Is Elliptical Exercise Superior?
By Georgie Ellington

If you are thinking about working out at home in your own home gym, you may assume that involves buying a treadmill. However, the elliptical trainer is currently competing for a place in the homes of many today, and with good reason.

Basically, if you are trying to find out which piece of workout equipment is better, elliptical or treadmill, you really need to know what it is you want to achieve from your workout. Treadmills are still an excellent way to exercise at home, but ellipticals have some features that expand your range of workout, or help you exercise if you have old injuries or age factors to consider.

Low Impact
Probably the biggest reason people have for choosing an elliptical machine over a treadmill is that it is known for its "low impact" quality. This means that there is less impact on joints, ligaments and muscles when compared to jogging or treadmill exercise, which makes for a safer workout. With a large generation in their forties and fifties who are interested in staying healthy, the need for the low impact style of the elliptical is very popular. Now people who have joint problems or have sustained injuries and never thought they could work out again are getting a second chance to stay in shape.

Whole Body Workout
Even though the elliptical workout is low impact, it doesn't detract from the quality of the results. In fact, some would argue that the results are better than those achieved on the treadmill or with other equipment. The reason for the superior results is because with a lot of elliptical trainers you get a whole body workout. The treadmill is good for certain aspects of your body in the same way that running is, for example your cardiovascular health and burning fat. With elliptical machines, you are combining the movements of biking, skiing and hiking. Therefore, when you exercise on an elliptical with upper body movement capability, you are able to work a greater muscle group into your workout. This means that not only are you increasing your heart rate, but you are also exercising the legs, back, shoulders, arms and chest. They will give you the long duration aerobic workout necessary to burn fat, burning 13 calories a minute. These machines are equipped with different preset exercise programs to make your workout easier, switching around to make your exercise time varied and less boring. Some of them even have a plug in for your iPod to make your workout more enjoyable.

Whether you are a baby boomer, weekend warrior with old injuries or are just looking for a total workout in a short space of time, the elliptical is definitely worth considering.

Visit Georgie's blog The Best Ellipticals for a short and simple lowdown on the best ellipticals to suit every budget. You can also visit Elliptical Live a fast paced site with the current best offers on new, used and refurbished brand name ellipticals for your home gym.

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