How To Avoid Injuries On The Elliptical

If you’re getting started with your cardio workouts and have chosen the elliptical machine as your choice of equipment, it’s important that you take the time to learn how to use this piece of equipment properly so that you can reduce the risk that you begin to suffer from injury.

Cross trainers are a relatively injury-prone piece of equipment when used right as they offer very little impact so won’t stress the knees and back like some other cardio machines will.

That said, they do have their own set of issues that you should know about to ensure that you stay safe during your workout.

Let’s look at what you should know.

Maintain An Upright Position

The very first thing that you must do if you hope to combat injuries is to make sure that you maintain an upright position as you use the machine.  The biggest mistake some people make is beginning to lean forward into the handlebars as they perform the movement, which is going to place a huge amount of stress on the lower back.

Always check your posture each and every workout session that you perform to ensure that it’s staying as it should. Especially as you increase the intensity level of the workout, be particularly aware of the posture that you’re using.  You’re far more likely to break good form as the resistance goes up.

Don’t Go Too Hard With The Resistance Level

Speaking of resistance, that’s another place where you need to be very careful when going about your workout routine.  If you set the resistance to too high of a level off the start, you’re going to be seriously working the hip flexor muscles and likely find that you’re in pain the next morning.

Elliptical machines will really target this muscle right between the leg and the hip and if you are using a high resistance, you’ll be overworking them to the point soreness sets in and you’ll be unable to complete your next workout.

When first beginning, focus on using a faster stroke to boost the intensity level rather than using more resistance.

Place The Feet Directly Below The Hips

Finally, the third mistake that you need to be on the lookout for as you begin using the cross trainer during your workouts is that you don’t place the feet too far forward or backward on the foot pedals.

Some people will place their fee too far forward, which then puts their spinal column in an awkward position.

Different machines have different sized foot pedals, so this can really influence the stance that you use.

Always check when first beginning that your body is in a straight line when in the full standing position on the machine before you begin exercise.

Then maintain that position from there forward.

So there you have the most important things to keep in mind so that you can stay injury free for the time to come and make the most of what your cross trainer workouts have to offer.