Posts Tagged ‘elliptical cross trainer’

Basic Guide for Acquiring an Elliptical Machine

Monday, March 16th, 2009

A lot of you don’t know but an eliptical cross trainer is more beneficial than other fitness equipments combined. If you want to lose weight, attain flexibility, or build strength; this machine does it all for you. Before, achieving these goals means using so many kinds of equipments for the different parts of your body.

An eliptical cross trainer is designed to workout both your lower and upper body without requiring you to exert too much effort. This way, you get the benefit of a complete body workout without the dangers of injuring your joints, knees, or hips due to surface impact. So if you’re convinced on buying your personal elliptical trainer, read the following steps and know the things to remember.

Stable Parts. For the foot’s elliptical movement, the eliptical machine should feel smooth and steady all throughout the motion. Your stride must be a natural and steady pattern. The footplate should not feel shaky and jittery as if it will discard during the cycle.

Check the handbars of the elliptical cross trainer and make sure that its grip feels flexible and comfortable and that it should follow through at your every direction and intensity change. Check the equipment at high intensity resistance and try its performance for your upper and lower extremities. Even at these resistances, you should still feel that stability and comfort.

Stride. Some elliptical trainers give you the option of longer or shorter strides. You need this so you can set it according to what your natural stride is. Take note that 20 inches is the minimum length of stride to get the best performance effectively.

Programs and Options. It is best to buy an eliptical trainer that uses magnetic brakes system. Make sure, too, that the buttons are visible and that you can comprehend and access the programs. Choose the one that offers variety and motivation in its programmes, those that allow you to make your own such as hill courses simulation.

Power. You have a choice between motorized and non-motorized elliptical machine. If you consider a motorized one, know the amount of workload that the equipment can handle. If you’re fit enough, it should normally be 250 watts

These are some of the basic ideas you should learn in buying an eliptical cross trainer. If you aim to be fit and healthy, getting an eliptical trainer is the first step. But whether you want to buy a brand new one or not, remember that it should give you your moneys worth by serving you well for a long time.

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Why an Elliptical Machine is Better Than the Treadmill

Monday, March 16th, 2009

For a long time, many have questioned on the subject “Which is better, an elliptical trainer or treadmill? People gave their own opinions on the matter and they each took different sides. But right now, we will find out why elliptical cross trainers work best.

An eliptical machine and treadmill looks like they perform the same. They both work for the lower extremities like running and walking for the treadmill and foot pedals for eliptical cross trainer. An eliptical cross trainer, however, has the advantage for the upper body because of its hand bars.

Because an eliptical cross trainer has foot pedals for your lower body and hand bars for your arms, it gives you whole body workout. But with a treadmill, you only perform walking, jogging, and running. Your upper extremities don’t move much so you will have to exercise them separately.

You can run and walk using an eliptical cross trainer without causing too much pressure on your joints. This means you have less chances of getting an injury due to impact. It’s the opposite with a treadmill, however, because you run and walk on a solid surface therefore it causes impact on your joints.

Both elliptical trainer and treadmill give nearly the same results in terms of the amount of calories burned and training benefits. However, it is clear that with an elliptical trainer, your effort is less and that your exposure to impact injuries is much less as well. Using a treadmill, obviously, allows you to burn the same amount of calories but with more risk of impact injury to your joints.

These fitness machines have their own special features but let’s find out which one has the best. The treadmill can adjust the incline and intensity of your workout for your legs. An eliptical cross trainer has the same ability but with an added feature like forward and reverse maneuver on the foot pedals.

These are the reasons that conclude why the treadmill is lesser compared to elliptical machine. The treadmill came first in the field of fitness but not anymore. Science and technology has advanced that’s why an elliptical trainer is considered the latest reliable fitness aid.

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