David PerlmutterPresident,, Perlmutter Health Center · Board-Certified Neurologist | Functional Medicine Pioneer | #1 New York Times Best-Selling Author | International Speaker | Host of The Empowering Neurologist Podcast

One Big Mistake People Make on the Elliptical Machine

1 Mar 2017 · 1 min

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0:51

In this brief instructional video, David Perlmutter highlights a common error on the elliptical machine: lifting the heels while stepping. He explains that this habit places excessive pressure on the balls of the feet, leading to foot pain and increasing the risk of stress fractures, which can sideline an exerciser. Perlmutter emphasizes that the elliptical is a low‑impact, aerobic workout when used correctly, and advises keeping the heels down to stay injury‑free.

Chapters

Hi everybody. Elliptical machine, what a great way to get some exercise, great aerobics, and what's so good about it is it's very, very low impact. There's just one point I want to make. I see a lot of people on the elliptical machine that end up lifting their heels like this when they're stepping. You don't want to do that. The reason you don't want to do this is because it puts too much pressure on the balls of your feet. You'll end up with foot pain. Keep your heels down. This is a great way to exercise, but if you're coming up on— off your heels like that, you even increase your risk for having a stress fracture, and that's going to put you out of the game. So enjoy the elliptical machine. Talk to you later.