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The Crosstrainer: Benefits and Usage
One of the most well-known cardio machines in the gym, after the treadmill, is undoubtedly the crosstrainer. The machine is often used by female visitors to the gym, but you’ll also find many male visitors on this device. What advantages does crosstraining offer compared to other machines, and for what purposes can you use the crosstrainer? You’ll find out here.
The Crosstrainer
The crosstrainer is a cardio machine that has a flywheel at the bottom, with 2 rotating planks attached to it. At the top are 2 handles for the arms. During training on the crosstrainer, you use both your arms and your legs. When you stand on these planks with your feet and make a forward-pushing motion, the crosstrainer starts moving, and the planks begin to rotate. At this point, you push against the handles with your arms, and this also moves the top part of the crosstrainer. With these movements both at the bottom and the top, the legs and arms are activated during crosstraining.
Crosstrainer Benefits
You can burn a considerable number of calories with the crosstrainer. Both your upper and lower body are in action, and with the resistance settings on the machine, you can increase the intensity. Unlike a treadmill, the crosstrainer is less stressful on the knees. On the treadmill or while running outdoors, each step is absorbed as a sort of ‘impact’ on the knees. Over time, this can lead to injuries, something commonly heard of among novice runners.
With crosstraining, you don’t have this problem. You make a circular motion with your legs, so there are no impacts or shocks on your knees. This makes the machine very suitable for people who cannot run due to knee problems or for those with weak knees. Finally, it’s a good device to start with if you’ve never exercised before and want to move more.
Which Muscles Do You Train on a Crosstrainer
The great advantage of the crosstrainer compared to running or cycling is that you train your entire body with crosstraining. So, your arms, legs, and your cardiovascular system. Because you can increase the resistance, you can also focus more on training your muscles rather than your cardiovascular system. The muscles you can develop with a crosstrainer are your biceps, triceps, abdominal muscles, quadriceps, and hamstrings. When you use the crosstrainer in the opposite direction, i.e., backward, you focus more on your buttocks and train the gluteal muscles. However, you won’t get a very muscular and toned body from the crosstrainer. You create too little progressive overload and hardly any hypertrophy occurs. If you want to achieve muscle growth, you’ll need to use weights. But you can certainly lose weight with the crosstrainer.
Losing Weight with the Crosstrainer
The crosstrainer is the cardio machine par excellence for people who want to lose weight. Because the threshold for this device is lower than for running, and because you train your entire body on this machine, it can be a solution for weight loss. During half an hour, depending on the intensity, you can easily burn about 500 calories. This is equivalent to half an hour of running at a speed of 10 kilometers per hour.
By the way, the simplest way to lose weight is to eat less and therefore consume fewer calories than your daily calorie needs. Because what’s easier: half an hour on the crosstrainer or skipping a plate of fries?
