Pedaling backward can be hard on your knees. Be careful if you have a knee injury.

You can choose not to use the swing arms for a more intense lower-body workout. This will involve more balance and awareness of your posture. [4] X Research source

Depending on your fitness goals you may want to tweak this workout routine.

Try not to rest so much of your weight on the handrails. Rather, lean back slightly so that your back is straight and most of your weight is on the footpads.

Interval workouts, where you are changing up the intensity and incline of the elliptical, can be changed up and modified every few weeks to add challenge and variety.

Some people like to listen to music or podcasts while they work out. Use your discretion. You may be the type of person who can watch TV or listen to music and still get a focused exercise. The main thing is that you are keeping your awareness on your body and on adjusting the machine when necessary to keep your workout dynamic, challenging, and safe.

Some ellipticals have a sticker or other label on them with instructions about how to get the machine started. Each machine is a little different so take the time to get comfortable using the console before starting your workout. If you are at the gym they may have their own instructions posted with additional information. You can also ask one of the trainers to help you get set up.

The handles on some elliptical machines will have sensors on them that can monitor your heart rate as well. Some machines will allow you to plan a workout by adding some additional info including how many calories you want to burn, how long you would like to workout, or what intensity level you are aiming for. For a moderate workout, your heart rate should be 50 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. For a vigorous workout you’re aiming more for 70 to 85 percent. To calculate your max heart rate subtract your age from 220. If you are 31 your max heart rate is 189. [14] X Trustworthy Source Mayo Clinic Educational website from one of the world’s leading hospitals Go to source

You can adjust the settings throughout to give your workout variety and help you focus on different muscles.