How To Use a Cross Trainer
We’ve all been there, the first ever visit to one of the local gyms or health clubs, eyes wide open and wondering how everything works. Fitness clubs have a wide range of equipment with lots of buttons and a plethora of information that can spew forth. It can be unnerving but with this little guide, the most intimidating piece of exercise equipment, the cross trainer won’t be so daunting.
The first thing you need to do when you stand on this monster is to make sure you place your feet to the front of the footpad. Don’t have your toes right up against the front; otherwise you will restrict your foot movement. By placing your foot correctly on the cross trainer, your muscles will have more motion because you won’t just be using your toes, but the whole of your foot, giving a better workout.
The machine doesn’t move itself; it won’t spring to life because you’ve stood on it. So you can rule out any fears of flying off it and ending up as viral video. Once you have pressed the quick start button, all of the movement is made by you, the cross trainer is there to aid you, not for you to stand there and do none of the work, you move the machine.
On that note make sure you use the handles, they are there for a reason, to give you a full bodywork out, in many gyms you can see people not using the handles and really and truthfully they might as well just swap the cross trainer for the treadmill, or go for a run round the block. The handles are there to give you a much more stabile exercise platform and allowing you to spend more energy equally rather than spending your energy maintaining your balance. Also ensure that you are in control of the handles, avoid the dragging effect, make sure you pull and push the handles, rather than the momentum moving your arms.
Changing direction on the cross trainer will use all the various muscles in your legs and bottom. Initially you will probably start off in a forward motion, but to get the benefits of the cross trainer, use it in reverse, you will notice that your fitness levels will increase much quicker by going in both directions during your workout.
Lastly, cross trainers often tell you how many calories you are burning, these are normally wrong, so ignore it. If you are using the cross trainer you are burning calories and if you increase the resistance you’ll burn even more, the one thing you do need to keep an eye on is how many strides per minute you are doing, keep it in-between 140 to 160.
The cross trainer is a great piece of equipment for getting fit and can normally be found in gyms and health clubs up and down the country, hopefully with this little guide it won’t be so daunting for any novice.
Written by Steve Regis who is an experienced personal trainer and has worked with many clients over the years, he is an avid writer about health and visits his gym in Sheffield and can be found working in local fitness clubs. He likes to focus on motivating people in their fitness goals and aims to inspire people to want to feel great.
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