Elliptical fitness machines are newer on the market and many people are unsure whether this piece of equipment will reduce their waist or be a waste of time. These machines have gained popularity in recent years as more users have seen results from an increase in endurance to a decrease in circumference and the following questions are most often on prospective purchaser’s minds:
1. What makes an elliptical fitness machine different from a treadmill?
There is no moving belt and the two foot pedals control movement within a certain range, making it more controlled and safer. The handles give the user the option to move their arms in opposition to the legs to control movement.
2. Why is there less impact on joints?
Due to the action of the legs and feet, there is no pounding on the body that walking and running causes. The oval motion ensures that the feet remain stable on the pedals without lifting and striking. As a result the knees and hips take less strain.
3. How do you increase the intensity of your workout?
As with most cardiovascular exercise, the most simple way of increasing intensity is to increase speed or resistance. Making the arms and legs move faster will elevate the heart rate and make the workout more intense as the body works harder to maintain the pace. Increasing resistance without slowing down will increase the strain on the muscles and the tension on the elliptical is equivalent to the elements of wind outside or the effect of uphill work. By increasing resistance, the heart rate will elevate along with the muscle force required to keep the elliptical moving.
4. What is the function of the arm handles?
By using the upper body, more muscles are being recruited in the movement which results in more muscular effort and more cardiovascular effort as the heart must supply oxygen to the working muscles. Thus the total work is increased and more calories are burnt. There are also sensors on the handles that can read heart rate and give valuable exercise feedback.
5. What are the physical benefits?
- Greater cardiovascular effort with the arms and legs being active in the movement.
- More toning of the upper body muscles and joints.
- Less impact on the body.
- Greater muscular control as the handles and pedals control range of movement.
- Less injury risk with controlled motion and safer moving parts on the machine.
- Activates all the main muscles groups, providing an all body workout.
- Improved cardiovascular function.
- Improved lung function and easy breathing afterwards.
- Better balance and co-ordination.
- Stronger core muscles with more stomach and back postural strength and control.
- Greater movement control and rhythm.
These common questions and answers should assist your decision to purchase home exercise equipment and you can decide whether an elliptical fitness machine will work for your workout.
Tags: elliptical trainer, Ellipticals, faq, fitness machine, workout
