A few years ago, I joined a local gym to help me get fit and lose some baby weight. This was one of those 24-hour gyms. I loved it! I was able to work out when there was not a lot of people at the gym. This made me feel like I had the entire gym to myself. Of course, there were other regulars there that also enjoyed the emptiness of the gym at the crack of dawn but we pretty much stayed out of each other’s way.
One of my favorite areas of the gym was the 30-minute workout area. Not only could I get my heart rate up, I was also building muscle at the same time. I love that. I would do this workout three times a week and then on the other two days, I supplemented with other types of cardio equipment.
One of my most favorite cardio machines is the Cybex’s line of cross trainers, The Arc Trainer. I could blast the heck out of some calories with this thing.
Since then, we have moved across the country and, until recently, were not members of a big gym that housed Cybex ellipticals. But, we recently joined a HUGE gym in the area and they have the Cybex Arc Trainer’s (among others). I was SO excited to see and use the Arc Trainer again and I remembered immediately why I loved it so much.
According to the Cybex website, The Arc Trainer “is scientifically tested to be gentler on your joints, burn 16% more calories than an elliptical, and is stronger and more durable than the leading ellipticals.” On the Cybex Arc Trainer, your legs are in the correct biomechanical path of motion which means there is less stress on the knees and the glutes and hamstrings get used a lot more. In other ellipticals, the quads get most of the work but if you’re anything like me, you want to get a nice booty which makes the Cybex Arc Trainer is a truly exclusive piece of cardio equipment for lower body work.
Since I have been spending a lot more time on the Cybex lately, I have come up with this workout to compliment my efforts. This workout gradually builds incline and resistance for 15 minutes. Then you do it all over again. You can do 30 minutes or 45 minutes depending on how hardcore you’re feeling that day. Try it out and let me know what you think!
