Using An Elliptical Trainer to Get The Most Benefits

by Babs Gallegos

Using an elliptical trainer is a great way to do low impact exercise if you have a knee, back or hip injury. Such injuries limit the type of exercises that you can perform and rule out most high impact exercises such as jogging or running.

This can be frustrating if you like this type of exercise for health & fitness or believe that these exercises give you a good workout. While running and jogging certainly give you a good cardio workout they are not the only ways.

Learning how to use this exercise machine will help you to have a good cardiovascular workout without hurting yourself. When you learn how to use an elliptical trainer you also burn more calories, increase your stamina and maximize your workout.

Move Your Legs Properly:

An elliptical trainer involves moving your legs properly. Learning how to use this machine properly means achieving the right stride. Having too long a stride is uncomfortable and you will not enjoy your workout. On the other hand having too short a stride will feel just as uncomfortable as well.

In the first case you may feel that this workout is not for you and abandon it before you really have given it a chance. In the second case you are not burning as much calories as you want in order to lose weight. Aim for your stride to feel natural, it should feel the same when you are walking.

What Should You Do With Your Arms:

When learning how to use an elliptical trainer your arms can do several things. Some machines will offer you a total body workout, by connecting the handles with the foot pedals. This gets your upper body involved as your arms move in sync with your feet.

Another way to deal with your arms when beginning to use an elliptical trainer is to hold on to the handlebars without moving them. Some people choose to do this to keep their balance if they are not confident when using this machine. Aim to move your arms the way you would when running. This burns the most calories and helps you to build your core muscles as your body builds up your balance ability.

Set yourself A Higher Goal:

Start slowly with the resistance levels, by keeping an eye on them when learning how to use an elliptical trainer. Increase them with with each workout. Make sure you vary the speed, in order to challenge yourself.

About the Author:

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