Why Elliptical Trainer Workouts Are More Effective (And Better For You) Than Other Cardio Machines
Elliptical trainer workouts are a comfortable, effective cardio exercise. But are they really superior to the workouts you can get on other equipment, such as a treadmill or a stationary bike? The answer is yes... and here's why.
Ellipticals mimic the motions of walking, jogging or running. As you know, this type of exercise is great for your heart, helps to tone and trim your lower body, and helps you lose weight. However, once you go above a walk you are impacting your joints, especially your hips, knees and ankles. Over time, this can cause injury. And if you have existing injuries, arthritis or other conditions, you may not be able to take part in this type of exercise.
An elliptical, on the other hand, takes away the impact and lets you get the cardio benefits but without the jarring impact of running on a treadmill or other hard surface. There is no strain on your joints, and nothing to aggravate or cause an injury.
Because you are kept in a naturally aligned position on an elliptical, you also won't experience any back strain. You are upright throughout the workout, no leaning forward, hunching over or reaching for things (like with a rowing machine).
You can also work out your upper and lower body at the same time, if you choose. Unlike other exercise machines, ellipticals have hand rails that you can move to engage your arm muscles. If you don't want to, you can simply hold the rails for comfort, or drop your hands at your sides.
How to Vary Your Elliptical Workout
You can hone in on different muscle groups in your lower body simply by changing your motion. You can pedal forward, backward, or a mix of both during one workout to target and tone various areas such as your glutes, quads and calves. And of course, you can increase or decrease the intensity with varying speeds, resistance levels and incline levels.
Because the motion is so natural and fluid, you can actually burn more calories in elliptical trainer workouts than you can with other machines, while feeling like you are working less! You simply don't have to work as hard as you do on a treadmill or stationary bike to burn the same, or more, fat and calories. And because you can change your workouts so easily, you'll never outgrow or become bored with an elliptical.
Ellipticals come with a wide variety of programs and let you create your own. So you have no end of elliptical trainer workouts to choose from and enjoy. A comfortable, effective workout that never gets boring... what could be better than that?
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