GTForce

Personally, I find doing cardio outside is the most enjoyable. That is what Dorian Yates did for the majority of his cardio when preparing for the Mr. Olympia. He would go for a brisk 30 minute walk around his neighbourhood first thing in the morning, although sometimes he performed 30 minutes of stationary cycling at home instead if it was pouring with rain. He always did his cardio first thing, before eating, as glycogen reserves are depleted at that time and the body will tend to turn to fat for fuel.

I usually mountain bike in the spring and summer and I ski (downhill and cross-country) in the winter for cardio. I occassionally do cardio inside (at the gym) and when I do I will follow a plan that has me using a few different machines. For example I might walk for 10 minutes on a treadmill, row for 10 minutes, do a really hard 5 minutes on the stairmaster and then walk again for 15 minutes. I cannot imagine just staying on one machine for 30 to 60 minutes. I would start to feel like a hamster on a spinning wheel.

I would hold off on purchasing any cardio equipment at this time. There are many, many cardio machines gathering dust in garages, sheds and attics all over Canada (and in Great Britain as well I'm sure). Seeing as how the weather will be improving soon why don't you just do it like Dorian.

You are fortunate to have a mentor like Garry.

Your bench is a little weak, but the dumbell row is strong. I'm sure the bench will come up soon enough.

Take care, GTForce