A common sight in fitness centers and home gyms, the elliptical
machine has slats for the feet and poles for your hands that allow your
arms to work in conjunction with your leg movements as you glide back
and forth. The machine is popular because it is easier on joints, with
less impact than running. It also has benefits that range from muscle
activation to cardio to glute strengthening.
Here are five reasons to get on the elliptical during your next indoor workout.
“The elliptical is a great piece of equipment for people getting back
into working out that may have too much bodyweight, in order to prevent
weight-bearing joint injuries — such as the feet, ankles, knees, hips
and lower back,” says Rudy Gehrman, DC, executive director and founder
of
Physio Logic NYC. Once the body weight comes down, incorporating the treadmill would be next, then eventually outdoor running.
“Be cautious of overuse and repetitive stress conditions that the
elliptical machine can cause, as their motions and resistance are very
linear, not offering enough variety of motion,” says Gehrman. It’s
important to change your motion to combat this, and to move from machine
to machine after a period of time. You can incorporate resistance for
your upper body by utilizing the handles. “Similar to the treadmill,
moving in different directions on this machine will aid in preventing
repetitive stress syndromes, create a more balanced body and give you a
better workout,” advises Gehrman.
Ellipticals often have a resistance feature that is a great way to
challenge your fitness. “Though you can structure many different types
of workouts with ellipticals, one of the best things to focus on is
maintaining a specific cadence while adding resistance,” says Mecayla
Froerer, a NASM-certified personal trainer at
iFit.
Having a machine with many resistance options helps to lean out your
legs and improves your cardiovascular fitness at the same time.
One important thing to look for when choosing an elliptical is
whether it has an incline feature or not. “Incorporating incline during
your workout is a great way to engage your posterior chain, which is a
key element to movement and can aid in alleviating lower back pain,”
says Froerer. Having an incline feature can take your elliptical workout
to the next level by also increasing calorie burn during your
total-body workout.
A lateral elliptical trainer is a machine that moves side-to-side instead of front to back. According to a
2011 study conducted by the University of Tampa,
lateral elliptical trainers were scientifically proven to burn more
calories and fat — in the same amount of time — as other ellipticals and
cardio trainers. The study showed the sideways motion recruits more
muscles than standard elliptical trainers. It also produced a targeted
heart rate faster than on other machines, resulting in significant
cardio and weight-loss benefits.
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