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The Scoop on Elliptical
Machines
By Mike King
ACE Certified Personal Trainer
The elliptical machine,
or elliptical trainer, is one of the most popular home and health club
exercise machines in use today. Incorporating its use into your walking
program can offer a variety of great benefits.
Elliptical trainers
get their name from the circular path the footpads of the machine make
while exercising. The orbit of the elliptical foot pedals allow you to
stand comfortably in an upright position and stride in either a forward
or reverse motion. The exact orbit of your elliptical machine’s pedals
depend on the manufacturer and what adjustment capabilities it has, if
any.
One terrific aspect
of the elliptical trainer is in its ability to give you a weight-bearing
workout while putting minimal stress on your joints. While exercising,
your feet never leave the pedals thus providing a low-impact workout.
The fluid, non-jarring motion of the elliptical trainer often make it
ideal for people with back, knee, hip, and other leg or foot conditions.
Many athletes recovering from an over-use or other injury find that they
can cross-train pain free on an elliptical trainer. Always check with
your doctor before starting an exercise program, working through an injury,
or recovering from injury.
It’s easy to
manage your heart rate on an elliptical trainer if it has a good range
of resistance-adjustment capabilities. Whether you want an easy recovery
workout, an upper zone aerobic workout, or some fun anaerobic intervals,
it’s all waiting for you during your next elliptical training session.
And remember, increased heart rate equals increased calorie consumption.
Getting all these benefits, while being kind to your joints, is a good
thing.
As I stated earlier,
although it’s easy to follow the motion of the elliptical trainer,
form is still important. I often see individuals going through the motion
but paying little attention to form and potentially causing themselves
future problems. Work on keeping your back straight and avoid leaning
on the arm rests. All exercise machines will take you through a motion,
but the better you align yourself through that motion the more functional
and rewarding your workouts will be. Try to smoothly traverse forwards
and backwards on the elliptical machine without using the supports for
balance. Not only will you be exhibiting good form, but you’ll also
bring additional essential muscles into play and your balancing abilities
will improve.
You’ll find a
wide range of elliptical machines available that range in price from $300
to $4,000. The most expensive doesn’t mean it’s the best for
you, just as the least expensive may not be the cheapest in the long run.
Oftentimes exercise equipment is bought and then sits idle in the corner,
so consider some of the operational issues that may be important for you
to keep your investment in use. These include stability, durability, ease
of use, noise (important), comfort, smoothness, stride length, a range
of adjustable resistance (you won’t be able to work your heart rate
zones without it), hand rests for stability or arms bars that move to
involve your upper body in the workout, and a good warranty. As manufacturers
have designed and redesigned the elliptical machine, there are now many
options available and not all machines may feel comfortable to you. Do
comparison shopping before you buy and test drive machines throughout
the price range. Even if you aren’t going to invest $2,500 on a machine,
try out the $2,500 machine anyway. If you are going for a more expensive
club model, try some of the lower end models so you can appreciate the
difference.
Extras that might
be important to you are heart rate monitors, various display capabilities,
and the ability of the machine to interact with a computer program or
to store workouts.
Whatever your goals, whether at home or in the gym, add elliptical trainers
to your workout for fun, benefit, and increased good health!
Comparisons
There are a ton of machines out there, and some of the machines I tried
didn’t even feel like an elliptical machine to me. Some were more
of a stair stepper and some were just plain dangerous. I didn’t find
anything I liked for under $500 — not even close! I haven’t
tried all the sub $500 machines so you may find one that meets your needs
but try them and compare with other machines.
Life Fitness 9500
HR (club model) 
I’ll start by saying that I love almost everything Life Fitness makes.
The 9500 HR cross-trainer is a club model and a workhorse. It has great
features and lots of stability and comfort. There aren’t many adjustments
on this machine such as incline changes, etc., but it is smooth at any
resistance, whether traversing forward or reverse. The machine read my
Polar heart rate monitor and has built-in heart rate sensors on the handlebars,
so I can easily monitor my intensity. With 20 levels of electronic adjustment
and a variety of programming options, it’s easy to pick a target
heart rate and stick to it. And if you’re looking for intervals,
the smooth and fluid movement make transitioning workout intensities reliable
and safe.
 Diamondback
300 EL
This felt a bit more like a stair machine with its circular pedal motion.
It is stable and fairly smooth and includes arm workout bars. I could
spend some good cardio time on this. The resistance is manual, within
easy reach while using, but I do prefer the ability to adjust resistance
electronically. This model also includes a built-in heart-rate monitoring
system. Overall a decent level machine.
Diamondback has just
come out with a very nice selection of entry level cardio equipment. If
you are looking for good solid equipment with minimal bells and whistles
and a great price, you will love the 300 series.
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