If you choose your cardio exercise based on what burns the most calories, you may have noticed that the winner seems to be the elliptical machine. (That’s the one where your legs go in a running motion, but they stay in contact with the machine the whole time.)

Unfortunately, machines’ calorie readouts are notoriously inaccurate, ellipticals included.

What’s worse than getting yourself to the gym after a long workday? Getting yourself to the gym in the midst of a cold snap.

To get the most out of your personal training sessions and workout classes, it helps to be a good client who knows how things work. Plus, it's always nice to be nice and make things easier for your instructors. We asked several fitness professionals what they wish their clients knew going in and this is what they said.

Ever come from a session at the gym feeling especially sore?

We get it — sometimes, a gym just doesn’t work out. Maybe it’s too crowded or the ceilings tiles are falling and landing on your head. It happens! Unfortunately, cancelling your gym membership is a lot like competing in the Hunger Games, of which there are no winners, only the wounded.

Three years ago, I injured my lower back while weightlifting (and again, two times after). It was a motivational buzzkill, to say the least. I’ve struggled with having to lower weights and sometimes, have avoided the gym altogether, feeling as though I’d let myself down.

Strength training is good for your muscles; cardio is good for your heart. Both are essential if you want to be a fit, healthy person, but what’s the best way to combine them?

On a recent afternoon, I headed toward my gym: A small, second-floor space I’d been a member at for at least five years. It was my second home and I’d spent more time there, contemplating life among weights and cardio machines, than any other place beyond my apartment.

I used to hate the gym — not because of actual exercise per se, but purely because I was so self-conscious. I was obsessed with the idea that I’d be criticised for my shoddy squat form or brief five minutes on the treadmill — and then exiled from my gym forever, cast off onto the island of exercise pariahs. I hated it so much I’d avoid using the gym at peak hours just to avert the judgment of others, even if that meant getting my adrenaline rush at 4 AM.

Finding the time to work out during the day can sometimes be a bit… complicated. If you’re running short on time but still want to get a little bit of a workout in, Alexa can actually help make that happen through the Alexa skill for the 7-Minute Workout.

Good health is a truly priceless thing, but maintaining a decent level of fitness - especially in big cities - can cost a pretty penny. Gym memberships in particular can hit your wallet hard. And personal training sessions? Forget about it: Those can run over $100 an hour, easy, and that's often on top of a gym's monthly membership fee. That's fine, though - because you don't have to pay a dime if you play your cards right.

After you've mustered up the willpower to finally check out the gym for the first time, plenty of questions remain: What should you wear? What workout should you do? How does this machine even work? Here's a primer on how to make your first gym experience awesome.

When I took a dance class with my husband years ago, the instructor told us that any couples in the class should split up and dance with others. "We have a tendency to say things to our partner that we wouldn't to other people," I remember her saying. "Like, 'Honey, you're doing it wrong.'"

You made a New Years Resolution to get in shape, you signed up to the gym went a few times and then you stopped. It happens. Now's the time to get back to the gym.

Everybody at the gym has their own plan, their own path. In a perfect world, these paths all crisscross and interweave without any collisions. One person hops off the treadmill, another hops on. One person sets down a weight, another picks it up. Record scratch, here's the real world: five different people across the gym are killing time on machines they don't care about, glaring at the guy who won't stop doing curls in the squat rack.

How long do you spend at the gym? There's an optimum amount of time you should be spending on your daily workout, and chances are it's a lot shorter than you think. Think of what you'll do with all that extra time!

Ever wanted to hang off a big hog with your 24-inch pythons like our mate Hulk Hogan, brother? Of course you have, brother. If you've ever wondered about which exercises you need to do to grow those biceps, triceps and forearms - look no further, brother. Here are the best exercises to master those arm muscles.

Zero exercise is not enough. Going for a walk every day is probably a good thing. And if you're training for a marathon, you'll be on your feet for a couple hours of hard workouts every week. But what is the benchmark for a human being just trying to squeeze enough healthy exercise into their life? Let's break it down.

Getting ready to hit the gym in January? Here's your starter pack of all the information you need to walk into the gym with confidence and build a habit that will last all year long.