Advantages of an Elliptical Workout
An elliptical workout is one of the most effective ways to get in shape, lose weight and tone your body. There are several advantages to working out on an elliptical machine, but the two main ones are that it provides a low impact form of exercise and a simultaneous workout of both your upper and lower body.
An elliptical trainer workout provides you with a great form of cardiovascular exercise without the danger of jarring your back or joints. This is an advantage over outdoor running or even a treadmill. Because your feet never leave the pedals when you are performing an elliptical machine workout, there is no stress put on your joints. Sitting upright and not having to pull or reach for anything also means you won’t be subject to any stress and strain on your back. This is particularly important if you have a bad back, knees, hips, ankles or joints.
Many elliptical machines allow you to work both your upper and lower body at the same time by providing you with bars to push with your arms along with the leg pedals for working your lower body. Elliptical trainer workouts using both your upper and lower body at the same will help you to burn fat faster and help you tone your shoulders and arms as well as your legs.
Most elliptical machines also provide you with the ability to perform elliptical machine workouts using both forward as well as backward motion. This dual action motion lets you work your hamstrings and quads in your legs, providing you with the ability to use even more of your muscles and burn even more calories.
For beginners, it is suggested that you do elliptical workouts every other day, allowing your muscles to rest in between your workout days. It is very important that you vary your exercise routine. A suggested elliptical workout for beginners would last for approximately 45 minutes, including a 5 minute warm up and 5 minute cool down. Start with your 5 minute warm up, then go at a low pace for 5 minutes, increase up to an easy pace for 5 minutes, then up to a moderate speed for 5 minutes, followed by 5 minutes working out as hard as you can go at your target heart rate. Then you work your way back down going at a moderate speed for 5 minutes, an easy pace for 5 minutes, then slow pace for 5 minutes and finish up with a 5 minute cool down.
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