The American College of Sports Medicine, along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that all adults get at least 150 minutes of moderately intense exercise each week. One of the most common pieces of exercise equipment in both fitness centers and homes across the country to meet this goal is the elliptical trainer. The elliptical's popularity revolves around the many internal and external benefits of the machine.
Lower Body
The primary area worked by an elliptical exercise machine is the lower body -- including the leg and hip muscles. For example, as you move the elliptical pedals you flex and extend your ankles working to strengthen your calf muscles. As you extend your knees on the machine you strengthen your quadriceps muscles. Switch the machine in reverse and you create a pushing motion with your legs which provides a strengthening workout for the hamstrings and gluteus muscles.
Upper Body
If your elliptical is equipped with arm bars, you can also get an upper body workout. The arm bars of an elliptical create the same motion as cross-country skiing poles. As you pull the poles toward your body and push the poles away from your body you work the triceps, biceps and anterior, lateral and posterior deltoids. Stabilizing yourself on the elliptical may also engage your core muscles such as the abdominals.
Lungs
As the elliptical works your muscles your body expends your energy. To create more energy your body needs additional oxygen. To meet the new increased need for oxygen your body increases your pulmonary or breathing rate. This increase brings a greater amount of oxygen into the lungs, which can then be absorbed into the bloodstream. The increase in breathing rate with regular exercise strengthens and increases the health of your lungs, allowing you to breathe easier as well as exercise for longer amounts of time. There is also research suggesting aerobic exercise -- such as that obtained on an elliptical -- may help prevent lung cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Heart
To get the higher amounts of oxygen to the muscles in need of energy, the rate of your heartbeat must also increase. This allows the heart to deliver the oxygen to needy muscles at a much higher rate. A secondary benefit of this action is an increase in heart muscle strength. A stronger heart makes pumping blood throughout your body easier, even at rest. This can reduce your overall blood pressure, which in turn can help reduce risks for developing heart diseases, notes the Mayo Clinic.
Joints
For many people, exercising can be a difficult and painful task due to joint problems in the ankles, knees and back. This pain is largely due to the impact that occurs during exercise when your feet hit the ground and place stress on the joints. Ellipticals remove the ground impact by using a circular motion similar to cross-country skiing instead of an up and down motion. Cardiovascular and strength training exercise is still achieved due to the adjustable resistance level that can be set by the individual user.
Member Comments