Fitness Town

Studies have shown that weight bearing exercises are essential for maintaining and improving bone density. Yet many weight bearing workouts create high impact stress on joints and muscles. This can cause health problems, especially for people with injuries or arthritis.

Additionally, many of the different types of exercise equipment available only work one or two areas of the body, which is a drawback for people who want an overall workout.

Under most circumstances, the ideal piece of fitness equipment will provide weight bearing exercises while limiting impact and providing for a total body workout. Optimizing cardiovascular benefits is also important.

Many styles of exercise equipment address one or two of these concerns, but few combine all the advantages in an overall fitness package such as that provided by elliptical cross trainers.

For example, a stationary bike provides relatively smooth, non-jarring motion, but since you are sitting, you don’t get the weight bearing advantages. A treadmill fulfills the weight bearing aspect, but at the expense of stress to your joints each time your foot hits the running surface. Swimming is a great form of exercise that tends to work a majority of the body’s muscle groups, however, it is not considered a weight bearing activity.

When considering the overall needs of an exercise program, few types of fitness equipment meet the overall needs quite as well as elliptical cross trainers.

The advantages and benefits of an elliptical trainer as compared to other fitness equipment are:

1. Weight bearing form of exercise that helps maintain bone density
2. Continuous elliptical motion creates a low impact workout
3. Elliptical motion is similar to walking and is thus easy to learn and sustain
4. Handles encourage users to work upper body muscles providing a total body workout
5. Elliptical cross trainers offer one of the best forms of cardiovascular training – onboard computers help plan and monitor cardio workouts.
6. The equipment is relatively simple, so there are fewer parts to replace or mechanical things that can go wrong.
7. Look for ellipticals with adjustable strides – these allow for natural gaits and a variety of different users.  Fixed strides more often than not are limiting the user to work within an elliptical path that is not necessarily ideal to their body types.  Check out Octane Fitness, Life Fitness and Vision Fitness for samples of adjustable stride cross-trainers.

Beware Of Imitators

Unfortunately, as with many innovative, beneficial, and popular ideas, elliptical cross trainer technology has become somewhat corrupted by those who want to cash in on the appeal but who lack a commitment to or understanding of the true basis for the design.

Some elliptical equipment does not offer the natural, simulated movement of true elliptical cross trainers. Others use inferior designs and materials, resulting in a jerky or jarring motion that negates the value of the equipment.

When purchasing an elliptical exercise machine, be sure that it provides a stable frame or platform, adequately sized foot platforms, and most importantly, a smooth, continuous motion. Try out the machine. Does the movement required feel natural and comfortable? Also check to see if the machine has adjustments for speed, incline and direction.

In its true form, elliptical technology is one of the best innovations to hit the fitness industry in the past decade. It truly does address some of the common exercise and health concerns while providing for a relatively easy, often enjoyable form of exercise.

Unlike some of the gadgets and gimmicks that have come along over the years, elliptical cross trainers have the ability to help users get fit, lose weight, and improve overall health.

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