June 13, 2007
If you just purchased a home elliptical or recently joined a health club you may be wondering how to get started on the elliptical. The good news is it’s not very hard. Next to a stationary bike, learning how to use an elliptical trainer is very intuitive and straightforward.
Actually, the more difficult part of getting started on the elliptical is knowing how often to train on it and for how long. As with beginning any exercise or diet program, be sure to consult with your physician and get clearance before starting. The best advice when just starting out is to take things slowly to allow both your body and your mind to adapt to the new demands you will be placing on them.
A good target is to train on the elliptical 4 times a week for between 30 to 45 minutes. If your schedule doesn’t permit this frequency, then do what you can. Three times a week for 20 minutes will produce great results if done consistently over a period of time. Just make sure you do something and get yourself moving!
The other thing you want to pay attention to is your clothing and footwear. The great news is that these items don’t need to be fancy or expensive. Just be sure to wear loose fitting clothing that will absorb perspiration. Select shoes that offer good shock absorption and provide a little extra room in the toe box. This precaution may help prevent your feet from getting numb while using the elliptical.
The actual form and motion you use on the elliptical is very easy to master. Just remember to maintain an upright posture and don’t hunch over. If using the upper body handles, don’t grip them too tightly as this will cause your forearms to tense up. Then it’s just a matter of taking full, easy flowing strides.
Most ellipticals come equipped with a large variety of preset programs with the ability to store user profiles. These are really neat features, but my advice is to just stick with the plain old manual setting. The important thing is to determine your target heart rate and keep within it during the core of your training session. As you progress in your training program then feel free to explore the preset workout programs and begin experimenting with advance training techniques such as high intensity interval training (HIIT).
Once your elliptical workout is complete use the period immediately after you finish to stretch out your muscles for a few minutes. This is very relaxing and will make you feel great afterwards. Just be sure to stretch after your workout and never stretch out a cold muscle!
Getting started on an elliptical is really not difficult at all. Take your time; keep your expectations reasonable, and most importantly, stick with it. That’s the only way you’ll see the results that will make you proud!
Rich Rojas writes unbiased Elliptical Trainer Reviews and articles on health and fitness. Get a Free 4-Day Minicourse: Getting Started With Elliptical Training when you subscribe to the EllipticalHome.com Fitness Newsletter.
Posted by admin under
Fitness Tips |
Comments Off
June 12, 2007
February is the perfect month to consider mending your broken heart and San Francisco is the just the right city to do it. No, I am not talking about your love life. I am talking about strengthening the most important muscle in your body; your heart.
Valentine’s month is a period in between the holidays and summer. There are not as many distractions which make it a great month to begin an exercise program. The San Francisco setting for this is ideal with the cool clear days February provides and no fog!
More importantly there is no better city to train than San Francisco because of our unique topography. Where most cities have to rely solely on long, boring and flat cardio workouts we have a ton of options for quick, high intensity cardio workouts.
Three great options for fast cardio training that The City offers are: beach sprints, hill sprints and stair climbing.
1. Beach Sprints: Sprinting at the beach is great for developing strength in your legs as well as your heart. It takes more effort than sprinting on a solid surface and you can’t beat the scenery (unless all you can see is fog but that’s pretty cool too.) A great cardio workout at the beach would be to sprint for twenty seconds then walk for ten and repeat eight times for a total of four minutes. This is the Fartlek method of training and has been proven to be just as effective as running at a steady state for longer periods.
2. Hill Sprints: When I was young and had to walk everywhere I would curse the hills of San Francisco. Driving my old cars with stick shifts was never much fun either. Now it’s all about automatics and using the hills to exercise. Much like beach sprints; hill sprints are great for strengthening the legs and glutes, as well as your heart. The best thing about hill sprints is most likely you have a hill right outside your door (if you don’t you probably live close to the beach.) Try the “around the block run.” Jog easy downhill and around the turns and sprint uphill. Depending on the length and slope of the hill start out doing this once or twice and try to build up to five or six times or more.
3. Stair Climbing: One of the aspects of San Francisco I have always loved, even as a kid, is the amount of stairs we have. Long staircases slice through neighborhoods providing easy routes to our favorite coffee shops and create the feeling, for me, of being in an old world time and place. What I really love about them is the leg, glute and cardio workout they can provide. Try running up a long staircase, walking up two stairs at a time or carrying a pair of dumbbells on your climb. If you want to climb it more than once be careful coming back down as you will be tired.
Try these once or twice a week along with a longer, steady run. Of course do a proper warm up before exercising and always consult a physician before starting a new exercise program. Happy Valentines Day!
Jim Phillips is a physical educator, fitness coach and owner of http://www.home-exercise-secrets.com.
Posted by admin under
Fitness Tips |
Comments Off
June 9, 2007
Any competitive or recreational athlete will use a variety of cross-training methods or tools to complement their particular sport or to meet their fitness needs. One such tool that is becoming increasing popular is the Kickbike. The Kickbike is a high end adult version of a scooter. Although new to North America, the Kickbike has been around for about 20 years in Europe and the Netherlands where national and international Eurocups are held yearly establishing national and world records for distances ranging from 200m to 30km.
How does one train on a Kickbike?
The Kickbike is propelled forward by kicking back as you would on any scooter. The only new skill needed is learning how to switch kicking legs. There are two techniques that can be used for switching kicking legs. One is called the “Heel Roll” and the second the “Hop- Step” technique. How often you switch kicking legs is dependant on the person but usually a cadence of 3 to 10 kicks before you switch is normal. When attacking hills your cadence will increase. When descending hills you are best to just stop kicking and enjoy the ride. For those who would like to see both techniques you are invited to visit Kickbike Ontario’s website at www.kickbikeontario.ca were a short 36 second video clip is available.
What muscle groups are utilized?
Training on a Kickbike utilizes the large muscle groups that are used in running as well as cycling. When riding a Kickbike the standing or support leg uses primarily the quadricep and lower leg muscles, (tibialis, gastrocnemius, (calf), and soleus). Most of the load while riding is handled by this support leg which is constantly flexing thoughout the kicking cycle. The kicking
leg itself makes use of a pendulum type of kickback beginning at the hip which draws in the glutes, hamstring and calf muscle groups. As the kicking leg is brought forward and up the abdominals come into play. With a little practice a pushing motion can be added with the arms that will involve the pecs and forearm muscles.
Who will benefit from using a Kickbike?
The Kickbike can be used by those who are interested in light exercise while cruising the harbor front or bike paths though out the city or as a means of commuting to work. The Kickbike can also be used by those who have a more intense interest in cardio fitness and would like to avoid the high impact nature of running. Because it is low impact the Kickbike has become a popular tool with those mature athletes who have had to give up running due to knee or hip problems. The Kickbike is very light weight at 13 kg. making it ideal for just about any age group from 10 to 60 years of age. When you factor in the cardio and its low impact nature along with the utilization of the muscle groups discussed above the Kickbike is an excellent cross-training tool for any walker, runner, cyclist or for those who are recuperating from an injury. It is truly a fun and unique way to exercise.
Rodger Knight
Mathematics teacher, Basketball and Track Coach
at George S. Henry Academy in Toronto, Ontario
Also owner of Kickbike Ontario - website http://www.kickbikeontario.ca
Posted by admin under
Fitness Tips |
Comments Off