Cardio Articles

Article / Updated 05-06-2022

Like walking, running provides a fitness workout that you can take with you anywhere. You can work up a great sweat, burn lots of calories, and your muscles feel invigorated after you finish. You don’t need a rack on your car or a suitcase full of equipment; you just open the door and go. No single type of exercise is better than all the rest. It’s merely a question of what’s best for you. Many runners develop frequent, chronic injuries. Many people have joints that simply will not tolerate all that pounding. If you’re not built to run, don’t argue with your body. You can get in great condition in other ways. And if you’re a beginner, hold off on running until you’ve built up stamina and strength. Running the right way Runners have a habit of looking directly at the ground, almost as if they can’t bear to see what’s coming next. Keeping your head down throws your upper-body posture off-kilter and can lead to upper-back and neck pain. Lift your head and focus your eyes straight ahead. Relax your shoulders, keep your chest lifted, and pull your abdominal muscles in tightly. Don’t overarch your back and stick your butt out; that’s one of the main reasons runners get back and hip pain. Keep your arms close to your body, and swing them forward and back rather than across your body. Don’t clench your fists. Pretend you’re holding a butterfly in each hand; you don’t want your butterflies to escape, but you don’t want to crush them, either. Lift your front knee and extend your back leg. Don’t shuffle along like you’re wearing cement boots. Land heel first and roll through the entire length of your foot. Push off from the balls of your feet instead of running flat-footed and pounding off your heels. Otherwise, your feet and legs are going to cry uncle long before your cardiovascular system does. If you experience pain in your ankles, knees, or lower back, stop running for a while. If you don’t, you could end up having to sit on the sidelines for months. Running tips for rookies These tips help you get fit and avoid injury. Start by alternating periods of walking with periods of running. For example, try two minutes of walking and one minute of running. Gradually decrease your walking intervals until you can run continuously for 20 minutes. If you have the inclination, you can build from there. Of course, sticking with a walk-run routine is fine; you’re less likely to injure yourself that way. Vary your pace. Different paces work your heart, lungs, and legs in different ways. Always run against traffic when running on the shoulder of a road. This allows you to see oncoming cars and dive for the side of the road, if necessary. If you’re running on steeply banked (angled away from the center line) country roads and the road is flat, you can run in the middle of the road to save wear and tear on your legs. But as you head up or down hills, get as far over on the shoulder (that is, away from the road) as possible to avoid speeding cars mowing you down. Consider carrying a lightweight cell phone for emergencies. Don’t increase your mileage by more than 10 percent a week. If you run 5 miles a week and want to increase, aim to do 5 1/2 miles the following week. Jumping from 5 miles to 6 miles doesn’t sound like a big deal, but studies show that if you increase your mileage more than 10 percent, you set yourself up for injury.

