How to Use Tony Little's Gazelle Edge

How to Use Tony Little's Gazelle Edge
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Tony Little's Gazelle exercise machines allow your to conduct an aerobic workout, or to add resistance training to your routine. By changing the resistance settings on the machine, as well as body position and reliance on either arms or legs to move the machine's parts, you can perform a variety of exercises.

Step 1

Warm up by moving the pistons and pedals with moderate intensity to raise your heart rate, get blood flowing to the muscles and to stretch muscles. Use a variety of stride lengths and body balance positions.

Step 2

Set the resistance setting on the machine to the first level (least resistance) to allow yourself to work at a faster rate, for a longer time, to create a primarily aerobic workout. By decreasing the resistance setting, your muscles won't have to work as hard moving the arm pistons and leg pedals, decreasing the time it takes for muscles to fatigue.

Step 3

Increase the resistance setting on the machine to a higher level (more resistance) to force your muscles to work harder to move the machinery, creating a resistance exercise. Depending on your strength, a Gazelle's resistance settings should not be so difficult that you can't continue to work aerobically while also strengthening your muscles, but the resistance setting do significantly increase the amount of work it takes to work the machine as you increase the settings.

Step 4

Work your upper body by decreasing the use of your legs during the workout. If you use less leg muscle during the workout, you'll need to use more arms, chest, shoulder and back muscles to move the machine. To target specific muscles, vary your balance and arm placement. For example, if you lean forward, you will use more biceps and chest muscles. If you lean backwards and move your elbows away from your body, you will use more shoulders and lats.

Step 5

Work your lower body be decreasing the use of your arms during the workout. If you use less arm muscle during the workout, you'll need to use more quadriceps, calves, hamstrings and buttocks to move the machine. To target specific muscles, vary your balance and heel placement. For example, if you lean forward and keep your heels on the peddles, you will use more quadriceps muscles. If you raise your heels off the pedals, you will use your calves. If you take wide strides and hold for 2-3 seconds, you will stretch the calves. If you lean backwards, you will use the buttocks and hamstrings.

Step 6

Turn sideways to work your inner and outer thighs. Start with long strides, then move to shorter strides as you fatigue. After you have worked out for one or more minutes, or a set number of repetitions, change your feet position on the pedals, to create abduction and adduction workouts.

Step 7

Repeat the warm up, decreasing the intensity, until your heart rate is below 100 beats per minute, to conduct an effective cool down.

References

Article reviewed by Elizabeth Ahders Last updated on: Aug 24, 2010

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