Elliptical Machines: How To Boost Your Aerobic Capacity

By: Lino M. Baine

Your aerobic capacity level is determined by how efficiently your body can process oxygen when the muscles are in working condition. A variety of things affect how well you can perform from an aerobic standpoint.

1. Your lungs need to intake oxygen and get it into the bloodstream at a high rate.
2. Your heart must sustain a rapid heart rate to get more oxygen flowing to oxygen-starved muscles.
3. The muscles themselves must process the oxygen to keep working and get rid of by-products back into the blood stream.

When you think of elite athletes who have abnormally high levels of aerobic capacity, you think mainly of cyclists, swimmers and long distance runners.

Although partly determined by genetics, anyone can improve their level of aerobic capacity with consistent exercise. Besides the ones mentioned, any activity that produces prolonged exertion that keeps your heart rate high will help develop your aerobic capacity.

The Elliptical Machine Boosts Your Aerobic Capacity on All Levels

More people are realizing the benefits of the elliptical machine, which is evidenced by how popular these machines have gotten recently. These are often the cardio machines that dominate the floorspace in many gyms. They are easy to operate, gentle on the joints and muscles and are suitable for all levels of fitness. They are also perfect for boosting your aerobic capacity.

Let's look at how elliptical machine workouts benefit the three areas of aerobic capacity - the lungs, heart and working muscles.

Lungs

With the moving arm levers functioning, the elliptical machine works out the large muscle groups in both the lower and upper body. Larger muscles need more oxygen than smaller ones, so your lungs must work extra hard to breathe in oxygen and keep up with the oxygen requirements of the body.

Heart

The bloodstream is the medium through which oxygen travels, but it doesn't flow by itself. For this, it needs pressure produced by the heart. Through the nervous system, the heart knows when the muscles begin to get overtaxed and require more oxygen, so when this happens the heart springs into action. It increases the pace and strength of its heartbeat to produce more pressure and get the blood pumping and flowing fast. The better condition the heart is in, the faster it can get the bloodstream moving, and the elliptical machine provides a great cardiovascular workout that conditions and strengthens the heart.

Muscles

Finally, muscles must be conditioned to utilize and process the oxygen efficiently so they can continue to work at a high level. It's no good to have this extra supply of oxygen but not have the muscles be able to keep up. The elliptical machine works large muscles in the legs, arms and core, so a lot of muscles are being conditioned with this exercise. With prolonged workouts, the muscles will be trained to handle and use the oxygen more efficiently, which translates into increased aerobic capacity.

Because the elliptical machine exercises the heart, lungs and large muscle groups, it is an ideal device to help you boost your aerobic capacity.