Article / Updated 12-09-2019

CrossFit super-enthusiasts who want to take it to the next level can become a Certified CrossFit Trainer (CCFT) or Certified CrossFit Coach (CCFC). Earning certification shows that you have the skills to work knowledgeably and effectively with individuals and groups at all levels of experience. And in a broader sense, certification ensures integrity and consistency among CrossFit certificants and affiliates. If you're not familiar with CrossFit, it's a high-intensity health and athletic exercise routine that has transformed into a global fitness philosophy and competitive sport. Check out this video for more insight and information on CrossFit training. The 4 levels of CrossFit certification CrossFit offers four levels of progressive certification beginning with Level 1(newbie status) and culminating at Level 4 (full-fledged coach): Level 1: A two-day introductory course covering basic movements, workouts, and CrossFit methods. Upon completion, you are a CF-L1 Trainer. Cost: $1,000 (US) Level 2: An intermediate course covering more advanced movements and coaching skills. Level 1 certification is a prerequisite. You can call yourself a CF-L2 Trainer. Cost: $1,000 (US) Level 3 or Certified CrossFit Trainer: It's at this level where you take the computer-based exam (more information follows) for certification as a certified trainer. You become a CCFT, in one of two ways: Attain Level 3 Certification. The prerequisites are Level 1 and Level 2 training, plus 750 hours of CrossFit coaching. You can identify yourself as a CF-L3 trainer or CCFT. Show that you have at least 1,500 hours of General Physical Preparedness (GPP) training with college or professional athletes. With this approach, you are known as a CCFT — but not a CF-L3, because you didn't go through the CF-L1 and CF-L2 training. Level 4: Certified CrossFit Coach (CCFC) — the top-level certification. To earn this, you must have L1 through L3 certification and pass an intense, one-day performance evaluation of your coaching abilities. Congratulations on your CF-L4, Coach! What you need to become a Certified CrossFit Trainer Here's a quick look at the application requirements for becoming a Certified CrossFit Trainer: Meet eligibility requirements, such as Medical certifications, such as CPR/AED, Advanced Cardiac Life Support, EMT/Paramedic Education and experience consisting of either Official CrossFit training (Level 1 and Level 2) and 750 hours of coaching, or 1,500 hours of strength and conditioning coaching at the university level or for a professional league sports team. Minimum age (18 years old) Agreement to act in accordance with the CrossFit Standards of Professional Practice. Pass the CCFT computer-based exam, consisting of 160 questions To take the exam, you need the following: CCFT application fee, nonrefundable Completed application form Examination fee (required after application form is approved) Time. The exam lasts 3 hours and 55 minutes. Commit to long-term continuing education. Enhance your professional development in a variety of areas such as gymnastics, Olympic weightlifting, endurance training, kettlebells, self-defense, rowing, and more. You can also take online classes or attend specialty seminars, publish a CrossFit Journal article, take a leadership role at a CrossFit event, or participate on a panel or advisory board. Other types of education (provided by third parties) might be eligible for continuing education credits, but they must be CrossFit-approved. How to maintain your CrossFit certification After you earn any of the CrossFit certifications, you can't just rest on your laurels. The following table shows what you need to keep your certification valid and up to date: Your Level What to Do to Maintain CrossFit Certification Your Cost CF-L1 Every five years, retake the two-day course and pass the 50-question written test $500 (US) CF-L2 Keep a current CF-L1 certificate and complete the Level 2 requirements $500 (US) every five years to retake the Level 1 course and test. CF-L3 or CCFT Recertify every three years by keeping your CPR certification current; earning 50 hours of continuing education credits over the three years; spend at least 300 hours on coaching every year for three years. None CF-L4 Keep a current CF-L3. See above. None

Article / Updated 07-29-2019

After a cardio workout (aerobic exercise such as brisk walking, jogging, bicycling, swimming, or stair climbing), you should always remember to cool down before resting. Don’t stop suddenly and make a dash for the shower or plop on the couch. Ease out of your workout just as you eased into it during a warm-up — by walking, jogging, or cycling lightly. If you’ve been using a stair-climber at Level 5 for 20 minutes, you could cool down by dropping to Level 4 for a couple minutes, then to Level 3, and so on. The cooldown should last five to ten minutes — longer if you’ve done an especially hard workout. The purpose of the cooldown is the reverse of the warm-up. At this point, your heart is jumping, and blood is pumping furiously through your muscles. You want your body to redirect the blood flow back to normal before you rush back to the office. You also want your body temperature to decrease before you hop into a hot or cold shower; otherwise, you risk fainting. Cooling down prevents your blood from pooling in one place, such as your legs. When you suddenly stop exercising, your blood can quickly collect, which can lead to dizziness, nausea, and fainting. If you’re really out of shape or at high risk for heart disease, skipping a cooldown can place undue stress on your heart.

