I swapped treadmill workouts for the cross trainer for 30 days - my legs and core have never felt stronger

Whether through marathon training or simply getting my steps in, I've spent a lot of this year on the treadmill. My hips, knees, and ankles are feeling it, and my body feels tired. But I enjoy the cardio exercise I get through my treadmill workouts, and after increasing my fitness with interval training over September and October, I was very reluctant to take my foot off the gas.

So, I found an alternative: the cross trainer. Sometimes, it's known as the elliptical, but these are often the same machines. Ellipticals have immovable handles, and cross trainers have the long, movable arms. My gym, like most, has rows of them lined up together behind the treadmills, making it an easy switch.

I swapped my running shoes for trainers with a flatter sole and switched my regular treadmill sessions to experience the benefits of a cross trainer for a month. I'll be returning to my regular workouts in the new year, but I have certainly relished the easier, low-impact movement. I'd recommend it to anyone looking to get fitter, improve heart health, or build momentum to start running for beginners.

What are the benefits of a cross trainer?

1. Low impact

After I learnt that every time you put a foot down on the floor or treadmill when running, you push two and a half to three times your body weight through your joints, I knew it was time to take some weight off my feet.

As your feet don't actually come away from the pedals on a cross trainer, your knees, hips, and ankles don't have to take your weight in the same way, making it one of the best low-impact cardio workouts you can do. I certainly felt the benefits in my joints and core.

"The elliptical is a non-impact cardiovascular machine that mimics running but without the impact," agrees Steph Davis, an Olympian and running coach with Runna, one of woman&home's favourite running apps. "It allows you to improve your cardiovascular fitness with minimal stress on your joints. This reduces your chance of injury whilst improving your fitness - win, win!"

2. It's a full-body workout

Provided you use the cross trainer, which has moving arms, rather than the elliptical. which doesn't, you'll get a full-body workout. Your legs push the pedals down, your arms engage the moving handles, and you keep your core stable to stay moving securely, probably without even realising it.

While I used the cross trainer as an alternative to the treadmill, studies from Pennsylvania State University have looked at the benefits of using the cross trainer like a walking pad or under-desk bike and found that they can also help burn almost 100 more calories per hour when used at a relaxed speed compared to simply sitting down.

3. Improves core strength

While you'll still use your core if you hold onto the handles, taking your hands away and using the cross trainer hands-free will fire up your abdominals, as you have to engage them to stay stable on the machine. It turns this cardio activity into one of the best core exercises you can do.

I tried this after about a week of seeing other benefits of a cross trainer, mainly because I got slightly bored. Taking my hands away gave my body a new challenge and made it feel harder, without having to take up the resistance and put more pressure on my legs and glutes.

4. Using a cross trainer boosts endurance

If you want to boost your fitness, are ready to start running for beginners or train for a longer race, then the cross trainer is a great place to start.

"The elliptical is a great machine for improving your aerobic engine, which will translate into running! It exercises your muscles, heart and lungs as well as strengthening your leg muscles and core - all without the impact that running brings," says Steph.

I'm not new to running, but I certainly felt the fitness benefits, as I got back outside l after my month's break and ran an easy 5km.

5. Helps strengthen muscles

I'd always recommend a gym dumbbell workout to build strength over going on a cross trainer, but one of the extra benefits of this machine is that it can help you build muscle and strength, especially in the lower body.

As you push down on the pedal, your legs have to fight against the resistance. Provided the resistance on the machine is high enough, it'll be enough of a challenge to start breaking down those tiny muscle fibres to grow, repair and come back stronger.

If you're looking to build muscle, I'd increase resistance until it's a struggle to push the pedal down, then use the machine for at least two minutes.

My cross trainer workouts

15-minute steady

• Resistance: Low to Medium
• Warm-up: Gentle activity for 3 minutes, making sure to move my legs and arms through a full range of motion.
• Session: I progressively build up to 120 heart rate, which is classed as zone 2 or moderate-intensity exercise. Stay here for 10 minutes.
• Cool down: Slowly, I bring myself down to a lower heart rate, taking 2 minutes to do so gradually, before moving into some easy stretches for tight hips and back exercises on a mat.

30-minute intervals on the cross trainer

• Resistance: Low on jog, medium to high for intervals
• Warm-up: I spend 5 minutes slowly warming up my muscles with a light resistance on the cross trainer, making sure to fully stretch out my arms and legs.
• Intervals: Upping my resistance, I try to bring my heart rate up to about 70% of my maximum heart rate (220 minus age) for 3 minutes, which is classed as vigorous exercise. After the 3 minutes, I take the resistance to a comfortable-but-active level for 2 minutes. I repeat this four times.
• Cool down: Taking down my resistance to a lighter level, I slowly move my arms through the motions of the cross trainer, bringing my heart rate down for the final 5 minutes.

Is 30 minutes of elliptical a day enough?

Yes, 30 minutes of elliptical per day is more than enough to see changes to your cardiovascular fitness and strength. In fact, it might be too much if you're combining your time on the cross trainer with strength, Pilates, yoga, or outdoor workouts.

The NHS recommends everyone does 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week, or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise at a minimum.

However, as the cross trainer is a low-impact way to work out, 30 minutes every day may be doable for those with a good level of fitness already, and those who don't do any other exercise.

"By adding a non-impact form of exercise, like the elliptical, you can train more without the stress on your joints. By upping your non-impact training time you can make faster fitness gains but with a lower injury risk," says Steph.