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An elliptical trainer (also cross trainer) is a stationary exercise machine used to simulate walking or running without causing excessive pressure to the joints, hence decreasing the risk of impact injuries.

Elliptical trainers offer a non-impact cardiovascular workout that can vary from light to high intensity based on the resistance preference. Most elliptical trainers work the user’s upper and lower body (although some models do not have moving upper body components), although using an elliptical trainer is designed to elevate the heart rate more than building muscles.

They can be powered with AC electricity for adjustment of motion and/or for supplying their electronic consoles and resistance systems. Current models incorporate adjustable resistance via friction belt (obsolete), magnetic or electromagnetic devices.

On some models, the incline of sloping roller ramps beneath the pedal-links can be adjusted to produce varying pedal motion paths. The result of such adjustment changes the burdens on various muscle groups in the legs. Some mechatronic models can vary both the incline and resistance over the course of a workout according to a preset program. Some trainers can be driven in a reverse and forwards direction.

Ellipticals are primarily driven via the legs, and most are combination designs having handle-levers attached to each pedal-link for the purpose of enabling a burden on the arms to provide a secondary source of driving power. The user grips the handles below shoulder height and pushes/pulls them while shuffling the feet back and forth within their “elliptically” (misnomer) shaped paths. Thus the oscillating handle motions are dependently coordinated with the constrained pedal motions. Poorly designed machines are too dependent on the user’s leg power, producing excessive handle speeds as a result of mechanical ratios that do not provide enough advantage to the handle-levers. Consequently such machines feel to the user like their arms are simply going along for the ride, rather than sharing in the work. The better models offer a harmonious combination of arm and leg exercise in the correct ratios.

Many consumer models found in sporting good and big-box retail stores can only handle users weighing no more than 250 lbs, and cost $1000 (US) or less. Higher-end consumer elliptical machines, like the Quantum Fitness,Precor, Life Fitness, and brands found in specialty stores, can accommodate users up to 400 lbs, and range in price from $1300 to $5400 (US). These elliptical trainers offer a more natural feel and comfortable stride as they are larger and more robustly constructed. Some manufacturers may also produce commercial models which focus on durability and are made to withstand the more frequent use of the fitness club environment. These units typically sell for well over $4,000 (US) and offer greater durability and programming than the typical home user would ever need.

An elliptical cross trainer is comparable to a treadmill in its exertion of leg muscles and the heart. However, because the user’s limbs remain in continuous contact with the machine, its operation limits the dynamic loading of bones and joints to generally harmless levels. This non-impact aspect appeals to those with recent injuries, chronic knee problems, and the obese, who cannot tolerate a treadmill. Ellipticals produce an intermediate range of leg motion between that of stationary bikes and treadmills.

There are claims that the dual action exercise of an elliptical trainers can actually be more efficient in burning calories. The logic is that by exercising more muscle groups simultaneously, a more intense workout can be achieved in less time. It is also suggested that the perceived rate of exertion is lower. However, other studies have shown that the rate in which calories are burned on an elliptical trainer is similar to that on a treadmill.Regardless, elliptical trainers are growing in popularity. One reason may be that because the person who is exercising is not taking his or her feet off of the pedals, an exercise can be done at a gentler rate, still getting the same amount of results as a treadmill.

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The best elliptical trainers from Schwinn for a good over all cardio workout.

The 438 elliptical features 21 different workout programs for variety. The telemetric and grip heart-rate monitors make monitoring your progress a breeze. Your comfort comes first with the build-in 3-speed adjustable fan, water bottle holder and magazine rack.

Product Info
21 programs provide a workout variety
Telemetric and grip heart-rate make monitoring your progress a breeze
4 User Settings let everyone keep track of their previous workout
Quiet, magnetic ECB (Eddy Current Brakes) give you 8 levels of resistance
Handlebars have 3 positions so everyone can find their comfort zone
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According to Gary Gresham, an expert author on fitness, there are so many elliptical trainer benefits to list that some would say it’s the perfect way to exercise. Elliptical exercise trainers meet the overall need of any exercise program. They combine a weight bearing exercise that limits the impact on the body while optimizing the cardiovascular benefits creating a total body workout routine.

One of the best elliptical trainer benefits is the weight bearing exercises that help in maintaining and improving bone density. Elliptical cross trainers burn more calories and make you feel like you have been on a brisk walk with all the benefits of a good jogging session.

