If you are a gym newbie and are daunted by all of the equipment that greets you when you turn up for your first session let me help you by taking some of the mystery out of one of the more unusual yet more common pieces of equipment that you will find in most gyms, the elliptical trainer.
Elliptical trainers are a relatively new piece of equipment to gyms, having first made an appearance in the mid 1990's. The elliptical trainer is a walking machine but unlike a treadmill where you suffer the impact on your joints of walking on an elliptical trainer you effectively glide through the motion of walking. The effect of this walking motion is that there is no impact on your joints which reduces the risk of incurring any injuries.
To use the elliptical trainer you place each foot on a foot plate and begin the walking motion by gliding one leg forward rather than raising your foot off of the plate. As one leg moves forward the other leg moves backwards to replicate the action of walking. Most elliptical trainers also have hand holds which move in the same way that the foot plates move, so as one arm comes towards you the other arm goes away from you. Both arm and leg movements are in sync with each other. Using the hand holds gives you an upper body workout also but does reduce the effort on you legs.
If you want to purely work your lower body the elliptical trainer will usually have static hand holds which keep your upper body stationary whilst your lower body is isolated and does all of the work.
As with all items of machines at the gym you can raise or lower the effort level that you work at on the elliptical trainer. If you have never used on before it is wise to start off at a pretty basic level and from there increase your work effort as you become more comfortable and familiar with the elliptical trainer.
An elliptical trainer is a great starting point for anyone who is new to the gym as you will put minimum strain on your joints as it will reduce the risk of developing any injuries until your body gets used to exercising once more. As with any piece of gym equipment you should always ask a qualified member of staff to instruct you on how to use it first to avoid any accidents.
| Price : $244.99
