Are you a gym enthusiast? If yes, then chances are that you have spent most of your time on the cross trainer, or the elliptical machine. It is a cardio machine that for the first time gained traction in the 90s and is commonly used even today!

All thanks to its low-impact cardio exercise which can increase heart rate, burn calories and also aid in weight loss without much pain or injury related with running or jogging, that the cross trainer got its fame among people. Despite all this, one concern that looms over is safety, especially for those with weak knees.

Before we delve into how it affects weak knees, let's first figure out how a cross trainer works?

It engages the entire body on a vertical plane by combining the movements of running, stair climbing and skiing. The major difference is that the involved joints do not reach their full range of motion since the feet are planted firmly on the platform instead of being lifted from the ground. This also happens due to artificial movement that changes your natural gait and leads to knee pain because it is inconsistent with body's natural joint motion.

What Could Contribute To Knee Pain?

Improper Alignment: It forces your body to be in a fixed position against proper alignment. This is what leads to strain on your knees, especially if you are not properly positioned while using the elliptical machine.

What could be wrong with your posture? Your hips could be wider than the food pedals. Or, your knees may bow inward and place stress on the joint. Cross trainer also requires you to exercise on the balls of your feet, which engages the quadriceps muscles. This can also pull on the patella or kneecap and cause sharp or shooting pains across the knee.

Intensity: Lack of muscular strength is also a leading cause of knee pain and injury. This is because weak muscles do not absorb enough of the stress exerted on the joint and the knee pain thus continues. Identify if this is happening with you and see if it is because of the low intensity exercise from cross trainer that is not giving you enough challenge to build the necessary muscles to protect your knee.

Many experts have also pointed it that that low intensity machines could further overuse injuries in the knee and hip joints as those who are using do not realize that they are able to do more. This means it can make healthy knee joints weak.

Using Improper Force: Your body is strong and if you use improper force to do a certain exercise it can cause issues. Those with knee pain usually have a load tolerance equal to less than their body weight. So if you tolerance is equivalent to only 50% body weight, then it would mean that you are putting way too much pressure than required, which may keep your joint pain consistent.

Not Having Enough Rest: Whether or not cross training, after any exercise and before any exercise, it is important that you cool down and warm up! Taking rest days are also important as it helps you recover in case there is any muscle injury.

Today, social media represents how important the gym is for many people. While there have been gym communities before, many people are opting to go to the gym and enjoy a fit and healthier life. But to truly get the most out of your workouts and keep making progress, it's just as important to try new kinds of exercises. Recovery is an important part of going to the gym. Studies have shown that not letting your body recover from the wear and tear of the gym, it can increase your chances of injuries as well as stop you from progressing in your fitness journey. When you've pushed your limits at the gym and your body feels tired, yoga can be an amazing tool to help you recover. It's a great way to soothe tired muscles and restore your energy after a long, hard day of training.

Many people even do just yoga as a form of strength training. While many people mistake it for simple stretching and find it a less dynamic way of exercising, this adaptable form of exercise has many different ways to help you reach your goals.

Quicker Recovery and Less Soreness

After tough, high-intensity workouts, your body needs extra care. Yoga helps by speeding up your recovery and making muscles less sore. When you do yoga after working out, more blood flows to your muscles, giving them lots of oxygen and important nutrients. Use yoga to find relief and bring your body back to life!

Eagle Arms (Garudasana Arms)

Eagle arms offer a deep stretch for your shoulder muscles and upper back. This movement can indirectly ease soreness in your biceps by improving flexibility around the shoulder joint. It helps to unravel tightness in areas that often feel the strain of arm workouts.

Cow Face Pose Arms (Gomukhasana Arms)

This pose provides a deep stretch for the back of your arms (triceps), shoulders, and chest. It helps balance out the tightness in your biceps that often occurs after gym sessions. By opening these areas, it supports overall arm recovery and comfort.

Supine Spinal Twist with Arm Extension (Supta Matsyendrasana variation)

This gentle twist stretches your chest, shoulders, and arms. It helps relax your upper body and encourages better blood flow to sore muscles. This pose offers a soothing way to release tension throughout your arms and upper back.

Puppy Pose (Uttana Shishosana)

Puppy pose helps open your chest and shoulders, stretching your arms overhead. It lengthens your spine and can relieve tension from intense upper body exercise. This pose offers a gentle, restorative stretch that brings comfort to tired arms.

