Crosstrainer workouts

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sfriel68
sfriel68 Posts: 61 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi what workouts do you do on the crosstrainer? Is there any pre set workouts that you would recommend rather than just working the machine manually . I joined the gym and I'm going for the first time today. Haven't been to a gym for years but I am fairly fit as I do loads of walking and cycling

Replies

  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,643 Member
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    Intervals are always good if you don't want to play with it manually. Or if yours has the feature, pick random. Maybe that day will be your lucky/unlucky day :)
  • sfriel68
    sfriel68 Posts: 61 Member
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    20yearsyounger wrote: »
    Intervals are always good if you don't want to play with it manually. Or if yours has the feature, pick random. Maybe that day will be your lucky/unlucky day :)

    Oooh random sounds interesting. so if it has such a setting I would just select it and go from there? Or would I still need to select a level?
  • 20yearsyounger
    20yearsyounger Posts: 1,643 Member
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    You can also select a level. If it seems to easy at its lowest point, then you can keep moving it up until you feel like you are getting a good workout. Try not to gauge it at the highest point :). You can always adjust the level during the workout.
  • BunnyBomb
    BunnyBomb Posts: 143 Member
    edited January 2016
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    Cross trainer routine

    I went looking for good routines that are designed specifically for my Spirit eGlide trainer and found some from Express Exercise in New Zealand (where I'm from originally) that work really well. I love the set minutes for each position, so you're not grinding for long periods, or doing boring jogging for long periods, it's mixed just right to keep focus. It's low impact so there is no jarring on my joints, which is the main thing. I just have to be careful how I position my feet, as can't put too much pressure on the front.

    The routines I'm posting originally come from Express Exercise and were published freely on their website a few years ago. Sadly I don't think that gym exists any more and their website is gone, so you can't find them any more. When I originally started using them I wrote to them directly and thanked them for making the routines freely available. The guy replied and was really nice, quite helpful at the time.

    I find for some reason (and it's counter intuitive) the Natural pace on setting 5 is really difficult. I find it's actually easier to Stomp at that setting, but I think this is mostly because I struggle to keep my back straight enough in the Natural position. I seem to want to curl over on it, so I'm hoping the mirror wall will help me to notice what I'm doing wrong with my position and correct it.

    g13hqc154m2g.png

    fsrdqpxii58w.png

  • sfriel68
    sfriel68 Posts: 61 Member
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    BunnyBomb wrote: »
    Cross trainer routine

    I went looking for good routines that are designed specifically for my Spirit eGlide trainer and found some from Express Exercise in New Zealand (where I'm from originally) that work really well. I love the set minutes for each position, so you're not grinding for long periods, or doing boring jogging for long periods, it's mixed just right to keep focus. It's low impact so there is no jarring on my joints, which is the main thing. I just have to be careful how I position my feet, as can't put too much pressure on the front.

    The routines I'm posting originally come from Express Exercise and were published freely on their website a few years ago. Sadly I don't think that gym exists any more and their website is gone, so you can't find them any more. When I originally started using them I wrote to them directly and thanked them for making the routines freely available. The guy replied and was really nice, quite helpful at the time.

    I find for some reason (and it's counter intuitive) the Natural pace on setting 5 is really difficult. I find it's actually easier to Stomp at that setting, but I think this is mostly because I struggle to keep my back straight enough in the Natural position. I seem to want to curl over on it, so I'm hoping the mirror wall will help me to notice what I'm doing wrong with my position and correct it.

    g13hqc154m2g.png

    fsrdqpxii58w.png

    Thank you so much, really appreciated
  • robertw486
    robertw486 Posts: 2,389 Member
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    Interesting charts on the cross trainer. I've found that on the elliptical with the ramp movement that you can exaggerate the ramp changes even more based on posture on the machine.

    But overall you can get really good workouts on a lot of these machines. You get out what you put into them. I tend to mix it up to avoid boredom, and you can feel a lot of different muscles groups being worked.

    I like doing big ramp changes at higher intensities on the elliptical. It's similar to tri athletes doing "bricks" in training. You engage a different muscle group while certain other ones are getting the major blood flow from being pumped up. It's an unusual type of adaptation and can be a challenge, but at times borderline painful if you push too hard as well.

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