon so you know how to incorporate the appropriate exercises to help get the most from it.