Elliptical Guide Category:
Have you given up on exercise to keep fit because it didn’t seem to work for you? I have done that before, until I knew what was wrong with my workout. But mainly I didn’t have a fitness program or anyone to help me before; I just worked out.
Here are some tips for you to get the best out of your workout, and stay healthy and fit!
Before
Energy and water – Drink one or two glasses or water and take some energy food an hour before your workout.
If you didn’t do this, you might get dehydrated during workout and you will feel terribly tired afterward. Worse still, you might feel very hungry and eat everything in sight. That isn’t going to help if you intend to lose weight, is it?
Energy foods are those rich with carbohydrates like whole wheat bread, grain bars, oatmeal or cereal. Fruit like apples and bananas are good as well.
Wear the right clothing and shoes – Especially the shoes. Ask the sports equipment store salesman which shoes are right for cross-training, and buy them. Protect your feet well and they will last you a longer workout.
During
Energy and water – Always keep a bottle beside you while exercising. Take a sip now and then to keep your hydration levels. If you’re working out for more than an hour, you might want to substitute that water for a sports drink.
Posture – Make sure you’re doing it right! If you’re at a fitness club that provides free instructing, ask the instructor. If you’re doing it at home, check your posture every now and then. Your back should be straight when you workout on an elliptical trainer, and you shouldn’t be leaning forward to grab the arms.
Don’t work too hard – Don’t rush yourself to achieve that goal. It’s pretty tempting to be able to wear that lovely dress to next week’s party, but you’re not going anywhere if you work yourself too hard today and can’t workout tomorrow.
If you’re feeling too out of breath to speak short sentences while working out, you’re working yourself too hard. Slow down a little. An even better way to decide is to use a heart rate monitor.
After
Energy and water – Keep yourself hydrated! You will still be losing water for a while after exercising, so drink up. If you feel tired or over-worked, it’s probably good to replenish your body with some carbohydrates and protein.
A snack like what you had before exercise will do. I like to go for cheese and whole meal toast or an egg sandwich.
Remember, don’t give in to all kinds of huge meals after workout. Choose the right snacks for energy, drink enough water, and you’ll be fairly soon reaching your fitness goal.
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Elliptical trainers are expensive, that’s why you’re here looking for tips on how to choose the best one. Not everyone wants or needs a club quality elliptical trainer, but it must be good enough to last through your long term fitness program, yes?
Price and quality level
Elliptical trainers have a wide range of price and quality, and the fact is that price does reflect quality for ellipticals. Cheap elliptical trainers start from below $100 to $1000, and higher end ellipticals can go up to $3000.
We can safely say that the quality level of elliptical trainers go up one notch at every $500, i.e. $0 to $500, $500 to $1000, and so on. So how do you decide which range of elliptical do you need?
It depends on a few things: how much you intend to workout (minutes to hours per day), how many persons will be using it, weight capacity (as below), and ultimately, how much you can afford.
Weight capacity (VERY IMPORTANT)
Higher quality elliptical trainers have a higher weight capacity, meaning that they can endure a higher weight of the user. It’s a no go if you get an elliptical that cannot endure your weight (probably due to cheaper and lighter parts), because it definitely will break down and become a waste of money spent.
There are probably some angry reviewers with broken ellipticals out there who didn’t know this, don’t you think?
Stride length
Stride length means how far apart your feet or the pedals go when you workout. Tall people will prefer longer stride length to work out their legs fully, while shorter people might find it uncomfortable. Elliptical trainers might have a stride length of 12” – 14”, 18” – 20”, or up to 22”.
Adjustable incline
The higher quality elliptical trainer will have adjustable incline that increases the slope of your workout to exercise different muscles. This is good for burning more calories but isn’t entirely compulsory to have.
Quiet
It’s best to have a quiet elliptical while you workout. Not only does it not disturb your neighbors, a well-designed elliptical shouldn’t sound like a steam engine at all.
Arms
Do you have to lean over when you hold the arms of the elliptical? If that is the case, then it’s designed badly. Your posture should be straight and the arms should allow some workout for your upper body as well instead of just being propelled about lightly by the foot pedals.
Display panel
This isn’t a main thing but if the elliptical has a well-lit display panel that is easy to read, it will probably help towards reaching your goal for your fitness program.
Lastly, no matter where you’re going to buy the elliptical trainer in the end, whether online or in stores, it is always better to test out the model in person first. In fact, test out several models to feel the difference. Only buy any model if you feel good on it, regardless what other users say, because you’re the one who will be spending hours every week on it!
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Had an extra serving of chips today? Need to shave off that milkshake this morning? Do these to burn more calories with your elliptical machine.
Interval training
Interval training means combining periods of high speed and low speed training. Go fast for half a minute, then slow for the other half. Repeat this for about ten times during your workout and it will greatly boost your calorie burn and build stamina.
Split up the time
Do two 15-minute workouts instead of one 30-minute workout in a day. This is because a workout will increase your metabolism for a short period of time, which means two workouts can increase your metabolism for the whole day. Increased metabolism means more calories burned.
Raise incline and intensity
Raise the intensity little by little until the highest you can work. Make the incline as high as you can stand it. The higher the incline, the tougher it is to work the elliptical and more calories can be burned. You can also do intervals of increased intensity or incline every few minutes to get that boost of calorie burn.
Do it forward and backward
If your elliptical can be worked in both directions, change directions at two-minute intervals. This will help work out different sets of muscles and that means more calories burned.
Wear weights
Want to take it to the extreme? Wear weights on your wrists and ankles while working out on the elliptical. Be careful not to strain your muscles and it might be good to start off at a slower speed.
Use the right muscles to workout
Sometimes we just don’t pay attention to our muscles when we workout. If you are using your calves and thighs to work the elliptical, you’re on the right track; but if you’re pushing the pedals by your toes or if your feet are not firmly flat on the pedals, you’re using the wrong muscles. You won’t get much calories burned that way.
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Hi there, I’m Mike, and this is my Best Elliptical blog. You’re right, I will talk all about elliptical trainers here, so this might be a good place for you to start collection some information before you buy an elliptical for your personal fitness program.
You might be wondering whether I’m some professional elliptical seller or fitness coach, but I’m not. I’m just the average guy who happens to be a fan of elliptical training, and I’ve bought my own elliptical trainer after a couple years of training at a fitness center. I figured out if I just use the elliptical I might save costs in the long run by having my own instead of paying fees.
An elliptical, also called an elliptical trainer or cross trainer, is a wonderful exercise machine that works just like the treadmill, but doesn’t put stress on the joints. If you want that explained in a simple way, using an elliptical is like walking or running on air. Your muscles do the work but your joints don’t suffer the impact of each step.
That way, you burn more calories while feeling as if you’ve done less work.
Isn’t that great? That’s why I love ellipticals. Although I’m not an old man and I don’t have knee problems, all that running everyday will surely get to my knees in the end.
Most elliptical trainers work the upper body too, because they have bars on each side that you push or pull with your hands in coordination with legs. That means you are working out more muscle groups at the same time and that contributes to burning more calories.
It’s important to get a quality elliptical though. Some cheaper models are badly designed and the user has to lean forward to grab the bars, making the posture wrong for workout and might result in injury or strain.
Elliptical trainers come in a wide range of price and quality, though it is quite clear that the higher the price, the better the quality. Home models and commercial models may differ greatly, but that is to be expected because commercial models are made to withstand long duration workout by many people of different build.
I will update with elliptical reviews soon, so read on to find the best elliptical for your home. 
