An elliptical trainer can provide your workout with a way to boost stamina and cardio capacity without putting pressure on your joints. If you’re looking for a great way to workout both your upper and lower body whilst also improving your balance and burning body fat, then an elliptical trainer is a great way to go.
But what elliptical trainer exercises can you do to maximise your workout? Well, we’ve put together a few ideas that you might want to incorporate into your workout routine …
Elliptical Trainer Exercise For Beginners
If you’re a beginner, you want to start by simply getting on the elliptical trainer and start moving, using your legs and arms to push yourself forward. Simply pushing yourself for five minutes, resting for one, then going again for five minutes at an increased incline will allow you to gently ease yourself into using an elliptical trainer without exerting yourself. Once you’re comfortable with this step for at least half an hour, you can then move forward with other exercises.
Distance and Time
You can challenge yourself by seeing how far you can travel on an elliptical machine or by extending your workout for as long as possible. However you do it, every elliptical machine will come with built-in programmes that will allow you to test yourself against time, distance or a combination of both, allowing you to record your progress and see just how far your workout goals have moved on over a period of regular exercise.
Can you double your distance over a few months or perhaps shave tens of seconds off your best 5K on the elliptical trainer? Start recording your workouts today and find out.
LISS and HIIT
You can use the elliptical trainer to incorporate low-intensity steady-state cardio or high-intensity interval training into your workout. LISS will allow you to take your time and build up your stamina, speed and distance on an elliptical machine, allowing you to take things slowly whilst also getting a great workout.
The HIIT variation will see you combine intense elliptical training exercises with a range of other workouts to create a range of short bursts of exercises that works you hard, whether you want to incorporate an elliptical machine into your LISS or HIIT workout methods, it can help you with both ends of the spectrum.
Increase The Resistance
Whether you’re going for a LISS, HIIT or a time and distance workout on an elliptical trainer one thing you can alter in your workout is the resistance. Ensuring that the resistance for both the lower and upper body is increased will see your workout become harder, allowing you to reap the benefits of working through a tougher exercise.
One way you can discover if you need to increase the resistance on an elliptical workout is to understand whether your legs and arms are moving because of momentum or effort. If it’s the former, then it’s time to up the resistance so that your glutes, legs and arms are getting a better workout.
Push Yourself Further at Gym Plus
Excited to try out some of these exercise ideas for an elliptical trainer? Then why not visit one of our Gym Plus locations and take on the challenge of pushing yourself even further. Our fitness teams are on-hand to help you to get the most out of your workouts and design great workouts that push you further. Visit us today and make the elliptical trainer a part of your standard workout routine, come and try it out!
