UPPER BODY ERGOMETER (UBE)

The upper body ergometer is one of those semi-forgotten about pieces of equipment, primarily because it is excruciatingly boring!

However, this does not change the fact that it provides an extremely effective upper body cardiovascular workout that is safe and can raise your heart rate significantly.

To use it takes almost no instructions. Sit in the machine comfortably with your torso and neck straight. Sit close enough to the arm cranks so that you do not have to lean forward to make a complete revolution with each cycle.

Begin simply by turning the arm cranks. Break up the monotony by going forward or backward.

As a cardiovascular workout, the upper body ergometer is not the the best exercise you can be doing because is neglects your lower body. It makes a great exercise though for cross training, especially to give your legs a rest from lower body exercises such as the stair stepper or stationary bike.

A sample program might include 10 minutes on a stair stepper, followed by 10 minutes on the upper body ergometer, and 10 minutes on a stationary bike. This will provide you with a complete cross-training effect, as well as decrease the amount of boredom from performing the same maneuver over and over again.

The upper body ergometer is also a preferred method of warming up on upper body days. Since you are going to be exercising muscles of the upper body, it makes sense that you warm them rather than your legs prior to exercise.