Elliptical Trainers for Weight Loss

There is all sorts of exercise equipment out there and much of it makes outrageous claims, but the elliptical trainer continues to be a winner. If you have never used an elliptical trainer you are missing out it is a very effective piece of equipment and can whip you into shape in no time flat. There are numerous reasons to use an elliptical trainer instead of some other type of fitness equipment. I will run over my favorite here and hopefully dispel any myths or answer any questions you might have.

The most common reason that people sight for using an elliptical trainer is that it is easier on your joints. There is very little if any impact and virtually no jarring motion. The motion on an elliptical trainer is smooth and fluid and will not leave your joints and back sore after a workout.

An elliptical machine unlike many other pieces of exercise equipment will give you a full body work out. Take for instance a treadmill, you may be moving your arms while you run but you are not getting much if any resistance training for your arms. An elliptical on the other hand forces you to use your arms and legs. The motion is more similar to cross country skiing, which has been shown to be one of the highest calorie burning exercises in existence. So if you want to maximize your returns and minimize your time in the gym hop on an elliptical.

Elliptical trainers offer more variation. This is because of the upper and lower body aspect of the training but also because you can reverse the movement pattern on your lower body. This may feel a little strange at first but your body will quickly adapt to the new movement. This will allow you to target different muscles, keep you body guessing, and reduce boredom. Try this on a treadmill and see what happens.

Elliptical trainers are for the most part fairly quiet. Contrast this with many other machines that are motor driven and you have a big difference. The reason that this is important is because many people listen to music or watch TV while on exercise equipment. If you are trying to hear over the whine and pound of a treadmill you may have to turn your earphone volume up to a level that could cause hearing damage.

If you are considering buying an elliptical the maintenance on them is much lower than on many other types of fitness equipment. Elliptical machines are really pretty simple and as long as you keep them properly lubricated there isn’t much else to worry about. This means that you will have to spend much less time worrying about trying to fix a broken piece of equipment.

Exercise equipment such as an exercise bike supports your weight while you are doing the exercise. This severely reduces the caloric burn of an exercise. Sure it makes it easier but any time you are supporting your weight you are burning more calories. Elliptical trainers make it virtually impossible to lean or slouch while on the machine. This means that in addition to getting maximum calorie burn from doing a full body workout you will also get maximum burn from supporting your own body weight.

Elliptical trainers are very popular among the home gym crowd and if you decide that you ever want to sell your elliptical trainer there is always a second hand market. Because maintenance cost are low and there is not a motor involved you are more likely to get a higher price for resale.

Because you have dedicated handles for the arm portion of the workout you will usually have a heart rate monitor built into the machine. Having a heart rate monitor will allow you to get the most out of your workout. If you have never gotten used to exercising with heart rate monitor you will need to determine your target heart rate. Once you know this you can increase or decrease your work load to stay within your target and achieve the maximum amount of fat burning.

There are many more reasons to use an elliptical trainer. Doctors will often prescribe exercise on an elliptical long before other types of self supported exercise. So if you really want to get in shape and take the extra weight off an elliptical is the way to do it.