Anyone else LOVE the Arc Trainer?
Hi everyone!
I'm pretty huge into cardio, which I guess can seem a bit weird. I just absolutely love running, using the elliptical, etc. I tried the Arc Trainer at my gym for the first time yesterday, and I have to say that I'm in love with the quality of workout it can provide. Does anyone else really enjoy using this machine? At my gym they only have the ones with fixed handles, but I have seen some with handles that move like on an elliptical.
I also found that I can more easily get myself a full body workout using it. I used my core to balance while running and not holding on, and I found doing that for about half of the work out has made my entire midsection ache. I think it's more difficult to achieve the same on the elliptical, but I noticed it more closely mimics the way my body tightens up and feels after a long run.
So, I guess I'm just wondering if anyone else has really enjoyed using this machine? Does anyone hate it? Good or bad results? Really just looking to get opinions.
Yes, I love the arc trainer. Use it at least 3 days/week as part of my cardio workout. It's very efficient. I use the one with the arms that move.
I love it also and just recently discovered it. I use it every time I go to the gym 5 to 6 days a week, on just my cardio days and for my warm up before weight lifting. I got my son addicted to it, he's training getting ready for football season and said its the best thing they've invented for cardio so far. And you are right it works out just about everything, my legs feel the burn and my lower abs.
I like it.
I like the large step size, and the availability of very steep incline.
I use the one with fixed handles, don't ever touch them, and use an arm swing similar to running.
The movement allows you to thrust off of the lower leg so hard that you unweight your upper foot. That pretty much eliminates the foot numbness that happens on machines where weight is on both of your feet continuously.
The calories are over-estimated, but at least they are consistent. That means that if you push harder to achieve a higher cadence, the calories go up accordingly (even though you are still on the same program, and level). That is important, if you are measuring your fitness improvement, and this type of consistency is not common on elliptical machines (yes, I know that the arc isn't actually an elliptical).
It is a really quiet machine, TG, even if you are going like crazy.
Original Post by despinamb:
Yes, I love the arc trainer. Use it at least 3 days/week as part of my cardio workout. It's very efficient. I use the one with the arms that move.
I'd like to try out the one with the moving arms, but I'm kind of glad to not have access to it. I feel like, for example in the instance of the elliptical, I become too dependent on having something to hold onto. I know the Arc Trainer does still have handles, but I think I notice it less when they aren't moving back and forth within my eye-line.
Original Post by oldguysrule:
I like it.
I like the large step size, and the availability of very steep incline.
I use the one with fixed handles, don't ever touch them, and use an arm swing similar to running.
The movement allows you to thrust off of the lower leg so hard that you unweight your upper foot. That pretty much eliminates the foot numbness that happens on machines where weight is on both of your feet continuously.
The calories are over-estimated, but at least they are consistent. That means that if you push harder to achieve a higher cadence, the calories go up accordingly (even though you are still on the same program, and level). That is important, if you are measuring your fitness improvement, and this type of consistency is not common on elliptical machines (yes, I know that the arc isn't actually an elliptical).
It is a really quiet machine, TG, even if you are going like crazy.
Next time I use it I'm definitely going to avoid holding the handles as much as possible. My balance has improved greatly because my core strength has gotten greater, but I still worry about potentially falling, haha
I always assume the calorie burn on the machines is over-estimated. I try to workout at a very high intensity when using certain machines to avoid logging something unreasonable. I also realized it is quite quiet, and I'd probably like something like this in my home because it wouldn't disturb anyone else who might be in the same room with me.
I just tried it for the first time this week. I'd seen some of the calorie burns and wanted to see for myself. I think the machine itself exagerates the amount of calorie burn. My results were very similar to an elliptical.
The lack of impact/stress and smooth fluid motion work for me.
