Whether you have an elliptical in your home gym, or you’re using one at your local gym, elliptical machines can give you a great workout. They are a wonderful piece of workout equipment designed to raise your heart rate while improving your fitness as efficiently as a treadmill, without the pounding your joints would suffer from running. But, how do you get an effective workout on an elliptical?
When it comes to an elliptical, there’s a right way, and a wrong way to use one. If your body is in the correct form, and you have a plan for what you want to accomplish during your workout, you’ll not only find your workouts to be much more effective, but enjoyable as well.
Make a Plan Before You Workout – Ask yourself, “what do I want to achieve with this workout?” If you’re looking to do a slow, comfortable workout over a longer period of time, vs. a short but intense workout, you still need to be making an effort. You want to measure your level of exertion during your workout, say from a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being the hardest). You want to do more than move – you want to still workout. So, if you know you’re going to do a slower workout, maybe set your expected level of exertion at a “6” or “7” – and keep that level of exertion during your workout. This way you won’t just hop on and move around. Instead, you’ll actually make progress.
Watch Your Posture – Don’t slouch. Don’t just hang on the hand grips and move your legs. IF this is what you’re doing, your posture doesn’t open up your chest to breath. Instead, make sure you keep your spine straight, use your arms as much as your legs, keep your chin up, and breathe! You’ll find you’re more comfortable, less winded, and you’ll also avoid lower back soreness.
The Hand Grips Are Important – An elliptical workout isn’t just for your legs. It’s for your whole body. Push and pull those handles, with your shoulders back and your spine straight.
A Great Leg Workout – On the other hand, if you’re just wanting to concentrate on your legs, then let your legs do all the work – and don’t grab those handles at all!
Mix Up Your Workouts – Doing the same thing over and over again is not only boring, but your body gets used to it. So, by mixing up your workouts (ex. full body one day, lower body the next, hard workout one day, slow the next) – you keep your body “guessing”, which keeps your body from getting used to a workout and having your results plateau. And, mixing things up keeps your workouts interesting, so you don’t get bored!
Try these tips on your next elliptical workout. And, if you’re looking for that perfect elliptical trainer for taking your workouts home, stop into any of Fitness 4 Home Superstore’s three Phoenix area locations today, and check out our full selection of cardio equipment from the fitness industry’s top manufacturers!
