Elliptical

The basement makeover is pretty much finished: new stairs, wall and ceiling paint, floor patching, and carpet squares.

This is now the home of an older elliptical trainer I found on Craigslist. It was a deluxe machine in its day; still works just fine as far as I can tell. (SportsArt 807p if you're curious.)

Everybody says that ellipticals give a good low-impact cardio workout: make the heart beat and the brow sweat without pounding your joints. So far that feels right.

This morning I was running Program 3, one of the built-in variable resistance routines, and decided to try it backwards part of the time. They say going backwards works a whole 'nother set of muscles.

They are right. I was immediately impressed with how much harder it is to go backwards. And I was struck with how much the backwards action feels like a stair stepper. When I had my club membership last year, I used the step machine a lot: like walking up the down escalator. My idea is that such workouts will help my occasional mountain hiking endeavors. I'm pleased to discover a kindred workout on this elliptical.