Choosing the right cross-trainer means being able to pick the one that fits your fitness goals: Getting back into fitness? Staying in shape? Physical recovery? Sports prep? Following is our guide on how to get the most out of the benefits of a cross-trainer: a cardio workout and full muscle toning, while remaining low-impact on the joints.
A cross-trainer (elliptical trainer) can be used by anyone and is great for the whole family. It is a sturdy machine that can last a long time. It allows you to work out in the comfort of your home, all year round, without worrying about the weather!
A cross-trainer gives you a complete workout since it combines cardio with muscle toning of both the upper and lower body. The movements you perform on it are low-impact and easy on the joints.
Benefits:
- Get back into shape: it's the perfect exercise equipment for getting back into good physical condition and/or improving your performance
- Lose weight: a cross-trainer helps you to burn fat. If done consistently and combined with a suitable diet, it helps slim your figure
- Gently work out your heart: it improves your cardiovascular endurance.
- Physical conditioning: it allows you to build muscle without risk to the joints.
To each his own! Which cross-trainer you choose depends on how you're going to use it. In other words, it should meet one of several predetermined goals. The more sport-oriented your use, the more the fluidity and pedalling range will boost your performance and make it more comfortable to use.
PHYSICAL RECOVERY: GENTLY STRENGTHENING YOUR MUSCLES
When used as part of a slow physical recovery, you need comfort at the expense of performance. Comfort of the lower back is a greater priority than pedalling power. Domyos cross-trainers are designed to keep your back straight as you work out. Therefore, all of our cross-trainers meet this criterion.
CARDIO WORKOUTS: REGULAR OR PERFORMANCE (INTENSE TRAINING)
For a more intense cardio workout, such as for sports prep or for "performance" workouts, the ability to change exercise positions provides both variety and added comfort while exercising. In this case, we recommend looking at cross-trainers equipped with mobile arms as well as fixed multi-position handlebars in addition to having a wider pedalling range.
WATCH YOUR POSTURE
Remember to always keep your back straight! A well designed cross-trainer should ensure you maintain this position. Whether you use the cross-trainer's mobile arms or the fixed handlebar, a straight posture effectively works out the abs (core), your upper and lower body, and allows you to keep working out long term.
PERFORMANCE
The determining criteria are the following:
- Fluid pedalling
Comfortable pedalling is first and foremost pedalling without any jerky movements. While the weight of the wheel is one factor in this fluidity, it is far from the only one. The factors that contribute directly to pedalling fluidity are the weight of the wheel, the distribution of weight on the wheel, and the gearing system, etc.
This is why the Domyos gearing systems have been developed to provide maximum fluidity in use. As a result, a 3.5 kg wheel can provide much more comfortable pedalling motion than a 6 kg wheel. Trying out the cross-trainer will allow you to choose the level of pedalling comfort that lets you pedal for longer!
Lastly, based on your goals, the effectiveness of your workout is also linked to your pedalling range, which itself is determined by the diameter of the freewheel. The greater the diameter, the greater the range of your movements will be.
- Resistance
is one of the main criteria when choosing a cross-trainer. It allows you to regulate the amount of effort, as well as provides better stability.
- Regulating resistance: mechanical or motorised?
Mechanical regulation is very simple: by turning the dial, the user activates a cable that moves a magnet closer to the freewheel, which provides greater resistance, and therefore more "difficult" pedalling.
Motorised regulation allows you to adjust the pedalling difficulty directly from the bike's console. The advantage of this system is two-fold: there are more levels of difficulty, and only this system allows you to create programmes on the bike, so-called "sport routes" with automatic variations of difficulty, in order to create a varied workout. These programmes can be designed for different objectives (burn calories, warmup, etc.)
THE CONSOLE
The bikes are fitted with a console that provides basic information about your workout: speed, distance, workout duration, average calories burned, etc.
Check out the metrics provided on the console, and the various programmes that allow you to analyse your performance and progress, as well as the compatibility options (coaching or MP3). Some models also show your heart rate (for maximum heart rate accuracy, pick a model that comes with a heart rate belt, such as the VE710). Make sure you take the quality of the display and the size of font into account, in other words, how easy it is to see the information displayed (screen size, backlight).
COMFORTABLE WORKOUT
Remember to check the comfort features of your cross-trainer.
- User max weight
Make sure to check the total weight compared with the user weight. All Domyos products are designed for a max user weight of 130 kg.
- Stability
Make sure to check that your cross-trainer is equipped with stabilisers that ensure that the bike remains stable regardless of whether your floor is even.
- Fitting it into your home
Moving your cross-trainer: this cross-trainer can be moved easily when you've finished your workout. Each model is equipped with rollers to make it easy to move.