The elliptical motion of the machine provides low impact because your feet never leave the footpads. It creates a smooth and continuous movement that eliminates the stress on your joints. This provides a totally impact free cardio workout routine.

The elliptical exercise trainers are programmed with different training settings to help monitor your cardio workout routine and allow you to set one, two or all three of the following: resistance, speed and ramp. The workouts can be very intense or relatively easy depending on the training program you select.

Elliptical cross trainers provide a great workout for your lower body as well as toning and building leg muscles. It’s ideal for losing weight because it burns more calories that a treadmill or exercise bike. If you are overweight it helps you burn calories while you seem to be leisurely gliding along. Grab the moving handles and work the upper body muscles for a total body workout routine.

Elliptical cross trainers are one of the best pieces of exercise equipment to hit the fitness industry in years. They provide a relatively easy and enjoyable form of exercise that you will look forward to coming back to over and over again.

Several gyms are buying more elliptical exercise trainers because the demand is so great. Once you use one you’ll be hooked because thirty minutes is all it takes for a total body workout routine. You exercise at whatever level you are or whatever level you want to achieve.

You can challenge yourself on your high energy days or you can just maintain on other days. The choice is up to you. Getting fit, losing weight and improving your overall health are only a few elliptical trainer benefits.

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The Schwinn 418 elliptical trainer is a Nautilus product, and overall Nautilus builds quality machines that are durable and perform well. For the price you are getting quality at a moderate price. The Schwinn 418 is one of the most popular elliptical trainers on the market.

It comes with an articulating footplate that follows the natural motion of your foot and supports your heel through the stride. It has a 18″ stride that can accommodate a wide range of users.

There are 12 workout programs including rolling, valley, fat burn, ramp, random, plateau, intervals, mountain, 2 heart rate, 1 fitness test and manual mode. The LCD display provides feedback on time, speed, distance, RPM’s, resistance level, calories, calories per hour, load, heart rate and course profile.

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Treadmills have always been popular exercise machines all over the world used by every age group. People who use tread mills can be of any body type from atheletic to even obese ones or over weight people. Almost every one is familiar to treadmill which can be used for walking or running .

Now there is another exercise machine that is gaining popularity and will be even more effective than treadmills and that is an elliptical trainers. Now how do both these machines compare?

Treadmills

Treadmill machines are created for performing functions such as walking, jogging, or running, as well as simulated hill climbing. (Some treadmills are better suited for walking and are not made to support users over a certain weight limit.) Higher quality treadmills tend to be suitable for walking or running and can handle larger and heavier users. Commercial units that are found in gyms are generally capable of supporting more weight than most home units. However, high-end models of home treadmills can be quite sturdy and comparable to a commercial unit.

Exercising on a treadmill is good for cardio workouts, to burn calories and to increase your energy levels.

Treadmills can be automatic in which you have preset programs according to the intensity of the workout you want. Or you can manually adjust them for their height, incline levels and speed.

As in every exercise, a beginner should start from a low intensity workout and as he gains more strength and stamina he should increase the intensity for a good workout. Your body should feel a good exercise.

Running on a treadmill is better than running on hard surfaces like pavements in many ways . Nicely cushioned running surface provides less impact on the knees, shins, ankles, back, and joints. As a result, the runner who uses a treadmill is less likely to sustain a running injury than a runner who runs upon a harder surface. (Nonetheless, a runner’s body will still experience impact when the foot lands on the belt. Up to 2 1/2 your body weight).

And You don’t have to worry about road or trail hazards when exercising on a treadmill. You need only maintain your rhythm on the moving belt. You dont have to worry about the weather as you do it indoors .

But some people, in fact quite a lot of them who are not used to it , find it a little tough to keep pace with the rotating belt. And they have to grab the hand rails until they are comfortable again. Holding handrails can restrict your motions and movements to lower body only, limiting the benefits.

Elliptical Trainers

Elliptical trainers are relatively new but they are gaining popularity very fast. Elliptical trainers allow the athlete to burn a similar number of calories as jogging…but without the risk of injury to the back, knees, hips, or ankles. Your feet never leave the pedals. As a result, this type of machine is quite low-impact and goes easy on the joints. In fact, whereas exercising on a treadmill requires your body to absorb the impact force of walking or running, exercising on an elliptical can be compared to running in midair.

Because ellipticals are so low-impact and easy on the joints, this type of exercise equipment may very well be one of the best choices for older people or for individuals who are recovering from a joint injury. Elliptical machines mimic the normal elliptical motion of the foot, the extension of the leg, and the rotation of the hip during walking or running. This motion uses all the leg muscles, giving you a total lower-body workout.