Wall Chest Stretch

This stretch is excellent for releasing tightness in your chest and the front of your shoulders. By opening these areas, it can reduce pulling and discomfort felt in your biceps. It's a simple yet effective way to ease post-workout arm soreness.

Supported Fish Pose (Matsyasana variation with bolster/block)

This pose gently opens your chest and extends your arms backward. It helps your upper body relax and subtly stretches your arms without adding direct strain. It’s a wonderful, calming way to recover and release tension in your shoulders and arms.

Child's Pose with Extended Arms (Balasana variation)

A classic relaxing pose, extending your arms in Child's Pose provides a gentle stretch for your shoulders and upper back. It promotes overall relaxation and eases any remaining tension in your arms. This pose offers comfort and aids in muscle recovery.

They're the mantras of all fitness classes, "Tighten those abs!" "Engage your core!" but do you actually know what muscles you're engaging? While "abs" and "core" tend to be used synonymously, the reality is that one is simply the exposed tip of the iceberg and the other, a dynamo driving your whole body's power and stability. Whether you're after a six-pack or just want to move with less pain and more power, knowing how your abs differ from your core might entirely overhaul how and why you train. You've heard the instructions in classes

Have you ever stopped halfway through a plank and asked wait, are my abs and core the same thing? Although these terms are thrown about as if synonymous, they literally address different muscle groups with redundant but unique functions. And understanding the distinction might change how you train entirely not only for looks, but for functionality, posture, and strength in general.

Abs vs. Core: What's the Real Difference?

Most everyone has an idea of what abs are when they hear the term, it's all about that coveted "six-pack." But abdominal muscles are more than vanity points.

These are the rectus abdominis (for the six-pack appearance), the external obliques and internal obliques (for side bending and twisting), the transversus abdominis (lowermost layer stabilizing the spine), and the pyramidalis (a small muscle located close to the pubic bone).

Found in the front of your body, these muscles assist in the protection of internal organs, aid in posture, and create forward bending and twisting actions.

Visualize your core as the inner strength system of your body. It's not just the abs a larger, more comprehensive area that encompasses pelvic floor, diaphragm, back extensors, obliques, and even hip flexors. The core stabilizes your entire trunk, supports your spine, and facilitates coordinated movement. Whether lifting groceries or marathoning, your core provides balance and injury protection.

So while abs are part of your core, a solid core is so much more than toned midlines—it's your body's anchor.

Why Engaging Your Core Matters More?

If you’ve ever heard a trainer say “engage your core” and wondered what it really means, here’s the truth: core engagement isn’t just about tensing your stomach. It's about bracing your midsection in a way that stabilizes your spine without holding your breath or excessively sucking in.

Done right, activating your core during workouts:

• Reduces strain on the lower back
• Protects joints and ligaments from injury
• Improves posture and balance
• Improves control and efficiency in movement

Most individuals unconsciously overcompensate by hinging backward at the hips or holding their breath—errors that can diminish the efficiency of a workout as well as heighten the risk of injury.

Pro tip: You ought to be able to breathe naturally while keeping a solid, braced core.

5 Highly Effective Ab Exercises

When exercising specifically for the abs, these exercises isolate the front abdominal wall and obliques:

Bicycle Crunches

One of the best exercises to work both the obliques and rectus abdominis. Lie on back, legs up to tabletop, and rotate opposite elbow to knee in pedaling motion.

Leg Raises

Works lower abs. Lie on your back, hands under your hips, and lift legs up to 90 degrees slowly, then return without contact with floor.

Russian Twists

Ideal for the obliques. Sit, lean back somewhat, raise feet (optional), and twist torso side to side holding a weight or medicine ball.

Reverse Crunches

Begin on your back, knees bent. Contract abs in order to lift hips off the ground while curling knees toward your chest.

Flutter Kicks

Lie on your back, raise both legs off the floor a few inches, and alternate kicking up and down. Keep your core tight the entire time.

These exercises are best for developing definition and endurance in your abdominal muscles—but don't begin and end there.

5 Highly Effective Core Exercises

To get your entire core stronger, from back to hips to pelvic floor, these compound exercises are the key:

Plank Variations

From forearm to side planks, this isometric exercise uses every muscle in the core. Maintain hips level, spine neutral, and core braced.

Dead Bugs

Lie on back with arms and legs up. Lower opposite leg and arm slowly while keeping back flat. Works deep stabilizers.

