Arc Trainer Tips
A Cardio machine that thinks it’s a Strength device
Want to get a great muscular strength and endurance workout? Try using the Arc Trainer. Set the incline level to 7 and get your stride rate up to 120 strides per minute. Next, increase the resistance as high as you can while maintaining your stride rate. Try to stay at that workload for 2 – 4 minutes, and then rest for a minute. Repeat four times. Do this a couple of times each week, and after 4 weeks, you’ll notice a difference in your leg strength and endurance.
Burn Calories
Getting a great figure means burning calories, so don’t forget your cardio. Try using the Total Body Arc Trainer for twenty minutes. Set it on manual and don’t forget to enter your body weight and get your stride rate up to 140 strides per minute. On the Arc, you can focus on either your legs or your arms. Try pushing and pulling very hard with your arms for a few minutes several times during your 20 minutes - you’ll get an extra strength workout for your chest, back, and arm muscles.
Little Black Dress Ready
Select the Interval Program. Set the resistance level so it is challenging to maintain 100 strides per minute during the peak of the interval – really push yourself! During the low levels just coast and then crank it up again when resistance goes up! Decrease the resistance level if you start to feel too out of breath.
Look Great in Your Favorite Pair of Jeans
Best Butt Workout: Pick a low incline (0-3) and increase the resistance until you feel the burn…now don’t slow down! Keep it at 100 strides per minute for best results!
Train Your Heart for Years to Come
Best Endurance Training: Choose the Cardio Program then pick a level that leaves you breathing heavy but not winded while keeping the strides per minute over 100 during the high levels.
Strength Training Tips
Add Weight to Lose Weight
1. Should I do more reps with less weight? 2. Or use more weight and do fewer reps? If you are looking to shed pounds, the answer is #2. Select a weight heavy enough that you are able to do 15 reps maximum. Work up to completing three sets of 15 reps. It seems contradictory— but increasing lean body mass is the best way to lose excess fat and maintain a long-term healthy body weight.
Best Butt Workout
Get on the Eagle Leg Press and adjust the back to position #4. Adjust the footplate so that when your toes are at the top of the footplate, your knee is at a 90° angle. Select a weight where you can’t do more than 15 reps. Repeat 15 reps three times. {EXTRA TIP: for added variety, do one leg at a time placing less stress on the back and greater emphasis on the glutes}.
Better Balance
Improving your leg strength will improve your balance - The Truth on Fitness: Developing Better Balance. Use the Eagle Leg Press with a moderate to light weight. Push hard and fast to develop power, for 10 to 15 repetitions, then rest and do it again. Use the same strategy on the calf raise to develop the muscles around the ankle.
Broad Shoulders
Nicely defined shoulders help to create a great hourglass look. Combine the overhead press with the lateral raise for a great result. Do the overhead press first, and if you’re using the Eagle Overhead Press, try doing one arm at a time.
Develop Your Core
Try working one arm or one leg at a time (on the row, chest press, or leg press). Using only one limb forces your core musculature to work harder to stabilize the motion. Remember—real life is asymmetric.
Extra Tip
Just like you should work the reciprocal muscles of the abs and the back in tandem, use the following machines together in your workout. row and chest press; shoulder press and lat pull-down; leg extension and leg curl; hip abduction and hip adduction; fly and rear delt. Working opposing muscle groups together keeps the body from developing out of balance.
Flattest Tummy
Get on the Eagle or VR3 Ab machine. It may not look like it is going to work your abs—but from the first lean-forward you will know it is working just the area you need to tighten up those ab muscles. {EXTRA TIP—REALLY IMPORTANT: Always work opposing muscle groups in tandem. Do 10–15 reps on the ab machine and then 10–15 on the back machine. Repeat 3 times}.
Nice Chest and Back
To lift your chest, strengthen the pectoral muscles with the chest press. You’ll get extra advantage by using one arm at a time – which is most easily accomplished with the unilateral motion of CYBEX Eagle. Pair this with the incline pull or Eagle Row to strengthen the muscles in your upper back and achieve a balanced look.
Real Life is Mostly One Sided
Even though much of the exercise we do is bilaterally balanced (both arms together or both legs together) the reality is that most tasks in the real world are unilateral (one arm or one leg at a time). By using two limbs during exercise, we are symmetrically balanced and we load the body very evenly. This puts much less stress on your trunk which allows the muscles to work to a much higher level of resistance. However, when you start a lawn mower, throw a ball or step on the brake on your car you typically do it with one limb. Although at first glance that may seem to be undesirable, it is both unavoidable and offers some hidden benefit. By loading the body asymmetrically, core muscles are engaged to stabilize the trunk. The next time you get on a chest press, row or leg press, try using one limb at a time to do the exercise. It may take a little longer but you won’t need as many crunches or back extensions to tone up those abs and back.
Slender Hips
Use the leg press and the hip abduction/adduction. Eagle Leg Press has a patented technology that really helps to tighten your glutes. The addition of exercises to tighten your inner and outer thighs will create the perfect exercise package to get the hips in shape.
Tiny Waist
Use three CYBEX machines. The rotary torso, abdominal machine, and back extension (strong abs need to be balanced with a strong back). Remember to use enough weight for a maximum of 15 repetitions. If you can do more than 15 reps, add weight.
Upper Arm Flab Reducer
This is a tough one. You can’t reduce weight in spots but you can tighten flabby muscles and build muscle mass in specific areas. Use the triceps extension and remember that weight—not higher reps—builds muscle mass. The Eagle Arm Extension is the perfect machine to use for this. It is designed to effectively focus on the triceps without fear of overstressing shoulder.
Treadmill/Bike Tips
Burn Calories
Getting a great figure means burning calories, so don’t forget your cardio. Try some walk-run intervals on the treadmill. Begin with a 4.0 mph walk for thirty seconds and then run for thirty seconds at a slightly more-than- comfortable pace. Alternate back and forth for ten minutes for amazing results. If this is too challenging, then try setting the incline to 10% and walk briskly uphill (without holding on!) for fifteen minutes. Your glutes and calves will thank you.
Power Training for the Weekend Warrior
Best Strength Development: Pick the Strength Program – pedal for your life during the high level then just cruise and get your breath back during the low levels. Repeat for 20 minutes!
Work Out Intensity
The human body is designed to work in short bursts. You can lose more weight, improve your cardiac function, and can even help modulate insulin levels when you perform brief, high intensity, exercise intervals. The next time you’re on a bike or Arc Trainer, try pushing really hard for 10 to 30 seconds and then go slow for the next minute.