Article / Updated 06-20-2019

If your goal is permanent fat loss, you need to burn enough calories to make a significant impact. Here's why: In order to lose a pound in one week, you need to create a 3,500-calorie deficit; in other words, you need to burn off 3,500 more calories than you eat. A 30-minute power walk on flat ground burns about 120 calories. So, to burn off 1 pound of fat by walking, you'd have to hoof it for more than 2 hours a day. Don't worry — no one should suggest that you exercise two hours every day! The best way to lose fat is to create a calorie deficit by burning calories through exercise and cutting calories you eat. For example, over the course of a week, you may cut 250 calories per day by switching from mayo to mustard on your sandwich at lunch and snacking on light yogurt instead of Fruit-on-the-Bottom. Meanwhile, you could burn an extra 250 calories a day by taking a one-hour walk or a half-hour jog. Cardio exercise is only one part of a weight-loss plan. You also need to revamp your eating habits and embark on a weight-training program. Also, keep in mind that losing weight is not as easy as it sounds on TV diet commercials. It takes a lot more commitment than just drinking that delicious shake for breakfast. And it takes time. Don't try to lose more than 1/2 pound to 1 pound each week, and don't eat fewer than 1,200 calories per day (preferably more). On a super-low-calorie diet, you deprive your body of essential nutrients, and you have a tougher time keeping the weight off because your metabolism slows down. Realize, too, that genetics plays a large role in weight loss. It's easier for some people to lose weight than it is for others. Here are some general cardio guidelines for weight loss. Consult a registered dietitian and certified fitness trainer to come up with a plan best suited to your specific goals and schedule. How often you need to do cardio for weight loss Here's the cold, hard truth: You probably need to do five or six workouts a week. How long your workouts should last for weight loss Here's another dose of reality: You should aim for at least 45 minutes of exercise, a mix of cardio and strength training, six days per week. Again, you don't need to do all this sweating at once, but for the pounds to come off, the calories you burn need to add up. How hard you need to push for weight loss To make a serious dent in your fat-loss program, work out in your target zone most of the time. But keep in mind: If you're pretty darned "deconditioned," as the politically correct like to say, even exercising at 50 percent of your maximum heart rate can help build up your fitness level. You may have heard that exercising at a slow pace is more effective for weight loss than working out more intensely. In fact, many cardio machines have "fat burning" programs that keep you at a slow pace. But this is misleading. As it turns out, the concept of a fat-burning zone is no more real than the Twilight Zone. During low-intensity aerobic exercise, your body does use fat as its primary fuel source. As you get closer to your breaking point, your body starts using a smaller percentage of fat and a larger percentage of carbohydrates, another fuel source. However, picking up the pace allows you to burn more total calories, as well as more fat calories. Here's how: If you go in-line skating for 30 minutes at a leisurely roll, you might burn about 100 calories — about 80 percent of them from fat (so that's 80 fat calories). But if you spend the same amount of time skating with a vengeance over a hilly course, you might burn 300 calories — 30 percent of them from fat (that's 90 fat calories). So at the fast pace, you burn more than double the calories and 10 more fat calories. Of course, going faster and harder is not always better. If you're just starting out, you probably can't sustain a faster pace long enough to make it worth your while. If you go slower, you may be able to exercise a lot longer, so you'll end up burning more calories and fat that way. Which activities burn the most calories "Maximize your workout and burn over 1,000 calories per hour!" That's a claim you may see in advertisements for treadmills, stair-climbers, and other cardio machines. And it's true. You can burn 1,000 calories per hour doing those activities — if you crank up the machine to the highest level and if you happen to have bionic legs. If you're a beginner, you'll last about 30 seconds at that pace, at which point you will have burned 8.3 calories, and the paramedics will be scooping you off the floor and hauling your wilted body away on a stretcher. There's a better approach to calorie burning: Choose an activity that you can sustain for a good while — say, at least 10 or 15 minutes. Sure, running burns more calories than walking, but if running wipes you out after a half mile or bothers your knees, you're better off walking. The following table gives calorie estimates for a number of popular aerobic activities. The number of calories you actually burn depends on the intensity of your workout, your weight, your muscle mass, and your metabolism. In general, a beginner is capable of burning 4 or 5 calories per minute of exercise, while a very fit person can burn 10 to 12 calories per minute. The table includes a few stop-and-go sports such as tennis and basketball. Activities like these are not aerobic in the truest sense, but they can still give you a great workout and contribute to good health and weight loss. The numbers in this chart apply to a 150-pound person. (If you weigh less, you'll burn a little less; if you weigh more, you'll burn a little more.) Calories Burned during Popular Activities Activity 15 min. 30 min. 45 min. 60 min. Aerobic dance 171 342 513 684 Basketball 141 282 432 564 Bicycling at 12 mph 142 283 425 566 Bicycling at 15 mph 177 354 531 708 Bicycling at 18 mph 213 425 638 850 Boxing 165 330 495 660 Circuit weight training 189 378 576 756 Cross-country skiing 146 291 437 583 Downhill skiing 105 210 315 420 Golf (carrying clubs) 87 174 261 348 In-line skating 150 300 450 600 Jumping rope, 60-80 skips/min. 143 286 429 572 Karate, tae kwon do 180 360 540 720 Kayaking 75 150 225 300 Racquetball 114 228 342 456 Rowing machine 104 208 310 415 Running 10-minute miles 183 365 548 731 Running 8-minute miles 223 446 670 893 Ski machine 141 282 423 564 Slide 152 304 456 608 Swimming freestyle, 35 yds/min. 124 248 371 497 Swimming freestyle, 50 yds/min. 131 261 392 523 Tennis, singles 116 232 348 464 Tennis, doubles 43 85 128 170 VersaClimber, 100 ft./min. 188 375 563 750 Walking, 20-minute miles, flat 60 120 180 240 Walking, 20-minute miles, hills 81 162 243 324 Walking, 15-minute miles, flat 73 146 219 292 Walking, 15-minute miles, hills 102 206 279 412 Water aerobics 70 140 210 280

