Understanding the Benefits of the Elliptical Trainer
When you were a kid you probably thought it was fun to try to do things without using your hands. After all, the famous phrase “look Ma, no hands” comes from the billions of children who rode their bikes with their arms wildly waving through the air. Interestingly enough, the ability to do such a thing can actually diminish over time, and as motor skills and balance fade so too do core muscles and good posture.
This is where an elliptical trainer can really come in and make major improvements. Not only are these machines one of the finest forms of low-impact exercise, but when an individual opts to perform the lower-body workout without the use of any hand grips they are returning to the days of their youth and instantly enhancing their core body strength.
Elliptical trainers have only been in existence since 2004, but their popularity has soared due to their wide range of benefits. There are many debates about their superiority over devices like treadmills where calorie usage is concerned, but few experts will argue that they do exceed all other options where low-impact exercise is required.
What is “low-impact”? Many people sadly mistake the term for the overall effects that exercise has on the musculature of the individual. When a set or form of exercises is described as having low-impact on the body it means that the joints are not jarred or stressed as much as other variants. For example, someone who jogs, runs, or walks outdoors or on a treadmill will be sustaining a regular amount of impact to the ankles, knees, hips and other lower body joints. This same person could work out on an elliptical trainer for the same amount of time or mileage and sustain almost no impact to their joints because the elliptical suspends them in the air and their feet never strike a hard surface.
With an elliptical trainer, the individual is spinning their legs as if they were walking or running, and they can often hold on to moving handgrips that allow them to improve the condition of upper body muscle groups too. This means that anyone using an elliptical trainer properly will be getting a full cardio workout, a lower body workout, and will generally improve the condition or their arms and abdominal muscles too. When the individual increases tension or stride length they are enhancing their results, and when they workout in the hands-free mode they are regaining their motor fitness by strengthening the core and improving the posture.
This is where an elliptical trainer can really come in and make major improvements. Not only are these machines one of the finest forms of low-impact exercise, but when an individual opts to perform the lower-body workout without the use of any hand grips they are returning to the days of their youth and instantly enhancing their core body strength.
Elliptical trainers have only been in existence since 2004, but their popularity has soared due to their wide range of benefits. There are many debates about their superiority over devices like treadmills where calorie usage is concerned, but few experts will argue that they do exceed all other options where low-impact exercise is required.
What is “low-impact”? Many people sadly mistake the term for the overall effects that exercise has on the musculature of the individual. When a set or form of exercises is described as having low-impact on the body it means that the joints are not jarred or stressed as much as other variants. For example, someone who jogs, runs, or walks outdoors or on a treadmill will be sustaining a regular amount of impact to the ankles, knees, hips and other lower body joints. This same person could work out on an elliptical trainer for the same amount of time or mileage and sustain almost no impact to their joints because the elliptical suspends them in the air and their feet never strike a hard surface.
With an elliptical trainer, the individual is spinning their legs as if they were walking or running, and they can often hold on to moving handgrips that allow them to improve the condition of upper body muscle groups too. This means that anyone using an elliptical trainer properly will be getting a full cardio workout, a lower body workout, and will generally improve the condition or their arms and abdominal muscles too. When the individual increases tension or stride length they are enhancing their results, and when they workout in the hands-free mode they are regaining their motor fitness by strengthening the core and improving the posture.
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