What is a Recumbent Elliptical?

I used my elliptical this morning and watched my 30-minute show while “working out” and felt quite accomplished. I had gotten the 6 a.m. phone call to teach-on-call (afternoon only) at the high school - grade 8 physical education. I took the job, not knowing what activities we would be doing. Thanks to Covid19, classes are 2-1/2 hours long. (This is actually the safest school as cleaning is done between the two long blocks, during lunch.)

I get my lesson plan; first half of class will be in the weight room and then the second half will be in the gym playing indoor soccer. Great! It is a lovely group of twenty students. The room upstairs has machines, free weights, skipping ropes, mats, etc. Since I’m Covid19 aware, I’m wearing my mask and not wanting to touch anything. There are three lovely ellipticals I’d love to use, but they overlook the gym and then I couldn’t really supervise effectively. Then I see this odd looking contraption against the wall, facing the room. I watched a few kids use it, and it didn’t look like much of a work out (the way they were using it).

Well, I thought I’d give it a whirl, sanitizing the handles before I got settled in. It wasn’t a bike, but I was sitting down. The pedals didn’t go around like on a bike either. Very odd. I set a 20-minute interval program and began, while still watching the class. I could feel the resistance change every minute and things were going well; arms and legs pumping. This was no big deal. I decided I like an elliptical better - standing up, balance, more natural. I wondered if this sitting thing was actually for older people (older than me!); likely safer for them. It had a warning on it to stop if you felt dizzy. I took pictures and then internet searched so I could identify it. It is called a Recumbent Elliptical and costs over $5000. A school would need a heavy duty machine with all the wear and tear of many users in a day. I felt I got some exercise, but I hadn’t worked up a sweat.

We then played soccer, subbing in every four minutes. It really was a great group of kids. They set everything up, played hard, and then put everything away at the end of class. I touched nothing. (Not how I used to teach!)

I walked home, then to the post office, then to the store, then home, made dinner and then logged into my Spark. Out of curiosity, I checked my Fitbit for steps ... 14,000 ... a good day. Then I looked at my heart rate. What? No! Seriously?

I can hardly believe it! That recumbent elliptical gave me a workout! I rarely get my heart rate over 135, and here it is at 176! How did I not feel out of breath? I may have to use it again, and see if this is real. I am truly impressed.

So, if you can tell me more about the machine, I’d love to hear it. This totally surprised me. I’ve been looking to replace my elliptical with another, but maybe not.