Often, we have to wait in line for a long time in the gym to use the elliptical machine, especially peak hours. After cardio machines like the treadmill, the most sought machine is the elliptical trainer at the gym. Elliptical trainers are also famous for home equipment.
But there are questions like why this machine is so popular or what makes it one of the top choices among workout enthusiasts. Among many advantages, we discussed the top 10 benefits of elliptical trainer later part of this article.
Let’s explore.
1. Improve Your Cardio Capacity and Stamina
For a balanced workout routine, cardio exercises are a must. Cardio exercises put pressure on your lungs and heart. Because muscles need more oxygen and blood circulation, and they have to work intensely to provide that.
An elliptical machine offers you to do low-intensity cardio exercise along with high-intensity cardio workout. While doing these exercises, your heart and lungs have to work hard, and as a result, they become more vital to support your muscles. And in the end, it improves your endurance level and stamina.
2. Less Stress on Joints
When you run or do other intense high-impact cardio workouts, it puts stress on your joints like hips, ankles, knees, etc. In 1990, a new machine entered into the exercise machine’s market.
It is none other than the elliptical machine. This machine offered a low-impact cardio exercise because you don’t need to lift your feet from the machine’s pedals. And it became an instant hit among the runners who had achy and injured joints. Because it would allow them to continue their cardio exercise without putting stress on the joints.
Research showed that while working out on the elliptical machine, it bears less weight on the joints than jogging or running. So, the elliptical machine’s bottom line puts less pressure and stress on the joints without compromising the cardio exercise.
3. Burn Calories Faster
The elliptical machine burns plenty of calories in a short time. It can burn from 270 calories to 400 calories based on your weight, just in half an hour. People who weigh 125 pounds or less can burn 270 to 300 calories in 30 minutes, and people who weigh over 185 pounds can burn 400 and more calories in 30-minutes of elliptical workouts.
And this can help you lose your extra weight because if you burn more calories than you consume, the value will decrease. It would help if you did a high-intensity workout on the elliptical to burn calories faster.
4. Lower and Upper Body Workout
Usually, we think the elliptical machine as a lower body workout machine and covers the upper body, especially with the elliptical machine.
For upper body workout, you have to distribute your resistance and weight evenly. And for that reason, you have to keep pumping your arms while you’re moving legs, and the speed of pumping should match the speed of the leg’s movement.
If you can use the elliptical machine correctly, it can cover your chest, back, triceps, glutes, biceps, hamstrings, and essential body muscles.
5. Exercise for Specific Muscles of the Leg
You can use a budget-friendly elliptical machine for the training of the specific leg muscle. The incline and resistance of the foot pedal are adjustable. You can cover your lower body’s particular muscles like claves, glutes, quads, and hamstring by adjusting incline and resistance.
There are different adjustments of incline or foot pedals for different types of muscles. For example, for the back of the lower side of the body, you should increase the incline. Or for quads, you should set the foot pedals lower. Also, you can target the glutes and hamstrings by changing the direction of stride.
6. Effective for Body Fat Burning
As we know, the elliptical machine can burn calories at a higher rate; it can also burn fat faster and help you build the muscle by losing body fat. For burning fat more quickly, you have to give focus on the high-intensity interval workouts.
You can do the interval exercises the way you like. But you can follow the 2:1 ratio of the workout time and rest. You can workout intensely for 30 seconds then take rest for 15 seconds.
Then again, you can exercise for 60 seconds and then take rest for 30 seconds. While resting, you should move your legs slowly instead of giving a break to your legs.
7. Keep Fit After Injury
In case you have a mild injury and unable to perform regular workout sessions, you can keep yourself fit by doing elliptical workouts.
Elliptical workouts are low-impact workouts, and that puts less pressure on your joints. Thus, you can continue your training without hurting your joints.
It may also recover the injury faster by boosting the natural recovery process of the body. Your muscle and joints will be healthy by regularly working out on the elliptical.
8. Balance Improvement
You can make your bone health through weight-bearing workouts. It can also help you with balance improvement. To target core muscles and improve balance, you have to let go of the handles and stand up straight at the same time.
While on the elliptical machine, ensure the incline and resistance are in your range to adjust them. So that there is no safety issue even if you let go of the handles.
9. Easy to Learn
The elliptical machine is straightforward to learn where some of the other gym equipment takes time to learn. It can be considered as an advantage of the elliptical machine. It is easy to understand, but if you haven’t used the elliptical machine before, you should ask a professional trainer.
It will ensure that you won’t get heart while using it for the first time. The trainer can understand your training goal and advise using the machine properly and suggest workouts best suited to your training goal.
Any advice for the first-time user. You have to be comfortable with the foot pedals at first. After becoming satisfied with the pedal, you can start using elliptical handles.
10. Different types of Option
There are many pre-programmed workouts in the elliptical machines to give you the feel of internal training or hill climbing and many more options to match your need and want. And these all are customizable. These pre-programmed workouts are there to help you to achieve your fitness goal.
Summary
Though it has few drawbacks, it has so many advantages. An elliptical machine can help you to make your muscles, lungs, and hearts healthy. Working out on the device also helps to improve your stamina, balance, etc. If you want to lose weight, this machine can burn calories and body fat.
But if you especially want to make your leg and related muscles healthy, you should add other lower body exercises.
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Last Updated on January 1, 2023