What is an Elliptical Cross Trainer?

This article will attempt to describe exactly what an elliptical cross trainer is.  An elliptical cross trainer is similar to a treadmill in that it is supposed to provide a cardiovascular workout, but the elliptical cross trainer provides it with very little impact. 

What this means is that it is much safer for older people or people with health risks to use an elliptical cross trainer.  Elliptical cross trainers are somewhat more expensive than most other cardiovascular machines, but provide you with a full body workout.

The Basics of an Elliptical Cross Trainer

When you look at one, they kind of resemble a cross between a stationary bike, a stair master, and a treadmill.  There is a central wheel that has a belt around it which can be tightened to provide more a less resistance.  It also means that the elliptical cross trainer can function moving forward as well as moving in reverse.  The resistance bands can be adjusted during your workout to simulate hills and other obstacles. 

It has been speculated that an elliptical cross trainer can provide a superior workout to the majority of cardiovascular machines out there because it works multiple muscle group at the same time.  The thinking

behind this is that the muscle groups will burn off the stored up glucose in your bloodstream faster, therefore they will end up burning fat sooner, and by burning fat sooner you will burn fat longer based on the time of you workout. 

Continuing with that thinking, if you started burning fat 10 minutes into a treadmill workout and 5 minutes into an elliptical cross trainer workout and both workouts lasted 30 minutes, you would burn fat on the elliptical cross trainer for 5 more minutes on than on the treadmill.  When you compare the facts that an elliptical offers you a more efficient workout than a treadmill and provides less impact, you can see why they have become so popular lately. 

The only advantage that treadmills have is that in general they are less expensive and have less moving parts.  The big negative for elliptical cross trainers is that they breakdown easy and can be very expensive to repair.  As they become more common, though, developments are being made to make them more reliable and much more cost effective.  It is clear that these exercise devices will continue to dominate the market for years to come and will not be one in a long line of fads. Hopefully this article has given you some insight into your next exercise purchase.