Elliptical trainers are a low-impact way of meeting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendations for regular aerobic exercise to maintain good health, which work out to about 15 minutes of vigorous exercise or 30 minutes of moderate exercise per weekday. Although elliptical trainers are deservedly popular, they have some disadvantages -- including user reports of foot, ankle and knee discomfort on some models.
Description
Every elliptical trainer consists of two pedals that move through an elliptical path meant to approximate a natural walking or running stride. Most have moving upper-body handlebars slaved to the pedals, and a push-button-adjustable magnetic resistance mechanism. The resistance mechanism may be mounted on the front, back, or more rarely the middle of the machine. Some elliptical trainers also have an incline ramp that adjusts up or down, producing different stride angles that in turn work different muscles in your lower body.
Benefits
Elliptical trainers have many advantages. They offer low-impact, weight bearing exercise. Weight bearing exercise can slow mineral loss in your legs, hips and lower spine, and the low-impact nature of elliptical exercises poses less risk to weak bones or injured joints than high-impact exercise like running on a treadmill. Unlike treadmill workouts, running hard on an elliptical trainer doesn't create any more impact than a slow jog because your feet never leave the pedals. Elliptical trainers are also relatively quiet -- a good choice if you have downstairs neighbors or want to watch television as you work out. They also give you a full-body workout instead of only lower body.
Disadvantages
Some elliptical trainer users report foot, ankle and knee pain or numbness. Elliptical trainer manufacturers have introduced a number of features meant to combat this problem, sometimes called "sleepy foot syndrome." These include pedals with a slight inward tilt. Some pedals also pivot and adjust in angle to allow you the most comfortable ride possible.
The pedals on most elliptical trainers move through a path of fixed length, and finding the stride length that suits your body is critically important. If you're sharing the elliptical with somebody else who has a drastically different stride length, one or both of you will probably be uncomfortable. Your best alternative is to purchase an elliptical trainer with an adjustable stride length that will, hopefully, fit you both.
Calories Burned
If you weigh 185 lbs. you'll burn about 800 calories per hour on an elliptical trainer, according to Harvard Health Publications. But your actual calorie burn depends on a number of factors, including your body composition, weight, and how hard you work out. Use the calories-burned readout on your elliptical trainer as a benchmark, but don't mistake it for an exact reading because calorie-burn formulas vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.
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