Elliptical Trainer

Execution

1. Warm up for 3-5 minutes at a low resistance, stepping evenly through the elliptical path with both legs.
2. Stand tall, brace the belly lightly, and do not lean your full weight onto the handles.
3. Push evenly through both directions, driving down and pulling back through the bottom of the stride instead of only pedaling forward.
4. Set the resistance so you can speak a full sentence on an easy session, or only a few words in a hard block.
5. If the machine allows it, pedal backward for a few minutes partway through to shift the muscles doing the work.
6. A beginner aims for 20-30 minutes of continuous striding at a pace where full sentences still come out, not counting the 3-5 minute warm-up and the 3-5 minute cool-down.
7. Cool down for 3-5 minutes at a low resistance before stepping off.
8. Chest pain, dizziness or unusual breathlessness means stopping right away and seeing a doctor.

Quick cues

• Stand tall, do not lean on the handles.
• Pedal in a circle, push then pull.
• Full sentences, or ease off.
• Reverse direction partway through.
• Start the first minutes slower than it feels.

Common faults

• Fault: Hunching over and leaning full weight onto the static rail

  Fix: Stand tall, brace the belly and rest the hands lightly just for balance.

• Fault: Only pedaling the front half of the stride and skipping the pull-back phase

  Fix: Think about scraping the heel down through the bottom of the stride.

• Fault: Setting the resistance so low the heart rate never rises

  Fix: Raise the resistance a notch at a time until you can only get a few words out in the hard blocks.

• Fault: Leaning the weight onto one pedal more than the other

  Fix: Keep both shoulders level and split the weight evenly between both legs.