Unlike treadmills , elliptical trainers also give you a upper body workout. , the hands grip the moving handlebars, exercising the arms. The movement of the dual handlebars mimics cross-country skiing.

Because elliptical trainers DO work the upper and lower body simultaneously, the heart rate climbs more quickly. Thus, less time is required to achieve more results. The amount of energy expended is optimized. As the legs are being worked, the back, shoulders, chest, biceps, and triceps are also working …making it possible to burn more calories in less time. (An optimal workout need only be about 20-30 minutes long.)

The foot pedals can be worked in a forward or reverse direction. When you change the direction of the pedals, you’ll target your lower body in different ways. It is nice to be able to add versatility to your elliptical workouts, and such a change works to ensure optimal training of the leg muscles.

The intensity level can be adjusted on elliptical equipment to fit your personal level of fitness. Resistance may be added as desired to increase the workload on your legs throughout the forward or backward stride.

Additional benefits of elliptical training include its ability to build bone density and to inhibit the onset of osteoporosis. Everyone needs strong, healthy bones. This is especially a concern as we grow older, and our body’s bone mass begins to deteriorate. Elliptical exercise can inhibit bone deterioration and actually improve bone thickness.

An elliptical device is safe to use (i.e. it stops when you stop). It uses very little electricity and is economical to operate. Because of its lesser impact, there is less wear and tear of the machine, making maintenance quite low. It has a small footprint, so it takes up less floor space than other fitness equipment. And, as with the treadmill, it allows you to exercise in a controlled environment for more comfort and convenience.

So in all they are more efficient machines than treadmills and you can loose fat and get in shape without being tough on your knees and joints.

Also read other related articles-

• Maximum workouts
• Elliptical trainer benefits
• Elliptical trainers

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Here are the top 6 reasons of Eliiptical Trainers. Choose yours to get one.

1. The Elliptical trainers allow the user to burn a similar amount of calories as jogging but with more ease. Feet never leave the pedals which makes this machine low impact and easier on the body, especially the joints. Doing running exercises on an elliptical trainer is equivalent to running in midair as the body does not feel the impact.

2. This machine has been recommended for users who are elderly or for people recovering from a joint injury. This is because of the lack of impact experienced by the body.

3. Elliptical trainers work the entire body-both upper and lower. As the feet are going in an elliptical motion working the entire lower body, the upper body is getting a workout from the rotating movement of the handlebars thus allowing the user to tone their arms.

4. Because the elliptical trainer works the entire body all at once, the heart rate climbs more quickly thus optimizing the body’s energy making for a more efficient workout.

5. Users of elliptical trainers can often burn more calories in the same amount of time as they could using other machines such as treadmills.

6. When using the elliptical trainer, one can adjust the intensity of the workout. They can set the resistance levels to what works best for them. This feature is great to adding tone to the body. Say good by to flabby buts and thighs–forever!
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As a first time exerciser or a beginner , its always good to start in slow and steady before getting into a intense regime. , don’t aim too high, too fast or you’ll do some damage to yourself.

If you aren’t in shape and don’t normally walk or cycle several kilometres to work, it’s no wonder the old bones are a little weary said Mansfield Club athletic therapist and osteopath Faisal Naqvi.

“The average, middle-aged, Joe-Schmoe can walk 10 minutes before he starts feeling adverse effects” Naqvi said

“It’s the same riding a bike, 10 minutes, although you will get further in distance. Both are sustained cardiovascular exercises that lead to shortness of breath, sweating and get your heart racing.”

For those not used to walking more than 30 metres steps from their front door to the bus stop, walking several kilometres to work can result in cramping of the hamstrings and foot muscles, he said.

“Anything past your regular activity level, you’ll feel the impact.”

So START UP and give yourself a good reason to exercise , that will build up your strength and stamina for sure with a dozen other benefits. But remember , not to strain your body too much .

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Elliptical trainers are available at a wide range of price points, from $99 to motorcycle territory. Generally, however, you get what you pay for. At the extreme low end, many poorly made elliptical machines fail to give a comfortable workout. If you don’t enjoy the workout, the money is wasted, no matter what. If you can’t afford to spend at least $500 and up, you’re probably better off getting a Gazelle, or some other type of machine (like a stationary bike or HealthRider) rather than an elliptical you might not use or enjoy. Since, at the high end, gym quality ellipticals can cost thousands. The challenge, for most of us, is to find a decent machine that meets our needs for a reasonable price. Here are a few main factors to keep in mind before deciding on the equipment you want to buy.

