Exercise is an essential aspect of life for many individuals. However, as one attempts to maintain a healthy body for later life, they must consider how their workouts influence the various parts of their body. It is obvious that contact sports can cause serious damage to the body but what is less obvious is how impact activities can affect the body. Running, tennis and even treadmills can cause severe joint damage. Many times this damage is not apparent until much later in life. For those that want to reap the benefits of vigorous exercise and at the same time preserve their health an elliptical trainer offers a great combination of both.
Some individuals believe that an elliptical training machine focuses on only certain muscle groups thus limiting the over all workout. However, the opposite is true. Elliptical trainers exercise the body without damaging impact moves while employing the use of many different muscle groups. Maybe the most apparent group involves the lower body. During this workout the primary resistance is felt in the legs working the quadriceps (thighs), hamstrings (back of the upper leg) as well as the gluteus maximus. These major muscles of the lower body provide the necessary power needed to execute the cyclical motion. To balance these movements the gastrocnemius (calves) and the tibialus anterior (shins) are called upon. They provide stabilization and leg control.
While the lower body is focusing on this fluid movement, the core muscles are required to compliment the major muscles of the lower body. To effectively execute the movements of the elliptical trainer the obliques and rectus abdominus muscles (abs) must work in conjunction with the latissimi dorsi (back muscles) to again offer full body stability. Not to leave the upper body out, the handles are connected to the movements made by the machine’s pedals. The deltoids, pectoralis major (chest) and the triceps are required to push the handles away while the biceps are responsible for pulling the handles back to the body. By engaging these various muscle groups, the body can efficiently utilize all of the major muscle groups. Through this full-body cross-training exercise one receives a natural and efficient workout of the entire body.
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