Walk into almost any gym and what do you see? A line of elliptical machines near the window. Many assume they is used by people who are either too old to jump on a treadmill or too lazy to actualy run.
This reputation isn’t entirely true, nor is it fair. Because the machine appear easy. It doesn’t look like you’re suffering.
But if you want to get healthy in the long term, that’s not the only metric that matter. One tool that will burn some serious calories but also preserve joints is the elliptical. You do not land on concrete.
Your heart rate stay elevated. People often miss that part. Pain equals progress.
Your knees don’t need to hurt in order to have good heart health. In fact, they needs a steady workout that doesn’t break you down or burn you out over time. Over months, years.
Real Benefits of Using an Elliptical Machine
Dispelling the Lazy Elliptical Myth
The new ones can be adjusted for both incline and resistance, which totally changes the ride. At low resistance with no incline, it’s as if you’re floating along in a dream-like state. Crank up the incline/resistance and it turn into a legit leg day replacement.
Adjusting Incline and Resistance
And this is where the control come in. Depending on how your body feels that day, you determine what kind of workout you get. This is why it’s better than a treadmill for those dealing with an injury or just everyday aching joint.
Low Impact Cardio Benefits
For most people, the main reason they use an elliptical is for cardio. An elliptical provide those benefits while getting rid of the impact problems you get from running. Because your feet never come off the pedals, there’s no impact whatsoever on your hips, knees, or ankles.
That’s huge for long term adherence. If you know you can train everyday without fearing overuse injuries, you’re far more likely to stick to your routine. Consistency beats intensity any day of the week if you want to burn fat and build endurance over several month.
If you really push on the machine it’s surprisingly metabolically expensive. I see many who coast through their workout barely working up a sweat. It’s not a failure of the machine, it’s a user failure.
Full Body Engagement Technique
When you grab onto those moving handles and drive through your heels you’ll find yourself engaging much more of your hamstrings and glutes. At that point, calorie burn is comparable to moderate paced jogging. The kicker: there’s no joint punishment like running.
You get the benefits of the cardio effect without a fraction of the wear and tear. Understand this trade-off before writing off the equipment. But here’s a big benefit many gyms forget: It engages your upper body.
On a stationary bike, your arms does nothing. Your treadmill only engages your upper body if you are running outdoors. An elliptical makes you use your arms to push/pull in conjunction with your legs.
Thus it becomes a full body workout where your core remain stable and your posture improve. Think about it, you’re working on your shoulders, chest, and back all at once. It transforms what could of been a cardio session into a functional movement exercise.
Home Gym Space Advantages
It requires coordination and keeps your mind engaged. This helps make the workout feel shorter. For a small apartment, ellipticals offer serious space advantages.
Home models such as those sold by Sole and NordicTrack tend to be narrower than treadmills. This reduces the need for floor reinforcement because treadmills have higher impact forces. They can either be tilted back or folded away when not in use.
The elliptical’s footprint is manageable for small apartments. And if you’re someone that struggles to find enough time to go to the gym anyway, the idea of having something usable at home removes a significant obstacle. Convenince is a huge motivator.
Having it sitting right there makes it more likely that you’ll use it on a busy week. The other thing that kills our fitness habit is boredom, and variety does keep it at bay. Pre-programmed workouts are available from most digital consoles, which automatically change both the speed and resistance throughout.
Customizing Stride Length
Higher end machines will allow you to manually set the stride length so it fits your natural gait. By customizing this way, the movement doesn’t feel forced but naturaly. Awkward feels bad, and makes us not want to do it.
Fluid feels good. The key to getting the most out of your workout is finding a machine that fits how your body move. So what does the elliptical have going for it?
What’s really good about it? It fills that sweet spot between low impact and high intensity. You can work out HARD but not worry about hurting yourself.
It works your entire body and fits in tight spots. Quit making assumptions about how “easy” it must be based on how someone else might see you using it. Start making assumptions about how it feels to your joints after an hour of continuous use.
It is a feeling of relief. It lets you continue forward, step by smooth step.
