How To Get A Full Body Workout On An Elliptical Machine

The elliptical machine is a crowd favourite because it is easy on the joints, great for cardio and gives you a total-body workout. But over time, your routine can get boring and repetitive. So, instead of simply working out for the sake of it and letting your mind wander while you’re on this machine, jazz up your routine by optimising your workout with these tips.

No matter if you are a beginner, looking for a high-intensity workout or want to work different muscle groups, leverage these tips on your elliptical machine and achieve your goals effectively.

Learn More: Can Home Workouts Be As Effective As In The Gym?

1. Increase The Resistance

Instead of working out at the lowest resistance level because it is the easiest, challenge yourself and gradually increase the resistance of the elliptical trainer throughout your routine until you’ve reached your peak and find it hard to hold a conversation. Once you get to this point, slowly start lowering the resistance again until you get to your cool-down period.

The increase and decrease of resistance builds endurance and keeps your routine efficient and interesting. In addition, working against resistance makes you stronger, helps build up your muscles and increases your overall strength.

2. Increases The Incline

When the incline on your elliptical machine is set to zero, it is no different to running on a flat surface. While this is also a good workout, it is not as challenging or calorie-burning as running up a hill. Increasing the incline mimics the effort it would take to run up a high slope. The higher the incline, the steeper the slope and the more you get your blood pumping.

You do not need to keep your machine on a high incline throughout your whole routine, but adjusting it as you exercise allows you to work on your glute muscles and feel proper exertion.

3. Go Backwards

When you get on the elliptical trainer, the natural instinct is to move your foot pedal forward. Switch things up and force yourself to move backwards as well. This will change the large muscle groups which are always doing the work, making sure you are targeting all the muscles in your leg. Going forward mostly works your quads while moving backwards calls on your hamstrings and glutes.

You can change things up during your individual workout session or just alternate each time you get on the elliptical machine. You can either do one day forward and one day backwards, or two days forward and two days backwards depending on your time and schedule.

As long as you are following these tips, paying attention to your form and putting in some real effort, you will not go wrong on the elliptical machine. A full-body workout can be easily achieved with just one machine and if you would like to add the elliptical machine to your home gym, we have just the one you need. At Homefitness, we have all the gear and exercise equipment in Singapore to build your perfect home gym. Contact us today to know more!