Elliptical Workout Benefits – On Overall Mental and Physical Health

Elliptical trainers are becoming more and more popular, as is noticeable by the number of these machines to be found at the gyms. So, what is all the hype about? What are the reasons they have become so popular? Let's discover the elliptical workout benefits in this article.

The Benefits of Elliptical Trainer

Elliptical trainers offer an amazing cardiovascular workout, with the unusual leg movement requiring that extra bit of effort, which helps to get the heart pumping and blood flowing. 

In terms of low impact workouts, it is comparable to the spinning bike and the rowing machine. This is particularly advantageous if you’re finding that your joints are becoming a bit unforgiving of any jarring or impact during exercise.

Another unique benefit is an elliptical offers a full body workout. Unlike the treadmill, which only limited to a lower body workout, the elliptical trainer has moving handles that add the advantage of an upper body workout, which substantially increases the energy used, and means you burn more calories in less time.  

For Legs

You can choose how you want your legs to benefit from this particular workout. If you want to see your muscles grow, you can increase the resistance to make the muscles work harder. This will increase the size of the quads, hamstrings and calves.

If your main aim is fat burning and you’re keen to lose a bit of fat on your legs, without building muscles, then you should opt for a lower resistance, while maintaining a good pace, this way is sufficient to increase the heart rate without making the muscles engorged.

For Glutes

Glutes are often a problem area, particularly for women. Gravity can sometimes play havoc with the derriere, and the elliptical trainer is a fantastic way to define, lift and round out the glutes, giving them that nice firm appearance.

If your rear is a bit flat, you should consider increase resistance during training, to help fill out the muscles again. However, if you’re keen just to shave a few inches of fats over this problematic area, you will want to work at a lower resistance and increase the pace.

For Abs

While the elliptical trainer doesn’t target the abs specifically, it can benefit the abdominal area, particularly the obliques, provided you watch our for your posture during the workout session.

Be sure to keep your back straight and shoulders back. Tighten your abs and keep your core engaged, throughout the workout. The arm movements do involve some of the muscles in the back, so keeping the core engaged will definitely help to flatten the belly too, as well as whittling the waist a bit, by working the obliques.

Elliptical Workout Apps

Your cell phone Play Store or AppStore offers a range of downloadable apps to help you structure your workouts, whether you’re looking for HIIT workouts, or simply maximum calorie burn.

Make sure the app you choose is compatible with the type of trainer you’re using, as the apps use Bluetooth to connect with and configure the trainer according to the program you choose.

Final Verdict

There are certainly a lot of elliptical workout benefits and beneficial in many ways. They offer a low impact, full body workouts, with minimal risk of injury.

Once you have become accustomed to the somewhat unusual action, you will find that your legs, butt and arms soon start showing the benefits of your daily workouts!

Check out our review on the best ellipticals.