Stride Shape - the most important factor
There is a wide range of machines calling themselves elliptical trainers. They all have a resistance flywheel and a pair of footpads and some handles - but beyond that there are some real differences. At the low end there are a lot of very attractively priced machines but if you look carefully you’ll see they have footpads attached directly to the flywheel. This means that the stride shape will be almost a circle - not really an elliptical. The stride is so humped it feels more like bumping up and down.

Here’s an example of an elliptical trainer with the footpads attached directly to the flywheel:
ProForm StrideSelect 825 Elliptical Trainer

Better machines have a track of some sort for the footpads to roll along - the footpads connected to the flywheel with metal rods. This allows the stride shape to be an elongated oval - an elliptical. This stride motion is much more natural - much smoother. This is the first major feature to look for. The taller you are the longer the stride length you should look for. 16 inch stride should be considered a minimum. If you are 6′ tall you should look for 18 inch stride at least. 20 inches is better - check out the Sole and Spirit lines (20″), as well as Precor (18″) and Life Fitness (20″) for long stride length.

Footpads - closer is better
When you run or cross country ski your legs move past each other with only a couple of inches between your ankles. Elliptical machines have to deal with the width of the flywheel, so it’s hard to engineer a machine where the footpads allow your feet to be that close. When the footpads are far apart it can stress your ankles, knees and hips. Over time, this can be painful.

Flywheel in the front or in back
Another thing you’ll notice about the Precor and Life units is that the flywheel is in back. You’ll see that in Tunturi and some other lower priced units. The flywheel in back is supposed to be a better geometry for having a good stride shape - but only if it’s well implemented. The other style is with the flywheel in front. Look at the Sole and Spirit trainers to see examples of good implementations with the flywheel in front. The key to these is the curved foot pad rods that help keep the stride shape more level and elongated. But the location of the flywheel isn’t as important as the overall engineering - and particularly the geometry of the flywheel connecting rods.

Other features
The other major features that you need to be aware of while choosing the best elliptical trainer are:
1) Weight bearing - a general testament to the stability and build quality. The heavier the rated weight, the better built and more stable in general. This is especially important if you’re heavy, of course.

2) Heart monitor - it’s a cardio machine so monitoring your heart rate is a critical aspect of doing a cardio workout. You can always augment with a wrist mounted heart monitor, but having the heart monitor integrated into the electronics head is a great convenience.

3) Number of preset routines, programmability options, quality of the display - the electronics head in general. The quality of the head can make a big difference in your day to day enjoyment of the unit. Having programmable routines is also a great feature. Some machines have fans, TV screens, and other amenities in their electronics heads. All of these should subsidiary to the mechanical integrity of the machine.

4) Flywheel resistance mechanism and number of levels. The bigger the flywheel, the smoother the motion. Magnetic resistance is much smoother and more mechanically reliable than mechanical resistance. The more resistance levels, the more customizeable the workout.

5) Adjustable footpad angle - a really nice ergonomic enhancement.

6) Heart rate handgrips are nice in that you can get a heart rate reading without wearing a strap. However the strap is still great because you don’t have to worry about your grip placement - especially important for the moving grips.

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ProForm Strideselect 825

Enjoy a great low impact workout that builds long, lean muscle and burns excess calories with the ProForm StrideSelect 825 elliptical trainer. The StrideSelect 825 has a two-position adjustable stride, which allows your muscles to work differently so you can build extra definition and find the right fit for you, and six built-in workouts. Plus, the transport wheels make it easy to move from one place to another in your home.

The smooth, frictionless SMR Silent Magnetic Resistance system allows you to adjust your workout intensity without interrupting your workout. Choose from multiple intensity levels to target specific workout and conditioning goals. The L.E.D. Pacing Coach function lets you know when it’s time to work a little harder or slow down so you can get the most out of every workout. Get an accurate pulse reading with the convenient heart rate sensors built into the handlebars–simply grip them for a reading of your heart rate. The built-in, two-speed CoolAire Workout fan creates air currents from 4 to 6 miles per hour, the ideal range for body cooling, so you’ll stay comfortable and cool throughout your workout. The StrideSelect 825 has a footprint of 24 by 65 inches and it’s 51 inches tall.

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