One of the most popular pieces of cardio equipment in the gym, ellipticals, also known as elliptical trainers or elliptical cross trainers, are available in consumer models for home use as well. An elliptical trainer is designed to mimic your natural walking or running stride, drawing its name from the ellipse-shaped path the pedals trace.
Appearance
Moving from front to back, the upright console and moving handlebars of a typical gym elliptical give way to a pair of foot pedals that roll on small wheels mounted on tracks, grooves or rails. Sometimes the pedals are mounted on a ramp that can adjust up and down, much like a treadmill’s incline adjustment. The covered bulge behind the pedals houses the elliptical trainer’s drive and resistance mechanism.
Muscles Worked
All cardio machines, except for the upper-body-only hand bike, tone your lower body as you pedal, step or run. Although you may occasionally encounter dual-action bikes that offer upper-body resistance while you pedal, elliptical trainers are the only piece of gym cardio equipment that routinely offers upper-body resistance in addition to the lower-body workout. Almost all elliptical trainers have moving handlebars attached to the drive mechanism, so that you can work your chest, back, shoulders and arms as you pedal.
Resistance
You control workout intensity by adjusting the elliptical’s resistance against your pedaling. All elliptical trainers you encounter in the gym will have eddy current resistance in which a U-shaped magnet is positioned around a rotating flywheel. Adjusting the magnet closer to or further from the flywheel changes the machine’s resistance.
The eddy current system offers immediate, push-button adjustments, offering a consistently smooth and quiet workout.
Drive Mechanism
Almost all gym elliptical trainers have a rear-drive mechanism, which locates the flywheel, and magnet, which provides resistance behind you as you pedal. A rear-drive unit requires relatively little maintenance and offers an exceptionally smooth workout. You’ll almost never encounter a maintenance-intensive front-drive unit, which places the resistance mechanism directly beneath the elliptical console, in a gym.
A center-drive elliptical trainer places you directly on top of, or more accurately between, the drive mechanisms. This type of drive system is rare, but you may occasionally encounter it in the gym, particularly in very small gyms where the center-drive elliptical’s small footprint is a marked advantage.
Impact
Treadmills only offer a low-impact workout as you walk; once you start running, the constant pounding of your feet meeting the treadmill deck means you’re doing a high-impact workout. The elliptical trainer, by contrast, offers a low-impact, weight-bearing workout no matter how fast or slow you’re pedaling. This is one of the primary reasons for its enduring popularity.
Member Comments