Article / Updated 03-27-2018

Sprint training is an exercise regimen that burns fat, builds muscle, and boosts BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). Because studies have shown that short bursts of running are more efficient than long walks or jogs, sprint training is becoming the recommended method of choice for cardiovascular exercise. With sprint training, there are two basic ways to achieve ideal results: Flat sprints Incline sprints You will only want to perform sprint training exercises a couple times a week. All sprint training is high intensity and high impact. You should allow yourself at least 48-hours of rest between workouts to prevent injury. What are flat sprints? Flat-sprints are the perfect way for a beginner to start with sprint training. To perform flat sprints you will run at high speeds on a flat surface. For example, you might sprint on: A running track A sports field A jogging path A sidewalk in your neighborhood Always be aware of your surrounding area. Make sure it provides ample space and is safe for running. What are incline sprints? Incline sprints are more advanced and require more muscle to complete without risk of injury. If you are a beginner, it is recommended that you start with flat sprints before moving up to incline sprints. To perform incline sprints, choose a hill with a steep grade and at least 50 yards of running space. For example, you might choose: A city park A hilly road A mountain path Consider traffic, debris, foliage, and lighting. Make sure you perform sprint training in a safe location. How to do sprint training Whether you choose to flat sprint or incline sprint, the method in which you perform sprint training is the same. To get started with sprint training, you will need: A stopwatch A good pair of running shoes or cross trainers Appropriate exercise attire Drinking water When you have decided on a location, warm up by speed walking or jogging for about three minutes on your chosen route. If you are an incline sprinter, you can jog in place for three minutes before doing some dynamic stretches. Then, start sprinting uphill. Your sprint time will be determined by how long you have been sprint training. Beginners usually sprint in 30-second increments. Seasoned sprinters usually sprint for 180 seconds (two and a half minutes per sprint). Each burst of sprinting is followed by a rest period. The rest period is not for standing around or sitting, but rather for walking back to your starting spot (so you can get ready to sprint again). The constant movement helps you avoid muscle cramps while your body continues to burn calories. Repeat the run, rest, run actions, increasing your intensity (speed) each time. Begin the first sprint at 50 percent intensity, ending your last sprint at 100 percent intensity. Give the final sprint everything you’ve got. Always remember to stay hydrated and consider sprinting indoors during extreme weather.

