How to Use an Elliptical

A mong the main reasons why the cross trainer is so popular in health clubs and home gyms is its simplicity in use. Moreover, this low-impact exercise machine puts minor strain on your joints, all while giving you a hearty workout that has you burning calories at a never-before-seen pace. What more could one ask for? However, as with any exercise machine, you must make sure to properly use it to avoid injury and work out as efficiently as possible to reach your fitness objectives rapidly while boosting health stats.

This is exactly what we cover in this article, namely the proper utilization of the elliptical trainer. If you plan on buying this cardio workout machine or you already have one sitting in the living room and waiting for you to get on it, make sure that you read and follow the advice provided in the following to train correctly.

Shot of Woman’s Legs while Using Elliptical Trainer

Beginner’s Guide to Use the Elliptical – Proper Technique

So you just brought home your first high-end cross trainer or you’re still browsing for the right model, and now you want to learn how to use it to get the most from this workout machine. This is what we cover here, so if you want to learn how to exercise on an elliptical while using proper techniques to keep safe and amp weight loss results, follow our guidelines closely.

How to go about using the cross trainer – Do’s and don’ts guide:

• How to get on: While facing the monitor, carefully put your feet in the pedals, all while holding tightly onto the handlebars for balance. Make sure that your feet are aligned with the edges of the pedals if these are oversized so that you don’t put too much strain on your hips when you move. Keep proper posture with your head upright, spine straight, and only push the pelvis forward a bit.
• How to pedal: There’s a proper technique to move too. Slightly bend your knees and keep them in this position throughout the whole motion to get the most out of the calisthenics in terms of muscle mass increase. Move your legs in an oval-shaped manner as you exercise. You can pedal backward when you want to activate different muscle groups. This makes the elliptical better than the treadmill for building glutes and hamstring muscles.
  Avoid this reverse motion if you have a knee injury because it puts considerably more pressure on it, worsening the damage to the affected area.
• How to engage your arms: To work out the upper body area when you do cross-training, hold onto the moving handlebars. This keeps your arm muscles in constant motion. On the other hand, if you have trouble keeping balance, keep your hands on the stationary handlebars. When it comes to proper arm position, you must avoid grabbing the bars too tightly, bend the elbows a bit, and keep the shoulder blades slightly down and back.
• How to use the trainer’s features: During the first few workout sessions until you get better acquainted with the exercise machine, start with the lowest incline and resistance levels, and gradually amp them until you reach your peak point. Try to raise the difficulty level every 3-5 minutes.

Bonus: The 20-Minute HIIT Elliptical Routine You Must Try

Is your end goal weight loss and shaping your body for the upcoming bikini season? As research examining HIIT effects points out, it results in “reductions in subcutaneous and abdominal body fat”, so this training regimen is among the most effective for burning fat and dropping pounds.

Since you’re likely new to this workout equipment, we thought that you might be interested in a HIIT training routine that has been proven most effective for weight loss and body sculpting. In this section of the article, we will go over the steps of the routine in the table below, while covering two key parts of any workout too – the warm-up and the cool down.

How to go about the warm-up: You need to put your body in motion before the actual workout begins to engage muscles and avoid rapid overexertion. Before you start, set the trainer at a low resistance level, preferably from 1 to 3, and exercise for about 5 minutes or until you feel that your heart rate is slightly raised.

Breaking down the 20-minute elliptical HIIT routine:

How to go about the cool down: Be careful how you get off the trainer, you wouldn’t want to do it too suddenly (your heart wouldn’t be pleased by this). Instead, what you should do is cool down through 5 minutes of slow cardio on the first and lowest resistance level. Take deep but slow breaths, and make sure that you gradually slow down your movements as the time runs out.

Happy Girl After Measuring Her Waist

Cross Trainer Workout Benefits

Now that you know how to use it, you might wonder what does the elliptical do? How exactly does it benefit you? This is the topic we cover in this section to give you a better understanding of why this aerobic workout equipment is a pivotal addition to your gym gear collection.

