What Muscles Does an Elliptical Trainer Work?

Y ou already know that a good elliptical workout will put all your leg muscles to work. But are you aware that your arms and core can get the same benefits? It all stands in finding the right machine and learning how to use it to its full potential, and since there are a lot of reviews out there to help you with this task, we have decided to focus on the mechanism of the exercise. Below, you will find all you need to know about the muscles involved in the movement and some tips to perfect your results. But before that, we took some time to explain why the elliptical can be a real game-changer for your health and physical state.

Close-Up Shot of Woman on Elliptical Machine at Gym

Health Benefits You Get from Using an Elliptical Machine

Working out is about looking good, but more importantly, it is about staying healthy, and the optimal way to attain this state is to combine strength training with cardio. You can get most of the first with a good set of kettlebells, but you will only get better cardiovascular fitness if you manage to increase your heart rate, and this is where an elliptical proves to be one of the best options. Here is what you can use it for:

• Gain muscle instead of losing it – with age, your muscle fibers become weaker, and you gradually start losing muscle mass. The process is known as sarcopenia, and even if you may find it hard to believe, it starts around the age of 30. The good news is that you can do something to preserve your power and continue to look good by eating food that is rich in proteins and exercising regularly. Since the cross trainer employs the most important muscles in your body, it is recommended even by specialists as a good way to prevent muscle loss.
• Put your heart to work to save it from disease – – a sedentary lifestyle is more comfortable, but it can put you at risk of many diseases. The heart is the most affected as it loses its training and can no longer cope with strenuous situations as it used to. However, there are a large number of studies that have proven that, if you combine resistance exercises with aerobics and work out for at least half an hour every day, you have lower chances of developing a cardiovascular disease. Moreover, you can adopt this lifestyle even if you already have been diagnosed with a heart illness, as it can help you improve your functional capacity.
• Lose weight and stay fit – the cross apparatus can be very challenging if you select a higher resistance level, so you will get to burn a lot of calories in 1 hour of training, up to 500 some specialists say. If you stay focused, you will soon lose those extra pounds you’ve been trying to shed off for a while, but with a great bonus – your muscles will look lean and active and you will not bulk up.
• Never lose balance anymore – strong muscles mean more support when lifting larger objects or simply when walking on the street. This study from 2018 has shown that older women can improve balance and strength if they include aerobic exercises in their daily routine and combine them with strength training. The cross training machine can be considered an option for aerobic exercise with great results.

Lower-Body Muscles Used in an Elliptical Workout

To put a cross-trainer in movement, you need to use your legs a lot. The workout requires that you extend and retract your knees and engages the following muscles:

• Hamstrings – they are placed between your hip and your knee and cover the back side of your leg. You use them to walk and rotate the lower part of your leg when you keep your knee bent. Since elliptical exercises resemble walking, you will be using a lot of this muscle group.
• Quads – they cover what is left of your thigh, namely the frontal and lateral sides. They are just as important as the hamstrings, and you will engage them intensely since they are also considered the motors of the legs. They help you extend your legs at the knee and execute the drive on the apparatus.
• Glutes – these are your buttocks, and you will definitely sense them burning if you are doing a good job. They allow you to extend your legs from the hips and rotate them and get engaged when you shift your weight from one leg to another.
• Calves – as you stride on the machine, the calves extend and contract, so they remain active all the time. If you choose a higher incline for the ramp, the action that is exerted on them will increase.

Young Woman Flexing Muscles

Upper-Body Muscles Used in an Elliptical Workout

There are plenty of models that come with synchronized handles to help you involve your upper body as well. The movement you do with your arms will increase your heart rate even further, so these options are excellent if you are trying to lose weight. During the workout, you will engage the following muscles from your arms and torso:

• Biceps and triceps – the biceps help you pull the handle toward you since their purpose is to pull the forearm up and rotate it outward. On the other hand, the triceps are in charge of the extension of the elbow joint, so you will use them when pushing the handle.
• Rhomboids – you will also use your shoulder muscles during the workout, so the rhomboids will activate to help rotate your scapula.
• Core – your abdominal muscles help you maintain the proper position, but you may not feel them performing if you are not exercising correctly. Try to keep them engaged while maintaining the rest of your body relaxed.

Does the Elliptical Build Muscle?

If you are afraid that with weight loss will come bulkiness, you are in the clear with the elliptical. This machine is designed to mimic running and walking, so you will mostly be doing aerobics. The elliptical will help you get fit, and your muscles will definitely look firmer, but it is almost impossible to get the same results you would by doing strength exercises.

On the other hand, if you really, really insist to get big by using only this apparatus, you can push your muscles to grow by selecting a very high resistance level. The results will only show on your leg muscles, nevertheless, as there is no resistance you can adjust regarding the handles. If you are looking to get big and gain strength but don’t want to deal with weights, a rowing machine may be more appropriate for you.

Another option would be to try HIIT exercises, which imply dividing each minute from your workout time into two intervals. For instance, you can choose to work really hard for 20 seconds and take a 40-minute break just to get ready to hit hard again. This type of training will help change your body composition by replacing fat with muscle.

Conclusion

With an elliptical cross trainer, you will be able to take walks or run a marathon in the comfort of your home. It is a lot gentler on the knees than a treadmill but can provide good cardio training and keep your muscles active. Recent research results in the field have proven this activity to be beneficial for individuals who are trying to regain balance or improve their cardiovascular health and can even help slow down the aging process that comes with muscle loss.

As we have explained, this activity is not designed to help your muscles get bigger, although it does engage most of them in a very active way. It will, instead, make you look fit and flexible, not to mention that it can be incredibly efficient if you are trying to lose weight.