Remember that for maximum accuracy on heart rate, you should opt for models with a heart rate strap.Compatible applications for certain cross trainers can give you a customised workout depending on your physical ability and goals. Enjoy having a real coach at home!
A cross-trainer or elliptical gym machine is a complete workout tool that encourages muscle growth, weight loss, and fitness maintenance. A cross-trainer works about 80% of your muscles and is simple. That sums up the primary justification for buying an elliptical cross-trainer machine.
An exercise bike helps burn calories, improve endurance and tone the lower body. Here's some advice to help you make the right choice. Read our tips on how to choose an exercise bike.
This practical and effective fitness equipment is perfect for losing weight and stay in good shape. Which model is right for you? Read our tips on how to choose a mini stepper.
Abs exercisers are often easy to use & offer a range of exercises both for deep ab muscles and washboard stomach ones. Read our tips on how to choose an abs exerciser.
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CardioStep Recumbent Semi-Elliptical Cross Trainer provides an easy & effective total body cardio workout. The semi-recumbent sitting position combines stability and comfort with the smooth and natural feel of an elliptical. The semi-elliptical motion allows for natural biomechanics with zero impact to the user’s joints. The unique, ascending arm motion provides bilinear resistance with ergonomic, rotating hand grips. Users can target different muscle groups by rotating the handle position to different angles.
The CardioStep has a large seat that swivels to either side and a low 9” step through height that makes it easy for all fitness levels to transfer on and off the machine. The 20” wide memory foam seat offers comfort and stability while using the CardioStep. In addition, the seat back has 3 reclining angles that the user can select.
Featuring a 9” LCD display with 32 levels of resistance and 19 workout programs the CardioStep Recumbent Semi-Elliptical Cross Trainer is designed for a wide range of users. The CardioStep also includes contact heart rate on the seat handles and heart rate controlled workout programs. The display workout data shows Time, Distance, Steps per Minute, WATTs, METs, Total Steps, Pulse, and the Resistance Level. When you are done with your workout, download your workout report to a USB allowing users to track their progress and share their results.
The CardioStep Recumbent Semi-Elliptical Cross Trainer is rated for full commercial use and is backed by an industry leading parts and labor warranty. Built with high quality commercial components and available at an affordable price the CardioStep Recumbent Semi-Elliptical Cross Trainer is perfect for commercial, medical, rehabilitation or home applications.
Having a swivel seat on your recumbent cross trainer not only makes it easier to get on and off the machine, it also protects your investment ensuring that you will be able to continue to use your CardioStep for years to come.
Essential to all rehabilitation exercises, the CardioStep features heart rate sensors in the handle of the machine. Your heart rate is clearly displayed on the screen so you can track your health and fitness goals.
With 32 levels of electronic resistance, the CardioStep's resistance can be adjusted with a touch of a button. The CardioStep has a low starting resistance and manageable increments allowing users to gradually increase resistance.
CardioStep is the ONLY brand of Recumbent Cross Trainers in its class that is both CE safety certified and registered with the FDA as class one medical devices.
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I agree that you can get a good workout on the elliptical if you do it right! If I don’t want to be on the elliptical I tend to take it easy and not put enough effort into my workout. Those workouts looks like great options for maintaining fitness while injured!
Thank you! I agree, it’s so easy to just take it at a leisurely pace on the elliptical when I don’t want to be there as well. Although having a workout makes the time go by faster!
thanks for sharing my elliptical post 😉 I appreciate you researching the studies on the elliptical machine and definitely feel that you can get a great workout on the elliptical machine so long as you use it to get a great workout! some people use it as a pass to just pedal along and that’s not how to use it. gotta push ourselves, you know? I never pay attention though to my speed or the numbers in comparison to running like you say, it’s not exactly the same as running. rather, I just push myself to get a good effort workout in – that’s what matters to me when I am using it. I am glad your foot is doing better! and I am glad that throughout the foot issue, you were able to still cross train.
Elliptical SaudiThank you for that helpful post! You really do have to put in the effort – it’s literally just spinning wheels if you pedal leisurely along! Thank you and I’m glad I was to – definitely kept routine feeling normal!
This is an AWESOME explanation and look at the elliptical. I think my caveat is that even with as much as you can maintain on the elliptical, like with the treadmill, you can’t just go back to running the same amount on roads. You will need to transition back to roads as well to allow your muscles time to transition and start firing appropriately again.
Thank you!! Oooh yes, I do think that caveat is important! Even after just a couple weeks on the elliptical I noticed it took a couple runs to feel normal on the roads again – and that was with short runs!
This is awesome. I have an elliptical but I don’t use it often, pinned for later just in case I get injured anytime soon and actually have to use it 😛
This is an amazing resource! I typically only go to the elliptical if I’m injured but I’ve never had a clue if it was similar to running or what type of workouts I should do. I’m hoping I won’t need this information for a while since I don’t want to be injured but definitely pinning it.
Great tips! My current favourite podcast is one called “Guys we F***ed” and although it sounds AWFUL, I swear it’s not. The girls are intelligent and respectful and the discussions and interviews on there are inspiring and enlightening. It’s not what one would assume from reading the title. They should really come up with a new one.
I used the elliptical coming back from my hip injury and it was perfect for lower impact. I only have access to one on weekends (my parents’ house has one haha) but in bad weather it’s my go to!
It is so nice to have the lower impact with the similar movement to running – the stationary/spin bikes just don’t feel the same. And it’s a great choice for bad weather!
For me the elliptical is an occasional necessary evil :-). It’s great when I’m injured, need to workout indoors, or just need a change, but I just find it sooooo boring. I always to some type of interval workout when I do use it, because that seems to make the time go faster (especially recovery!). Pinning your workout ideas for the next time I’m stuck indoors. Thanks for linking up!
Necessary evil is the perfect way to describe it! Although using it made me realize how valuable it is for adding volume without adding impact. Thank you for pinning and hosting!
I was stuck on the elliptical for a couple weeks when I trained for my first half marathon, and it was SO BORING. I think I tried reading, but I can’t even read while walking so I’m not sure why I thought that would work. Pretty sure I haven’t been on an elliptical since (fingers crossed).
It’s so hard to read on the elliptical! Podcasts are what have been getting me through because it is SO boring. Hopefully you don’t have to get on one anytime soon!
I don’t use the elliptical hardly at all at the gym but I think I would have to have a podcast to listen too. This is a great resource, I am trying new things so this may have given me incentive to jump on!
Just stumbled upon this, as I am trying to re-strengthen into running shape after 5 marathons last year but a long winter break due to torn labrum. Wanting to get back to marathon shape/endurance to pull out a BQ before this fall’s registration, but not cleared to run again just yet…any thoughts on how to mimic HM/marathon training on elliptical, in order to transfer over to the road once cleared to run? Strengthening glutes/pelvic area via PT, and finding elliptical to not induce hip pain was a godsend…but don’t want to be ‘behind’ on fitness once I’m cleared. 🙂 Thanks for this!
Thanks for reading! I am sorry to hear about your labrum tear. You can use the elliptical for equivalent time and effort to mimic running workouts – for example, instead of an hour run, you can do an hour on the elliptical at the same intensity. The workouts in this post will help improve your threshold and VO2max (or at least maintain them) and you can do equivalent long runs on the elliptical…although those are more tedious but 90 minutes at a moderate intensity on the elliptical will give you a similar workout. Good luck!
I would not consider it part of weekly running mileage but it is important to factor cross-training time into your overall training plan (which includes running volume, cross-training volume, and strength training volume). For example, if you are running three days per week and using the elliptical three days per week, count the elliptical time as cross-training, not running mileage.