As with any diet and fitness craze that comes and goes, the popularity of exercise machines seems to be here today and gone tomorrow. Media hype may be responsible for this. Every time a new product is endorsed in television, newspapers, and magazines, people rush to buy. Nobody wants to be left out. But because it’s a fad, they don’t usually last very long. Some ideas however stick around and slowly gain in popularity. This is what has happened with the invention of the elliptical trainer.

Most versions of elliptical trainers have movable handles that let you exercise the upper body. This gives you a full body workout option. Because you exercise in an upright, weight bearing position with an elliptical trainer, you build up your leg muscles.

One of the benefits of using elliptical trainers is the amount of calories burned while working out. Because the feet never leave the foot pedals, the joints aren’t subject to impact. A running exercise with an elliptical trainer is comparable to jogging as far as the amount of calories burned, but without the jarring of the body joints. Elderly people and those with joint injuries will be greatly benefited by an elliptical trainer because of the very low impact on the body.

As you can see the benefits of elliptical trainers are many. Because of their innovative design, you can get a full body cardiovascular workout that is low impact and burns a lot of calories.

Because most elliptical trainers incorporate upper body arms, elliptical workouts tend to involve the whole body and give you an overall better workout - meaning you burn more calories in less time. That’s always a benefit. Elliptical trainers have also been proven to offer a lower ‘Perceived Rate of Exertion’ when working out. This means that you’re doing more work and burning more calories while feeling like you put out less effort.