Bird-Dog

On hands and knees, reach out opposite arm and leg. Great legs, lower back, and core stability exercise.

Glute Bridge with March

Lift hips up into a bridge, then alternate marching one foot at a time. Targets glutes, core, legs, and pelvic stabilizers.

Pallof Press

With a resistance cable or band, press hands straight out from chest resisting twisting. One strong anti-twist core exercise.

These training methods cause your body to function as a functional unit. Outcome? Less injury, improved posture, and enhanced performance in sports and everyday activity.

Should You Train Abs and Core Separately?

It all depends on your aim. If your main target is visual definition, ab-specific training along with proper nutrition and cardio is the priority. But for overall strength and spine development, incorporating core exercises into your regimen is not negotiable.

Your ideal weekly training schedule should have a balanced combination of both isolated ab exercises and compound core exercises. Isolated ab movements support the development of muscular endurance and play a role in visible muscle definition, especially in the rectus abdominis—the traditional "six-pack" muscle.undefinedAt the same time, compound core training addresses deeper stabilizing muscles that translate to overall strength, mobility, and spinal stability.

This integrated training not only enhances gym performance but also prepares your body to execute daily movement with more ease and efficiency. Knowing the distinction between abs and the core changes the way you train. It's not all about crunches—it's about developing a strong, functional center that stabilizes your whole body.

When you train for more than just looks and with core integrity, you minimize injury risk, enhance athletic performance, and feel stronger in day-to-day movements. So the next time you roll out on the mat, remember: engaging your abs is awesome, but strengthening your core? That's how you fuel your life.

Yoga is a great exercise known for reducing stress and improving overall well-being. But can it also help with thyroid problems? The thyroid is a small gland in your throat that makes hormones vital for your metabolism, body temperature, growth, and even brain development in children. When your thyroid isn't working right, it can affect both your physical and mental health. This article explores how yoga can be a helpful addition to traditional thyroid treatments.

Poses You Can Do

While yoga generally promotes overall health, some poses specifically target the neck and throat area, where the thyroid is located. Stretching and strengthening this region might improve blood flow, though there's no definite proof that these specific poses benefit the thyroid more than others.

It's important to only hold poses as long as you feel comfortable. Many of the poses described below are for those with some yoga experience. You can make them easier with props or by practicing under the guidance of a certified yoga instructor. You can try each of these poses at home with a yoga mat.

Supported Shoulder Stand (Sarvangasana)

This advanced pose puts you upside down. Avoid it if you are new to yoga, have high blood pressure, heart issues, glaucoma, or are pregnant. Lie on your back, lift your legs straight up, and push onto your shoulders, supporting your hips with your hands. Keep your body straight and core strong.

Plow Pose (Halasana)

This advanced pose builds core and arm strength, plus spine flexibility. Start like the shoulder stand. Bring your legs over your head to rest your toes on the floor behind you, keeping your lower back supported. If breathing gets hard, slowly stop. A prop under shoulders can make it safer.

Fish Pose (Matsyasana)

This advanced pose stretches your body in the opposite direction after other poses. Don't do it if you have high blood pressure, neck injuries, or glaucoma. Sit, place hands under buttocks, lean back on elbows, and gently drop your head back, lifting your chest.

Bridge Pose (Setu Bandha Sarvangasana)

This pose is great for strengthening your back. Lie on your back, bring feet close to hips. Press palms into the floor and lift your hips toward the ceiling. You can use your hands on your lower back for support if needed.

Cobra Pose (Bhujangasana)

This pose helps make your back and neck more flexible. Lie on your stomach with palms under shoulders. Press into your palms and lift your head and chest off the mat, arching your back. Drop your head back if comfortable.

Boat Pose (Navasana)

Sit with legs out. Lean back slowly, keeping your core strong and back straight. Lift your bent knees, then straighten legs to form a V-shape. Raise arms in line with shoulders. Hold, breathing deeply. Slowly lower arms and legs.

Upward Bow Pose / Wheel Pose (Urdhva Dhanurasana)

This pose deeply stretches your chest, back, and neck. Lie on your back, bend knees, and place hands by your head. Press feet and hands, lifting hips and then your head until arms are straight. Hold and breathe.

Supported Headstand Pose (Sirshasana)

This is a very advanced pose for experienced yoga practitioners, always do it with a teacher at first. Kneel, interlace fingers, and place head on mat. Lift knees, walk feet closer, then slowly lift both feet up, balancing on forearms.