Article / Updated 04-12-2017

The basic crunch is the consummate abdominal exercise in a strength-training program. Pay special attention to your form when you do crunches, especially if you have lower-back or neck problems. Performing the basic crunch Follow these steps to perform crunches: Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Place your hands behind your head so your thumbs are behind your ears. Don’t lace your fingers together. Hold your elbows out to the sides but rounded slightly in. Tilt your chin slightly, leaving a few inches of space between your chin and your chest. Gently pull your abdominals inward. Curl up and forward so that your head, neck, and shoulder blades lift off the floor. Hold for a moment at the top of the movement and then lower slowly back down. Credit: Photograph by Sunstreak Productions, Inc. Curl up to work on your abs. Tips for doing crunches Keep the following tips in mind as you perform this exercise: Keep your abdominals pulled in so you feel more tension in your abs and so you don’t overarch your lower back. Don’t pull on your neck with your hands or draw your elbows in. Do curl as well as lift. In other words, don’t yank your head, neck, and shoulder blades off the floor; you also need to curl forward, as if you’re doubling over. Think of bringing your ribs to your pelvis and exhale as you crunch up; inhale as you lower back down, keeping your belly button drawn in. Perform crunches very slowly and with control, doing 12 reps. Gym alternative: Ball crunch You can use a large plastic exercise ball (sometimes called a physioball) as an alternative to the basic crunch described above. Follow these steps: Sit on a physioball and roll your torso down so that your back — from your shoulder blades down to your tailbone — is resting on the curve of the ball and your head, neck, and shoulders are above the ball. Your knees are bent, and your feet are planted on the floor, hip-width apart. Perform the same abdominal curling movement as you do for the basic crunch. You have to move slowly and keep your abdominal muscles fully engaged to keep yourself from wiggling around on the ball or rolling off of it. Credit: Photograph by Sunstreak Productions, Inc. You can perform the basic-crunch movement on a physioball as an alternative to the traditional exercise.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Your heart rate, also known as your pulse, is the number of times your heart beats per minute. Before starting a fitness regime, your health assessment should include a measure of your resting heart rate — your heart rate when you’re sitting still. Ideally, your resting heart rate should be between 60 and 90 beats per minute. It may be slower if you’re fit or genetically predisposed to a low heart rate; it may be faster if you’re nervous or have recently downed three double cappuccinos. In addition to caffeine, stress and certain medications can speed up your heart rate. To be sure, take your heart rate first thing in the morning for three consecutive days and find the average to determine your heart rate. After a month or two of regular exercise, your resting heart rate usually drops. This means that your heart has become more efficient. It may need to beat only 70 to 80 times per minute to pump the same amount of blood (or more) than it used to pump in 90 beats. In the long run, this saves wear and tear on your heart. Taking your pulse manually The simplest place to take your own pulse is at your wrist. Follow these steps: Rest your middle and index fingertips (not your thumb) lightly on your opposite wrist, directly below the base of your thumb. Most people can see the faint bluish line of their radial artery; place your fingertips here. Count the number of beats for 1 minute. Or, if you have a short attention span, count for 30 seconds and multiply by 2. For a really, really short attention span, count for 6 seconds and multiply by 10. Using a heart-rate monitor An even easier and faster way to measure your pulse is to strap on a heart-rate monitor. With a monitor, you don’t need to stop exercising or take the time to count anything. At any given moment you can find out your heart rate by glancing at your wrist. A good monitor can cost less than $50. The really fancy ones cost $200 or more. They offer features such as a clock, a timer, and an alarm that you can set to beep when you wander out of your target zone. The most accurate type of monitor is the chest-strap variety. You hook an inch-wide strap around your chest. This strap acts as an electrode to measure the electrical activity of your heart. This information is then translated into a number, which is transmitted via radio signals to a wrist receiver that looks like a watch with a large face. Most of the cardio equipment in gyms is now “heart-rate-monitor compatible.” The machines pick up the signal from the monitor, and your heart rate pops up on the display console, so you don’t have to wear the wrist watch.