Boost The Challenge Of Your Elliptical Trainer Workout

One of the many ways that you can get the most out of your gym membership is to use the various exercise machines that are available. While a lot of people enjoy jogging on a treadmill or pedaling on an exercise bike, it can also be fun to give an elliptical trainer a try. It may take you a little while to get into the rhythm of an elliptical trainer, but you'll soon notice that you're challenging your muscles and elevating your heart rate. An elliptical trainer can be a valuable addition to your workout, and if you're interested in boosting the challenge, there are various options available. 

Speed

Perhaps the simplest way to make your elliptical trainer workout more challenging is to increase your speed. Upping your pace will immediately require your body to work harder. A good way to increase your speed is to do so in short intervals. For example, you might use the elliptical trainer at a moderate pace for a few minutes and then do 30 seconds of moving as quickly as you can. You can then lower your pace to a moderate level until you've recovered to some degree, and then increase your speed for another short interval. Eventually, you'll notice that you're able to sustain faster speeds for longer durations.

Resistance

Another simple way to boost the challenge of your elliptical trainer workout is to increase the resistance. You can do so on the machine's control panel. Typically, these machines have many different resistance settings. If you're used to working out with a resistance of 0, increase the level to 1 and notice how your legs and arms have to work a little harder. You can increase the resistance to a level that you find challenging, and then remember this level for future workouts. Eventually, you may wish to further increase the resistance level to continue pushing yourself.

Incline

Lots of elliptical trainers give you the ability to adjust their incline. When you begin using this exercise machine, you'll do so without being on an incline. Upon increasing the incline, even by a small amount, you'll find that you have to work harder. This is similar to how walking up a hill is more challenging than walking on level ground. You'll likely see that your elliptical trainer has many different incline settings, so you can gradually increase the challenge over the course of your workouts. 

Visit a local fitness center for more ideas.