Are There Benefits to Pedaling Backwards on an Elliptical Trainer?

Nowadays, most people choose to use a good piece of fitness equipment to get the best out of their workout. Elliptical cross trainer is a piece of fitness equipment found in almost all commercial gyms, and it is also gradually brought into home gyms by more and more fitness enthusiasts to use. It is not designed to build giant muscles but rather to help people burn a crazy amount of calories without putting too much impact on the knees like treadmills do. While most people will jump on the elliptical exercise machine and spend their time pedaling forwards, they don't realize that they can also pedal backward on the elliptical exercise machine to get more different benefits. Pedaling backwards on the elliptical exercise machine is a good way to mix aerobic exercise while providing variety to your training. In this article, I will introduce the main benefits of pedaling backwards on it, the proper way of pedaling backwards and which technique is best for your workout.

What are the benefits of pedaling backwards on it?
Pedaling backwards on an elliptical exercise machine has several health benefits that can help you achieve your exercise goals. There are several main benefits here.

1. Exercise different muscles
There is no doubt that you can tone many muscles by using an elliptical trainer. But when you pedal backward on it, the muscle participation is much higher than that of pedaling forward. If you want to work out more muscles while using the elliptical exercise machine, you can switch directions and go in reverse, which works out several new muscle groups. The first is the hamstrings. The hamstrings get a good workout when you pedal backwards on the elliptical exercise machine. This is also a good way to improve mobility and flexibility in the legs. The next is the gluteal muscles. Pedaling backwards will help to target more hip muscles. The third is the calves. Pedaling backwards will also help you work the lower legs, too, especially the calve muscles. Finally is the core. Pedaling backwards will use more balance than pedaling forwards. This can help strengthen the core and stomach muscles.

2. Burn more calories
The cool thing about pedaling backwards on an elliptical exercise machine is that you actually burn even more calories than you would pedaling forward. This is because more muscles are exercised by pedaling backwards during exercise, so the more calories are burned. The calorie increase is fractional, but over the course of an hour or so, you’ll notice a significant increase in calorie expenditure thanks to your pedaling backward.

3. Injury prevention
When you can change up muscle groups that you work out, it can help prevent injuries in the future. When we reuse the same muscles repeatedly, they are more likely to wear out and stop working as well as before which happens a lot in strength training. Pedaling backward is a good way to switch up the movement and prevent injuries while also putting much less pressure on the knee joints than a traditional treadmill or running outside.

4. Boost stamina & cardio
Since pedaling backward will require you to use different muscles, you can improve your own personal stamina and even get that heart pumping more than before. Your body gets used to going in the same direction and using the same muscles all the time. Mixing it up with backward pedaling can help with boosting stamina and keeping that heart pounding. On top of that, the elliptical machine is great for solid cardio workouts that crush calories and leave you feeling healthier.

5. Alleviate boredom during workouts
Performing the same workouts day after day can be monotonous. It can also be too strenuous on the specific muscle groups you are targeting. One of the significant benefits of pedaling backwards on an elliptical exercise machine and alternating that with forward pedaling is that you will be able to mix up for a workout and keep things investing, which is excellent for any long-term fitness strategy.

How to properly pedal backwards on it?
The actual “how” of pedaling backwards on the elliptical trainer is actually fairly easy. Really, all you have to do is step on the machine, grip the handles, but instead of striding forward like you’re used to, start walking backwards. Here are the specific steps.

1. Always start with a warm-up to ensure that you are safe. This prepares the body, especially if you plan to do an intense amount of training. This gently raises the heart rate and reduces the risk of any injury.

2. Next, you should pedal forward for three minutes at a high speed before doing recovery for two minutes at a low intensity. You can then do another five minutes where you can alternate between low and high resistance to get the muscles working in the lower part of the body.

3. Lastly, you can do another 5 minutes of alternating the high and low resistance, but do this in the opposite direction so that you work out the back of the body too. Finish this out with a three-minute period of recovery, pedaling backwards the whole time.

This is just one of the ways that you can pedal backward on the elliptical exercise machine. It helps to slowly bring it in and keeps you safe during your exercise. You can choose to use different methods depending on your athletic abilities and how comfortable you are on the elliptical exercise machine.

Forward VS Reverse on it: which works better for you?
Both pedaling directions are great for getting a solid cardio workout while on the elliptical exercise machine. For those of you who are tired of using the elliptical exercise machine in one direction, who want to work more muscles during the exercise, or who need to give their knees a break from the traditional method of riding the elliptical exercise machine, then pedaling backwards may be the best option.

When you first get the elliptical cross trainer, it is best to just go in a forward motion. This is safer as you make the adjustments and get comfortable on the machine. Pedaling backwards will take more balance to succeed and require more work from your calves, so you can do fewer repetitions. For those with trouble balancing or who are not as comfortable on the elliptical exercise machine yet, pedaling forwards may be the best option.

Once you get more familiar with the elliptical exercise machine and you are ready to really work out different muscles and see the burn in your body, then adding in intervals of backward pedaling can be a good option. It will improve the workout and kick out the boredom when it is time to exercise.

As you can see, pedaling backwards on an elliptical trainer can bring you many benefits. But in order to make you do more vigorous exercise and prevent you from getting bored during exercise, I suggest you try to combine pedaling forward with pedaling backward.