High-impact exercise is not recommended for people with joint issues or back problems. Elliptical training is a good option for those people because it places a low amount of stress on the hips, back and knees. Aside from the cardiovascular benefits of elliptical training, multiple body parts get worked as well. This translates to muscle recruitment in the upper and lower body.
Arms
The arms contain two major muscles that sit on the front and back — both of which get worked when you push and pull the poles while training. The triceps sit on the back of the upper arms and get activated when you perform elbow extension. This takes place when you straighten your arm and push the pole forward. The biceps, which sit on the front of the upper arms, function to flex the elbow. You perform this action when you pull the pole toward your body and reduce the angle between your forearm and upper arm.
Shoulders
The shoulders contain two muscles — the deltoids and trapezius. The delts have anterior, medial and posterior heads and give your shoulder a rounded look. The trapezius is a large muscle that starts at the back of the head and runs down into the mid-back and over the collarbones. Whenever you raise your arm up in front of your body, you target the delts. This takes place throughout an elliptical workout. Pulling the pole back toward your body activates the middle and lower fibers of the trapezius.
Back
The latissimus dorsi and rhomboids sit in different positions on the back, and they both get worked during elliptical training. The lats start in the mid- to lower back and run up toward the top at an angle. Every time you pull the pole toward your body, you work these muscles. The rhomboids major and minor run from the shoulder blade to the spine. You work these muscles when you move your shoulder blades inward. This takes place while pulling the pole toward your body.
Butt
The butt consists of the gluteus maximus, medius and minimus. You activate this muscle group when you move your thigh into hip extension. This occurs while pushing your leg back while gliding on the elliptical.
Thighs
The thighs have major muscles on the front and back sides that get worked with elliptical training. The quadriceps run down the front, and the hamstrings are on the back. You activate your quads when doing hip flexion and knee extension. Hip flexion takes place when you move your thigh toward your stomach and knee extension takes place when you straighten your leg. The hamstrings function to extend the hip and flex the knee. Knee flexion occurs when you bend your knee and move your heel closer to your butt, and hip extension takes place when you increase the angle between your hip and thigh.
Stomach
The rectus abdominis, obliques and transverse abdominis make up the abdominal area. The rectus abdominis is the large muscle in the middle of the stomach. The obliques run down the sides at an angle. The transverse abdominis is deep inside the stomach and cannot be seen by the naked eye. All of these muscles contract to keep the spine stable and to generate force while gliding.
