A cross trainer is also known as an elliptical trainer or in its short form, an elliptical. It is a piece of gym equipment designed to exercise different parts of the body. On a cross trainer, users can run and jog forwards and backwards, and exercise the upper torso at the same time. It is a stationary piece of equipment that simulates the walking process and allows a low impact low pressure workout without causing any injury.
Users can change the resistance levels of the machine and can enjoy light or high intensity workouts according to their preference. Resistance can be controlled via magnetic or electromagnetic attachments. In early models this was done using a friction belt. The incline of the ramp can also be adjusted so that a higher incline produces a more rigorous workout and a lower incline exercises different leg muscles. In some models, users can adjust both the incline and the resistance to give a more precise workout.
Cross trainers don’t just exercise the leg muscles, they also provide a complete workout to other parts of the body. While they are operated primarily with the legs, some elliptical models also have hand levers attached to each leg pedal. This allows the arms to pump up and down, forwards and backwards and provide power to the motion of the legs. The user then pushes and pulls the hand levers and moves their legs back and forth on an elliptical path. A good cross trainer should allow the arms and the legs to simultaneously create motion of equal force unlike a poorly designed machine that doesn’t provide much of a workout for the arms.
A cross trainer is similar to a treadmill except that it also provides exercise to the arms and the upper torso. It also allows different types of leg motions that can imitate climbing stairs and riding a bike along with walking and jogging. These exercise machines also burn more calories in comparison to a treadmill since more muscle groups are involved. It has been observed that the longer a person’s stride the more calories they burn. This has led to newer cross trainers being introduced with additional features that allow stride length to be adjusted along with other types of settings like slope and resistance. Cross trainers are also used to promote better balance and posture along with better levels of fitness.
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