Five tips how to exercise well with an elliptical trainer

October 17, 2020

The elliptical trainer is a complete sport that tones the cardiovascular system and works all the muscles in the body. You still have to know how to use it. How to exercise well?Here are 5 tips to boost your training efficiency, stay motivated, and refine the muscles you want.

The elliptical trainer is one of the fitness sports the most complete: mix between the rower, cross-country skiing, stepper and bike, it uses 80% of the muscles of the body and allows you to burn up to 800 calories per hour. You still have to know how to use it! If used incorrectly, the elliptical trainer is ineffective and can lead to poor posture. Here are 5 tips to follow.

Don’t skip the warm-up

Start with a quarter turn at the speed and the resistance maximum increases the risk of injury and muscle strain. When you start “cold”, blood flows into the muscle, but only to the large vessels and not to the small capillaries. Less well supplied, the muscle will have more difficulty in exerting an effort. The heart must also have time to get up to speed, otherwise it will be out of breath from the first few minutes.

Plan your training

Most people just get on their elliptical trainer and program a duration exercise given. To improve your cardio and muscular work, training should instead alternate between fast phases and slower phases (interval training). After the phase warm-up, accelerate for 5 minutes at a high intensity (90% of your frequency heart rate, Max HR), slow down to 4 minutes at moderate intensity (75% Max HR), and 2 minutes at low intensity (60% Max CF). End with 5 minutes at a leisurely pace to breathe and relax muscles.

Choose the right level of resistance

Contrary to popular belief, it is not the weight that should determine your good level of resistance, but rather your condition. physical. A beginner will naturally have to choose a low resistance. The choice also depends on the muscles you want to work. To exercise the arms, the legs must make minimal effort and the resistance of the apparatus must therefore be reduced. Conversely, if you use both your legs and your arms, too low a resistance level will make the exercise too easy. To exercise cardio, the intensity of the exercise must be relatively low but the effort prolonged.

Refine the right muscles

Position yourself on the bike with your hips in line with your legs and your feet at the end of the stopper of the crank. keep it back right and your look fixed forward in order to cover the abdominal belt. Do you want to work on the triceps and pecs? Push the handles with your arms. For strengthen the back and biceps, do the movement reverse by pulling the handles towards you. For the glutes, increase the slope or the resistance, and for well-rounded calves, work on the tips of the feet “in dancer”.

Find motivation

The indoor fitness can quickly become monotonous, resulting in loss of motivation. To avoid feeling bored, practice with music and have fun following the rhythm of each song with your arms and legs (consider creating playlists specials in advance). You can also launch mini challenges, for example to reach a certain number of steps in 5 minutes. On the other hand, avoid surfing on your smartphone or to converse with your neighbor (e), under penalty of losing all concentration and slackening your posture.

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