by Babs Gallegos

If you have a knee, back or hip injury try using an elliptical trainer for a low impact workout, as running or jogging limit the kind of exercises you can do, as they are high impact.

This can be frustrating if you like this type of exercise for health & fitness or believe that these exercises give you a good workout. While running and jogging certainly give you a good cardio workout they are not the only ways.

When you learn how to use this exercise machine, you will increase your stamina, burn more calories, maximize your workout, and have a good cardiovascular workout without hurting yourself, by learning how to use an elliptical trainer.

Move Your Legs Properly:

Learning how to use an elliptical trainer involves moving your legs properly. In order to achieve the right stride it should not be too long or too short, or it is uncomfortable and you will not enjoy your workout. Learn how to use this machine properly.

In the first case you may feel that this workout is not for you and abandon it before you really have given it a chance. In the second case you are not burning as much calories as you want in order to lose weight. Aim for your stride to feel natural, it should feel the same when you are walking.

What to do with Your Arms:

When it comes to your arms there are several things you can do when learning how to use an elliptical trainer. Some machines will offer you a total body workout by connecting the handles with the foot pedals. This gets your upper body involved as your arms move in sync with your feet.

Another way to deal with your arms when beginning to use an elliptical trainer is to hold on to the handlebars without moving them. Some people choose to do this to keep their balance if they are not confident when using this machine. Aim to move your arms the way you would when running. This burns the most calories and helps you to build your core muscles as your body builds up your balance ability.

Give Yourself A Challenge:

You need to challenge yourself just as you would with any type of workout. When learning how to use an elliptical trainer make sure that you vary the speed. Another thing that you should keep an eye on is the resistance levels. Start slowly with resistance but you should aim to increase it with each workout.

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