Tony Little's Gazelle exercise machines create non-impact workouts through the use of non-motorized foot pedals and hand levers you move manually. Critics say the machine does not provide enough resistance or muscle use to provide a worthwhile calorie-burning workout. If you use the machine correctly, however, you can increase your heart rate and challenge enough muscle to create aerobic exercises.
The Machine
The Gazelle uses a motion similar to crosscountry skiing. Holding onto handles, you pull and push long levers, while your legs push foot pedals. Your knees do not bend as they do when you pedal an elliptical. Several Gazelle models offered different resistance settings to increase muscle use. As of December of 2010, the company making the Gazelle discontinued these models, offering versions that use only your body's weight for resistance. Gazelles come with data modules that provide information on heart rate, distance, time and calories burned.
Weight Loss
In order to lose weight, you must burn more calories than you eat. To lose 1 lb. of fat, you must burn 3,500 calories, or 500 calories more than you eat each day for one week. A Gazelle can help you lose weight by allowing you to create fat-burning, aerobic and anaerobic workouts. You will have to use the Gazelle hard enough and long enough to burn sufficent calories for weight loss. The American Heart Association suggests moderate-intensity exercise for 60 minutes, several times per week, for weight loss.
Workouts
Beginners should use the Gazelle on a low resistance setting, if the machine comes with one, and at a moderate pace, similar to brisk walking. Work at a pace that lets you continue to exercise without stopping. When you are ready for a more intense, aerobic workout, raise the speed at which you exercise. You should be sweating and breathing hard. You can raise your heart rate by increasing the resistance setting, but this extra muscular effort may fatigue you and cause you to stop. To burn the most calories, you can sprint train on a Gazelle. This type of anaerobic exercise takes place in short, higher-intensity bursts, with breaks in between. For example, Tony Little recommends adding Power Sprints to aerobic workouts, which have you working at a very intense pace for 90 seconds, then slowing down and recovering. He suggests adding several to a 30 minute workout. If you train this way for an entire workout, you'll burn more calories than a steady-rate aerobic workout. You should only try prolonged sprint training under the guidance of a health or fitness professional.
Technique
In order to improve calorie burning, prevent boredom and work different muscles, you can move the Gazelle in different ways. If you lean forward while you move the pedals and levers, you'll put more weight on and resistance against your biceps and chest muscles. If you decrease your leg use and try to move the machine using just the handles, you'll increase your upper-body muscle use. If you move your elbows away from your body, you'll begin using more triceps, shoulders and back muscles. If you lean backward during your workout, you will use more leg, hip and buttocks muscles. Standing sideways on the pedals and using only your legs to work the machine lets you work your inner and outer thighs. If you vary your stride length, you will stretch your muscles differently. Holding a long stride for several seconds requires more core muscles. As you begin moving faster, the machine can move itself part way using the momentum of your body's weight, decreasing muscle use. To prevent this, move the pedals and levers using only muscular effort to get the maximum calorie-burning benefit, recommends FitnessQuest.
Member Comments