• #1 – Rapid calorie burn: The exact number of calories you burn during a 30-minute session depends on your weight, evidently. A 125lb person will burn approximately 270 calories, while a 185lb person is likely to burn around 400 calories. If you want to amp these numbers, set the cross trainer resistance level higher.
• #2 – Lose body fat: In terms of calorie burn, the cross trainer is better than even the stationary bike. We compared the elliptical to the spin bike because these two are widely considered the best training gear for weight loss. Since the former burns more calories than the latter in the same active time, it helps you shed more body fat in the process too.
• #3 – Joint-friendly workout: When you use the cross trainer, your feet don’t come off the pedals. Therefore, there is no impact with the ground surface that might cause any sort of shock. Research has even proven that the X-trainer is healthier than walking when it comes to the stress it puts on your joints and the entire lower part of your body.
• #4 – Improved cardio capacity: During aerobic exercise, more O2 and blood is pumped to your muscles by the heart and lungs. Since the cross trainer gives you quite a hearty aerobic workout, cardio health receives a boost too. In turn, your overall health benefits and life expectancy is lengthened.
• #5 – Great recovery exercise: Whether you are recovering from an injury or you suffer from a condition that limits your movements, the cross trainer is one of the best workout machines to keep you active. For example, a 2011 study demonstrates that elliptical training amps fatigue ratings and life quality even in patients who suffer from multiple sclerosis. What makes it so efficient stands in the low-impact isometrics you perform with it, as well as the insignificant stress it puts on your joints in the process. Moreover, it solidifies bones and muscles to ease discomfort in the affected area while assisting you to regain a complete range of motion.
• #6 – Puts everything in motion: Unlike the under-desk elliptical that keeps your upper body static, the classic-style elliptical works out all of your muscles. Keep your hands on the moving handlebars when you do the isometrics, and you will enjoy a hefty full-body workout in turn since the upper body muscles are engaged too.
• #7 – Better balance: You can even improve this more delicate aspect if you let go of the handlebars. What happens is that your core muscles will engage to keep you stable while you move your feet, helping increase balance in the process. Small tip, however – don’t set the incline and resistance too high when your hands are by your body, you raise chances of injury.
• #8 – Does wonders for your leg muscles: The lower body is generally more pretentious to work out since there are vastly different muscles to put in motion. This apparatus lets you surge incline to engage the backside more, while lowering the pedals will have your quads work harder. You can even move the pedals in reverse to change stride course and put more emphasis on the glutes and hamstrings.

Workout Schedule Idea to Stick with Your Training Routine

Returning to the couch potato lifestyle is always tempting. But this isn’t what you bought the X-trainer for. To make sure that dust won’t settle on it and that you will put our proper use advice and the 20-minute HIIT routine to good use, you should try classical conditioning as a way to set your exercise schedule, and stick to it until it becomes force of habit. Classical conditioning, also known in psychology as Pavlovian conditioning, follows the same principle as Pavlov’s experiment with his dog. How do you go about this scheduling method exactly? Go through your calendar and find 40- or 50-minute “window” that falls at the same hour from Monday through Friday. Since you will follow through with your training routine every week day at the same hour, you are more likely to stick with the program. With time, you will notice a sort of craving to exercise right before this specific moment comes, your body naturally adjusting to the schedule you have set.

Bottom Line

This stationary exercise apparatus is among the most versatile you can find considering that it substitutes other equipment like the stair stepper or treadmill since it comprises some of their workouts. You can use it to stride, sprint, run, or even mimic climbing stairs. As long as you follow our guidelines and avoid the common mistakes beginners generally tend to do, you will get the most from the cross trainer and work out to shape your dream body while enhancing your overall health. Now that we reached the end of the article, we want to wish you the best of luck in achieving your fitness goals with the cross trainer of your choice.