Best Home Gym Reviews and Tips for Your Home Gym
There is no complete home gym without good cardio machine. You can choose to buy an elliptical machine, a treadmill, exercise bike or even rowing machine. While each of these machines will provide you an excellent cardio workout, convenience and benefits of using either of them isn’t the same. For example, exercise bikes are great for cardio exercises, and there are many reasons to buy an exercise bike, but elliptical machines have the advantage of offering more complex and complete workouts. On the other hand, elliptical machine takes more space for storage, and provides exercises that many people don’t like to perform.
That doesn’t mean that all these machines aren’t great for cardio workouts, it only means that each of them has its own advantages and disadvantages. However, in this article you can see 5 main reasons why you should consider buying an elliptical machine.
Less impact on joints
Perhaps the most important advantage of elliptical machines is their impact on one’s joints. Unlike treadmills, known to cause lots of stress on the knees and ankles, elliptical machines are more user-friendly, thanks to their design.
On the elliptical machine, the footplates sustain your legs, so there is almost no pressure exerted on joints in the legs, except for the stress caused by the weight of the upper body. The smooth motions performed on the cross trainer allow you to tone your hamstrings and glutes, your quadriceps and calves, as well as the chest and arms, reducing the impact and the risk of injuries in joints, bones and muscles at a minimum.
In addition, the elliptical machine has the advantage of providing the same health benefits as the treadmill: an increased metabolism rate and improved oxygenation and cardiovascular performance.
Various preset training programs
Most elliptical machines come with preset programs that allow you to choose the workout you want to perform based on your fitness goal: weight loss, stamina and physical endurance improvement, toning and relaxation for muscles.
This makes home gym workouts less boring and monotonous and makes it easier to stay motivated while working out. Moreover, preset programs allow you to adapt your training session to your fitness level, so that you can challenge your body and get the most of your routine without overworking muscles.
If your purpose is to shed off unwanted pounds faster than ever, you can opt for high-intensity interval trainings. That will involve your entire body and boost the metabolism rate, causing a dramatic weight loss in the shortest time.
On the other hand, if you want to use the elliptical machine for improving your muscle tone and shape and gaining lean mass, you can choose programs that provide a higher resistance. If your elliptical has mobile handlers, you can work your arms and shoulders as well so you get a full-body workout.
Complex body workout
If you want a complete workout for your body, an elliptical is surely a great option for your home gym. Unlike other cardio and aerobic machines, this one doesn’t focus only on your lower body. Exercise bikes, for example, work the lower body more intensely and only some models provide features for the upper body as well.
Elliptical machines, on the other hand, coordinate movements of the lower body with those of the upper body. That exercises your most important muscle groups in legs, butt and hips, arms and chest. The result is a more toned, slimmer body and stronger muscles that burn more calories even during resting periods.
Adjustable resistance
As said before, elliptical trainers come with preset programs that force your body to move in a certain rhythm, according to the fitness purpose of the routine. However, you also have the possibility of customizing the workout by choosing the desired speed and time, distance and resistance level.
This makes it easier for you to follow a strict workout program and to make workouts more challenging or more relaxing, depending on your overall shape. Besides the resistance level, you can also adjust the incline, which will make exercising on the elliptical machine even more intense and demanding for your muscles. That will burn more calories during the workout.
Elliptical machine improves cardiovascular function
Finally, elliptical machines are excellent for improving your cardiovascular performance, as this being their main purpose. Elliptical workouts accelerate the heart rate, while improving circulation, so your entire body will benefit from these exercises.
Elliptical machines improve respiration, accelerate metabolism, and relieve the stress and burn calories faster. They also improve mobility and flexibility, so there are many reasons for you to invest in an elliptical machine for your home gym!
