Elliptical trainers are something like having your cake and eating it too, but not quite. An elliptical trainer will give you a good aerobic workout if you exercise at sufficient intensity for sufficient duration for your particular physical condition. An elliptical will help build muscle endurance, which is something different than muscle strength, but just as important for athletic training. One often touted benefit of an elliptical trainer is that the workout is load-bearing while easy on your joints at the same time. Because you exercise in a standing position that is true so far as it goes, but it’s not the whole truth.

Because at least part of your body weight is supported by the pedals or propelled

by centrifugal force for the entire elliptical exercise period, you will not get the equivalent training effect that you will by running on a treadmill or on the pavement. Each down stroke while running creates a force upon impact that may be as much as 4 or 5 times your bodyweight. With each forward pace one leg must lift your entire bodyweight and throw it forward. There is no flywheel centrifugal force to assist you. These are the kinds of things that increase bone density, strengthen tendons, and build muscle. They all happen while running on a treadmill and on the pavement, but they do not happen, at least not to the same extent, as they do on an elliptical trainer.

If you are nursing an injury that would be aggravated by the impact of running then the elliptical will keep your cardio fitness levels up to snuff, but the elliptical trainer will not adequately substitute for your running program. U.S. Army physical fitness experts say that the very best way to train for any particular athletic activity is to perform the activity itself. If you are training for a 10K or a marathon, the elliptical trainer is certainly not going to hurt you, but it is not an adequate replacement for the leg strength, balance, technique and endurance that you will get on the street or on the treadmill.

(C) Peter Somerville. [http://www.lean-and-mean.net/aerobic-exercise/elliptical-trainer.htm]Elliptical trainer reviews and buying guide. Improve

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