How to Properly Use an Elliptical Trainer

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Amy McCauley, and we're going to discuss how to properly use an elliptical trainer. A couple of things you want to think about, is when you get on to the elliptical machine, you want to grab onto the handrails with one hand. As you put your foot onto the pad, you're going to make sure that the other foot, slowly comes up. Hold onto the handrails, so that you keep your balance. You'll start moving your feet, one at a time. You can go into a forward motion, or you can go into a backward motion. I suggest trying a forward motion first, when you first get on it. Hold onto the handrails with both hands, to stabilize you once you get on there. Most elliptical machines have heart rate monitors on them, that you can kind of see where your heart rate is. Adjust a program, if you've just begun to manual, just so you can get comfortable with it. Once you get comfortable with it, if you want to try a program, Rolling Hills is a good program to try when you get started, because it's kind of an up and down motion, that gets your heart rate ready. You're going to also want to look at the resistance levels. Don't go too heavy with the resistance, when you first start using your elliptical machine. Save that for a couple of times after you're used to it, and you're comfortable with it. You can either go forward with it, or backwards with it. Going forward is going to recruit more quadriceps. Going backwards, is going to recruit more hamstrings and glutes, so depending on what you want to really zone in on, is what the direction you're going to go with your foot pattern. When you get off the elliptical machine, just make sure that the machine is off. You're going to slow your feet down slowly, instead of quickly, so if you're up to a pretty high pace, slowly start to come down with your speed, so that you're not going so fast, when you come down. Take one hand and put it on the elliptical, and then just gently guide yourself off, and that is how we properly use an elliptical trainer."