Elliptical machines are low-impact exercise devices that allow you to mimic a walking or running motion while remaining in one place. Ellipticals are also sometimes called elliptical cross trainers. They get this name because you can use them as part of a cross-training program, which helps you achieve fitness through regular participation in a variety of different exercises.
Elliptical Machines
Elliptical machines allow you to move your feet with a smooth motion that diminishes any jarring impacts on your body. For this reason, exercise on an elliptical can be an excellent option for people who have problems with their knees or other lower-body joints. Ellipticals are also often adjustable, allowing you to set the motion of a machine so that it closely matches your body size and movements. Some elliptical machines require you to stand upright, while other models require you to assume a seated position.
Cross Training
Many elliptical machines allow you to pedal backward as well as forward. They also make you move your body in ways you normally wouldn't consider during everyday life. For these reasons, elliptical exercise makes a solid addition to a cross-training program, Ask the Trainer reports. Other machines you can use in a cross-training routine include stair climbers, stationary bikes and treadmills. Additional activities that can form part of your cross-training program include conventional aerobic exercises, such as walking or cycling; muscle-building exercises, such as weightlifting or calisthenics; and flexibility exercises, such as yoga or stretching.
Elliptical Exercise Limitations
If you use elliptical machines as your only means of exercise, you can limit your access to certain exercise-related health benefits, Ask the Trainer notes. Counterintuitively, this fact is connected to one of elliptical exercise's biggest selling points: its low impact on your joints. During exercises such as jogging or climbing stairs, the impact your activity places on your body promotes improved strength in your bones. If you don't get enough impact during your activity, as is the case with elliptical exercise, you lose this bone benefit. For this reason, people with healthy joints get better health benefits by avoiding ellipticals, or combining elliptical exercise with other types of activity.
Considerations
Whether you use machines or conventional exercises, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons recommends that your cross-training program include 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three times a week; 30 minutes of muscle-building exercise on two nonconsecutive days each week; and five to 10 minutes of stretching each day. The term cross trainer was once used to describe general workout shoes or training shoes, but this usage is no longer common, according to the American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine.
References
- Ask the Trainer: Do Elliptical Machines Work?
- ExRx: Elliptical Cross-Trainer
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons; Cross Training; July 2007
- MayoClinic.com; Elliptical Machines; Better Than Treadmills?; Edward R. Laskowski, M.D., June 2009
- American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine: Footwear; Training Shoes
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