Using Cross Trainers For Health and Well-Being

Cross trainers or elliptical machines are great for people seeking a full body workout that’s low in impact and protective of sensitive joints. Popular in gyms, these exercise devices work the upper and lower body by mimicking people’s natural walking rhythm and working a variety of muscle groups.

Cross trainers offer what is called ‘weight bearing exercise’, during which the body’s muscles and tendons apply tension to bones, stimulating them to make bone tissue. During exercise on elliptical trainers, the body’s weight can create this tension. Similar exercises are weight lifting and jogging. Not only does weight bearing exercise improve bone density, but it strengthens muscles and burns calories as well.

Cross trainers also work the arms and legs, thus conditioning the body. When working the quads, hamstrings, glutes and chest, triceps and biceps on elliptical machines, people can expend energy without feeling exhausted. In other words, they can burn calories effectively without heavily straining the body. This makes it a good exercise machine for injured, older or cautious sportspeople, but it can also be used as a warm-up or supplemental exercise for dancers, tennis players and gymnasts.

Similar to treadmills, cross trainers have built-in exercise programs, including hill climbing, interval training and fat burning sequences. Many have wireless heart rate control, meaning that exercisers can let their heart rate control the level of resistance. A benefit of using an elliptical trainer is it has fewer moving parts (no belts, rollers or motors) and is less likely to break down or require regular servicing. It’s one of those machines that can be purchased, set up and used from day one without much hassle.

Elliptical machines are great for home exercising. Providing good cardiovascular exercise, cross trainers are a good addition to a person’s daily routine – whether the aim is losing weight, supplementing a sport or toning the body.