The Elliptical Trainer

If you’re looking for a lower-impact exercise that you can do within your gym, then the elliptical trainer is for you. This machine mimics the motion of running and is less harsh on your joints, thereby making it less painful yet still effective.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by StreetStrider (@streetstrider)

Cycling

While cycling outdoors is an enjoyable activity that you can do alone or as part of a club, you can also cycle at the gym. By joining a cycle or spinning class, you’ll enjoy a high-impact workout and receive an opportunity to meet like-minded individuals.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cycling South Africa (@cycling_sa)

Swimming

Not only is this an enjoyable pastime on vacation, but a holistic form of exercise as well. Swimming is a rare workout that actually exercises your entire body.

The post Best Alternatives to Running appeared first on yourdailysportfix.com.

Elliptical

The elliptical is a low-impact, easy on your joints workout. It’s a bit like cross-country skiing and stair climbing, which makes the workout a lot of fun. It can even be a full-body workout if you hold onto the moving handles and pump your arms and engage your core. Your glutes, hamstrings, quads, triceps, and deltoids will feel the workout the most.

One drawback to the elliptical is that it isn’t functional—the machine’s movement doesn’t replicate what you deal with in the real world. If you’re looking to be able to run for longer periods of time, you’re better off using the treadmill.

Stationary Bike

The stationary bike is also low-impact and joint-friendly. This is more of a lower-body workout as your glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves are engaged throughout the exercise. To get some upper body in, get off the saddle and engage your core.

A con of the bike is that it isn’t the most comfortable piece of equipment. The seated position takes time to get used to. An easy solution to this problem is to get padded bike shorts.

The post Which Cardio Machine is Better? Elliptical vs. Stationary Bike appeared first on yourdailysportfix.com.

Not Switching it Up

It’s important to switch things up when you’re exercising on your elliptical trainer. You can do this by increasing the resistance level and changing your settings every once in a while.

Targeting Same Muscles

Playing with your settings and pedaling backward are strategies you can use to diversify your routine. This will help you avoid putting a strain on a single muscle group by training the full body at the same time.

Poor Posture

Many people have a habit of leaning on the static handles to make their elliptical workouts easier, but standing up straight will help you correct your posture and engage several muscle groups at once.

Bouncing Up and Down

Staying balanced on an elliptical can be tricky, but you should avoid bouncing up and down and pushing too hard with your toes during your workout because it will put too much stress on your joints.

The post These Common Mistakes are Sabotaging Your Elliptical Workouts appeared first on yourdailysportfix.com.

Warmup

Your warmup should be between eight to 12 minutes with a gradual increase in intensity. Your intensity level should be one in which you are breaking a sweat and can have a conversation. After the warmup, do a two to five minute recovery period to get your body ready for the workout.

Length

Your workout should be at least 10 minutes (not including the warmup) and it can be broken up into intervals as long as four minutes or as short as five to 10 seconds.

Intervals

Start with a work to rest ratio of 1:1, so if you do 30 seconds of work, do 30 seconds of rest. Depending on your fitness level, you may need to increase or decrease the ratio with more work and less rest or vice versa.

Recovery

Don’t forget the recovery periods! Make sure you take down the intensity during the rest periods so your heart rate can decrease and you can get back to high intensity.

The post How to Create an Elliptical HIIT Workout appeared first on yourdailysportfix.com.

Low-Impact Workout

If you’re dealing with joint problems, the elliptical trainer is a great alternative to the treadmill. You get a great workout without putting too much strain on your feet and knees.

Better Variety

The elliptical allows you to activate different muscle groups. Using movable handles is a great way to get an upper body workout and you can pedal backwards, which exercises your glutes.

Less Effort

Studies have shown you can burn the same amount of calories on an elliptical trainer as you can on a treadmill, while putting in much less effort. Working out on this machine feels easier because movements are more natural, and your fitness routine doesn’t feel so monotonous.

The post 3 Reasons to Start Exercising on an Elliptical appeared first on yourdailysportfix.com.

Weighted walking lunges

This is basically lunges but with a different starting leg. Instead of using your front leg to step back to the starting position, you step forward with the rear leg. This puts more pressure on the quad muscle. You can add weights to increase resistance.

Elliptical HIIT

This machine works on the legs as well as the arms. HIIT promotes muscle growth, and this cardio form can build your legs. You can make it more intense by releasing the handles and letting your legs do all the work.

Dumbbell step-ups

Step-ups are effective when it comes to maximizing tension in the legs. When you add dumbbells, it increases the intensity and produces more results. It is done by placing a leg on the aerobic step and stepping up on the step with the front leg muscles. Make sure you alternate your legs from time to time.

Jump lunges HIIT

This HIIT exercise is built to work on the quads and support the muscles in a short time. Start by entering a normal lunge position and jumping up. Switch your legs in a scissor fashion and land in the lunge position on the other side.

The post 4 Exercises For Fuller Legs appeared first on yourdailysportfix.com.