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Swimming is truly a zero-impact sport. You can get a great aerobic workout that uses your whole body. Although you can strain your shoulders if you overdo it, there’s absolutely no pounding on your joints, and the only thing you’re in danger of crashing into is the wall of the pool. Plus, water has a gentle, soothing effect on the body, so swimming is helpful for those with arthritis or other joint diseases. Swimming is great for people who want to keep exercising when they’re injured and for people who are pregnant or overweight. That extra body fat helps you glide along near the surface of the water, so you don’t expend energy trying to keep yourself from sinking like a stone. If you swim in a chlorinated pool, goggles are a must to prevent eye irritation and to help you see better in the water. Buy goggles from a store that lets you try them on. You should feel some suction around your eyes, but not so much that you feel like your eyeballs are going to pop out. You also need a cap so that your hair doesn’t get plastered on your face as you swim or turn to straw from the chemicals. Swimming the right way You’ll probably spend the bulk of your workouts doing the front crawl, also called freestyle. It’s generally faster than the other strokes, so you can cover more distance. Don’t cut your strokes short; reach out as far as you can, have your hand enter thumb-first so it slices the water like a knife, and pull all the way through the water so your hand brushes your thigh. Use an S-shaped sculling movement, where you hand moves out, then in, then out again across your body/thigh and out of the water. Elongate your stroke so that you take fewer than 25 strokes in a 25-yard pool. The fewer strokes, the better. Top swimmers get so much power from each stroke that they take just 11 to 14 strokes per length of a 25-yard pool. Kick up and down from your hips, not your knees. Don’t kick too deeply or allow your feet to break the water’s surface. Proper kicking causes the water to “boil” rather than splash. Breathe through your mouth every two strokes, or every three strokes if you want to alternate the side that you breathe on. You need as much oxygen as you can get. Beginners sometimes make the mistake of taking six or eight strokes before breathing, which wears them out quickly. To breathe, roll your entire body to the side until your mouth and nose come out of the water — imagine that your entire body is on a skewer and must rotate together. Swimming tips for rookies More than almost any other aerobic activity, swimming relies on technique. The following tips can help you get the most out of your swimming workouts. Take a few lessons if you haven’t swum in a while. Beginners waste a lot of energy flailing and splashing around rather than moving forward. Break your workout into intervals. For example, don’t just get into the pool, swim 20 laps, and get out. Instead, do 4 easy laps for a warm-up. Then do 8 sets of 2 laps at a faster pace, resting 20 seconds between sets. Then cool down with two easy laps, and maybe a few extra laps with a kickboard. Mix up your strokes, too. The four basic strokes — freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and butterfly — use your muscles in different ways. If swimming is your bag, join a Masters swim club. These clubs, located at university and community pools nationwide, are geared toward adult swimmers of all levels. A coach gives you a different workout every time you swim and monitors your progress. Best of all, you have buddies to work out with. Don’t worry about being slow; the coach will group you in a lane with other people your speed. If you have a competitive spirit, you can compete in Masters meets, where you swim against others who are roughly your speed. If you find swimming a big yawn but enjoy being in the water, try water running or water aerobics. Water running is a pretty tough workout because the water provides resistance from all directions as you move your legs. It’s an excellent workout for injured runners because, even though it’s nonimpact and easy on your joints, it helps maintain aerobic conditioning. Don’t assume that water aerobics is for little old ladies in flowered caps. With the right instructor and exercise program, you can get a challenging water-aerobics workout. Water running can be even tougher.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

