5 Ways to Enhance Your Elliptical Workout
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We’ve previously discussed the many benefits and advantages of using elliptical machines for exercise. There is a downfall to elliptical workouts, though, and that is that they are extremely easy to cheat on. You can easily fall into a rhythm, which results in you not receiving the maximum benefits that your elliptical has the potential to provide. There are many simple ways to enhance and get the most from your elliptical workouts. This article will provide 5 simple ways to enhance your elliptical workout, but believe me, there are many, many more ways.
1. Bump up the resistance!
Most ellipticals come with resistance levels, for example, the new 2013 ProForm 14.0 RE elliptical comes with 20 digital resistance levels. Believe it or not, these resistance levels are put on an elliptical for a reason. You could spin all day without resistance, however, you are not going to see any results. You should be using enough resistance to where you feel that push and pull motion. And then, to receive even better results push on from there and continue until you feel like you can’t do anymore. This is how you are going to see results. If you feel this is too boring, try adding in some intervals.
2. Add intervals into your workout.
As I mentioned above, staying on one resistance the whole workout can get pretty boring, so the best way to prevent boredom is through exercising in intervals. Intervals are a great way to increase your SPM (strides per minute) and achieve an excellent cardio workout. Another benefit is boosting your metabolism and burning some major calories. If you haven’t tried interval workouts on your elliptial before, I highly recommend doing so. It is an excellent way to enhance your elliptical workout. Here is a great 30-Minute Elliptical Workout with Intervals.
3. Enter your information for accuracy
Many people get lazy and just push the default settings on their machine. However, taking just a little time to enter in all of this data can improve your fitness goals even more! Machines are all calibrated differently, which means the data you are reading on the screen may actually be different for your age type, weight, height, etc. When you put your own personal stats in there it will allow you to get a more accurate calorie read, resulting in more calorie burn. So, this is a crucial way to enhance your workout, especially if your main priority is to burn calories.
4. Change directions of your stride
One of the greatest benefits to an elliptical is the fact that you can stride forward and backwards. Not only does this benefit change up your workout and prevent boredom, but it also has awesome health benefits, so use it! Going backwards on your elliptical will directly target your glutes and hamstrings. So, whether you want to tighten up this area or you are just looking to give your quads a little rest, the backwards option can be a great way to switch things up.
5. Paying attention to feet placement
This can be an extremely important factor in your elliptical workout. The placement of your feet will determine what muscle groups you are working. For example, if you have your feet pressed more towards your toes, then you will feel the workout in your quads or the front of your thighs. And if you had your feet pressing more towards your heels, then you would feel the workout in your hamstrings and glutes more.
Conclusion
Overall, your elliptical workout can be enhanced by just a few simple steps. So, instead of just sticking to standard workouts with no incline or resistance, try changing it up every once in a while. You do not have to apply all of these at one time. And remember there are many more ways to use your elliptical effectively, besides these five I’ve listed. Always keep searching for newer and better ways to enhance your workout and better yourself in your practices.