The Elliptical Trainer

If you’re looking for a lower-impact exercise that you can do within your gym, then the elliptical trainer is for you. This machine mimics the motion of running and is less harsh on your joints, thereby making it less painful yet still effective.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by StreetStrider (@streetstrider)

Cycling

While cycling outdoors is an enjoyable activity that you can do alone or as part of a club, you can also cycle at the gym. By joining a cycle or spinning class, you’ll enjoy a high-impact workout and receive an opportunity to meet like-minded individuals.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Cycling South Africa (@cycling_sa)

Swimming

Not only is this an enjoyable pastime on vacation, but a holistic form of exercise as well. Swimming is a rare workout that actually exercises your entire body.

The post Best Alternatives to Running appeared first on yourdailysportfix.com.

Elliptical

The elliptical is a low-impact, easy on your joints workout. It’s a bit like cross-country skiing and stair climbing, which makes the workout a lot of fun. It can even be a full-body workout if you hold onto the moving handles and pump your arms and engage your core. Your glutes, hamstrings, quads, triceps, and deltoids will feel the workout the most.

One drawback to the elliptical is that it isn’t functional—the machine’s movement doesn’t replicate what you deal with in the real world. If you’re looking to be able to run for longer periods of time, you’re better off using the treadmill.

Stationary Bike

The stationary bike is also low-impact and joint-friendly. This is more of a lower-body workout as your glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves are engaged throughout the exercise. To get some upper body in, get off the saddle and engage your core.

A con of the bike is that it isn’t the most comfortable piece of equipment. The seated position takes time to get used to. An easy solution to this problem is to get padded bike shorts.

The post Which Cardio Machine is Better? Elliptical vs. Stationary Bike appeared first on yourdailysportfix.com.

Not Switching it Up

It’s important to switch things up when you’re exercising on your elliptical trainer. You can do this by increasing the resistance level and changing your settings every once in a while.

Targeting Same Muscles

Playing with your settings and pedaling backward are strategies you can use to diversify your routine. This will help you avoid putting a strain on a single muscle group by training the full body at the same time.

Poor Posture

Many people have a habit of leaning on the static handles to make their elliptical workouts easier, but standing up straight will help you correct your posture and engage several muscle groups at once.

Bouncing Up and Down

Staying balanced on an elliptical can be tricky, but you should avoid bouncing up and down and pushing too hard with your toes during your workout because it will put too much stress on your joints.

The post These Common Mistakes are Sabotaging Your Elliptical Workouts appeared first on yourdailysportfix.com.

Warmup

Your warmup should be between eight to 12 minutes with a gradual increase in intensity. Your intensity level should be one in which you are breaking a sweat and can have a conversation. After the warmup, do a two to five minute recovery period to get your body ready for the workout.

Length

Your workout should be at least 10 minutes (not including the warmup) and it can be broken up into intervals as long as four minutes or as short as five to 10 seconds.

Intervals

Start with a work to rest ratio of 1:1, so if you do 30 seconds of work, do 30 seconds of rest. Depending on your fitness level, you may need to increase or decrease the ratio with more work and less rest or vice versa.

Recovery

Don’t forget the recovery periods! Make sure you take down the intensity during the rest periods so your heart rate can decrease and you can get back to high intensity.

The post How to Create an Elliptical HIIT Workout appeared first on yourdailysportfix.com.

Low-Impact Workout

If you’re dealing with joint problems, the elliptical trainer is a great alternative to the treadmill. You get a great workout without putting too much strain on your feet and knees.

Better Variety

The elliptical allows you to activate different muscle groups. Using movable handles is a great way to get an upper body workout and you can pedal backwards, which exercises your glutes.

Less Effort

Studies have shown you can burn the same amount of calories on an elliptical trainer as you can on a treadmill, while putting in much less effort. Working out on this machine feels easier because movements are more natural, and your fitness routine doesn’t feel so monotonous.

The post 3 Reasons to Start Exercising on an Elliptical appeared first on yourdailysportfix.com.

Weighted walking lunges

This is basically lunges but with a different starting leg. Instead of using your front leg to step back to the starting position, you step forward with the rear leg. This puts more pressure on the quad muscle. You can add weights to increase resistance.

Elliptical HIIT

This machine works on the legs as well as the arms. HIIT promotes muscle growth, and this cardio form can build your legs. You can make it more intense by releasing the handles and letting your legs do all the work.

Dumbbell step-ups

Step-ups are effective when it comes to maximizing tension in the legs. When you add dumbbells, it increases the intensity and produces more results. It is done by placing a leg on the aerobic step and stepping up on the step with the front leg muscles. Make sure you alternate your legs from time to time.

Jump lunges HIIT

This HIIT exercise is built to work on the quads and support the muscles in a short time. Start by entering a normal lunge position and jumping up. Switch your legs in a scissor fashion and land in the lunge position on the other side.

The post 4 Exercises For Fuller Legs appeared first on yourdailysportfix.com.