Stationary bicycles come in two varieties: upright and recumbent. Upright bikes simulate a regular bike, only you don’t go anywhere. Recumbent bikes have bucket seats so you pedal out in front of you. Neither type is superior; it’s a matter of preference. Bikes are great for toning your thighs (and recumbents are especially good for your behind), and they give your knees a break while offering a terrific aerobic workout. Bikes also suit anyone who wants to read while working out. The recumbent offers more back support and may be more comfortable for people with lower-back pain. If you’re new to exercise or heavyset, you may also find a recumbent bike more comfortable. Credit: Photograph by Sunstreak Productions, Inc.An upright stationary bike. Bikes give you less opportunity to use atrocious form than do most other machines. Still, there’s room for injury or discomfort. Here are some tips to help you avoid both: Adjust the seat. When the pedal is at the lowest position, your leg should be almost, but not quite, straight. You shouldn’t have to strain or rock your hips to pedal. Your knees shouldn’t feel crunched when they’re at the top of the pedal stroke. With a recumbent bike, you adjust the seat forward and back, rather than up and down, but the principles are the same. Set the handlebars correctly (if your bike allows adjustments). You should be able to hold the bar so that your arms extend out at shoulder level. You shouldn’t have to squirm around to get comfortable. Handlebar adjustment is especially important if you’re very tall or very short. Get to know the display panel. For instance, notice how many levels the bike has. Some bikes feature 12 levels; others have 40. So if you just hop on and press Level 6, you’ll get two very different workouts. Also, pay attention to your cadence — that is, how many revolutions per minute (rpm) you’re cycling. Varying your cadence is a good idea. You may want to hum along at 80 rpm for 5 minutes and then do 30-second intervals at 100 rpm using the same tension level. Adjust the pedal straps so that your feet feel snug — but don’t let the straps cut off your circulation. Riding a bike with the foot straps is much more comfortable and efficient than pedaling without them. Don’t remove the pedal straps from your bike; this forces the next person to waste time putting them back on. Don’t pedal with just your toes. Otherwise you may bring on foot and calf cramps. Instead, press from the ball of your foot and through your heel as you pump downward on the pedal, and pull up with the top of your foot on the upstroke. Don’t hunch over. Rounding your back is the way to develop back and neck pain. Don’t get your upper body into the effort, either. Instead, keep your chest up, shoulders back and down, ears in line with your shoulders, and belly button drawn in. Unlike some other machines, riding a stationary bike is not a total-body workout; don’t try to make it one. If you have to rock wildly from side to side, grit your teeth, or clench the handlebars, you need to lighten your load.

Article / Updated 03-26-2016

With elliptical trainers, your feet follow a path that’s sort of a stretched-out oval known as an ellipse (hence, the name elliptical trainer). The motion feels like a mix between fast walking, stair-climbing, and cross-country skiing. Runners who need a day off from the pounding gravitate toward this machine like moviegoers to the concession stand. It’s also popular with walkers looking for a more spirited workout and people who are bored with stair-climbing or find stair-climbing hard on their knees. Precor, Reebok CCS, Life Fitness, StairMaster, and Startrac make the most popular models. The popularity of this machine has exploded in recent years. Newer models allow you to work your arms in an opposite motion to your feet, which allows you to burn additional calories. Credit: Photograph by John UrbanElliptical trainers are gentle enough for prenatal workouts. Elliptical trainers can take a bit of getting used to, but they don’t require great skill. You’ll be up and running in no time by following these tips: Limit backward pedaling. Contrary to popular belief, pedaling backward does not work your buttocks more than pedaling forward (and it may even be hard on your knees). Both motions emphasize the front thigh muscles, so do it once in a while, but not for any prolonged amount of time. Use the machine’s versatile features. To adjust the intensity of your workout, you can pedal faster, raise the incline, increase the resistance, or any combination. Don’t lock your knees. Keep a slight bend in your knees, keeping the motion smooth. Remind yourself to stand up straight. Although the elliptical trainer lends itself to better technique than the stair-climber, you can still commit postural violations such as leaning too far forward and hugging the console.