Keeping The Proper Posture On Your Incline Elliptical
If you like to use an elliptical machine to work out
, it is important that you use the proper posture to ensure that you are getting the most out of your routine. If you are not doing things the proper way, you can actually be doing more damage than good.
The key is to make sure you are not hunched over. Keep your back straight and upright with your shoulders pulled back.
Remember the good posture you mom has always nagged you about? Strive for that.
When you see people at the gym all bent over the stationary handle bars moving their legs so fast they look like they are going to flip the machine, know that they are definitely doing it wrong. Don't follow their example because 1) they are hunched over and 2) their heart rate is probably way to high.
You don't want to bounce around too much. Keep your butt out like you are about to take a seat and try not to move, bounce, or sway your upper body too much.
Of course if you are using moving upper body handle bars, your upper body will be moving but you want to keep you core from bouncing up and down or from rocking back and forth. Keep in mind that a good trainer will be constructed in such a way as to help you maintain proper elliptical body posture during your exercise.
You don't want to feel like you are leaning forward to reach for handle bars. Some of the cheaper ellipticals may encourage bad posture and an uncomfortable workout because of poor ergonomic design.
Working out on one of these is easy and fun, but it shouldn't be so easy that you don't work up a sweat and don't feel a thing. If you are bouncing all around and hunching over, you are making the workout too easy for yourself.
You should feel a slight burn in your legs by sticking your butt out and squatting just a bit. Don't worry if you feel like you're ready to end your workout, usually if you get through the first 5-10 minutes you'll be surprised just how long you can stay on.
And don't forget to maintain proper body posture throughout your entire workout, warm up and cool down. You'll find yourself slacking on posture from time to time so just correct yourself when you notice it and keep moving.
How you use a machine and maintaining appropriate posture is the key to avoiding injury and getting the most intense and rewarding workout. Getting one with an adjustable incline can be hard to find because for years, one major brand has owned the patent for the innovative technology.
Few machines are able to get around the CrossRamp incline patent that allows for the smooth incline of the equipment, so they use power resistance instead. Typically, most of them are engineered to use resistance training to allow the targeting of various muscle groups.
Squatting while exercising will give you the similar effects as an adjustable incline one so don't worry about trying to find a machine with incline. Incline is nice if you have the money for a quality machine, but the choices are limited.
Try to keep from limiting your choices to online adjustable incline ellipticals because there are plenty of great non-incline trainers that you may find to be perfect for your home. Your primary focus should be on finding equipment with the right stride length and the right "feel good" fit for you.
But if you are considering one or just want to research it, just keep in mind that there are only a few, and the price gap is huge. There are a few cheap machines that offer some degree of adjustable ramp but may not have the quality you may be looking for.
Finding a decent quality machine, with power incline, at an affordable price is nearly impossible. This characteristic of the marketplace makes shopping for a piece of equipment very difficult and means most consumers will have to make sacrifices in quality, budgets, or features.
Adjustable ramps allow users to target different muscle groups and increase their workout intensity. Resistance and ramp together can really simulate hills better than any other program.
If you do your research, you can find the perfect equipment for you. Take the time to get it right the first time!
by: Terry Daniels
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