Can You Use an Elliptical Trainer Without Shoes?

When you walk into a commercial gym, you will find that besides treadmills and exercise bikes, the elliptical exercise machine is also one of the most frequently used fitness equipment for those who love fitness. It is famous for providing excellent aerobic exercise, and it is a great piece of fitness equipment for both novice and experienced fitness enthusiasts. An elliptical trainer can bring many benefits and it is becoming more and more popular, which can not only provide you with a versatile and easy to adapt full-body exercise, while also strengthening your heart, improving your breathing capacity and speeding up your weight loss. It can be said that no matter what your fitness goals are, it's well on its way to helping you achieve them.

Barefoot running, barefoot workouts, barefoot fitness of all sorts is a hot topic these days. Barefoot cardio has been becoming more and more popular, and it has been proven to come with certain benefits. Nowadays, the elliptical machine has become one of the most prevalent ways to exercise, and many people including you will use it to achieve various fitness goals. But you may want to know whether you can use it without shoes and whether it is risky to exercise barefoot on it. Don't worry, in the following article, I will explain it to you in detail through three questions.

Can you use it without shoes?
Obviously, you can! Generally speaking, it is relatively safe to exercise barefoot on the elliptical exercise machine, because your feet will not leave its pedals. More importantly, in order to enjoy a healthier and more natural feeling, you can use the elliptical cross trainer without shoes. You can get some wonderful health benefits by exercising barefoot on the elliptical exercise machine. Shoes may make your feet and ankles lazy, but if you exercise on an elliptical exercise machine without shoes, you can feel the natural feeling, and your feet will remain stable while strengthening and stabilizing the muscles of your feet.

What are the benefits of using it without shoes?
As mentioned above, you can use the elliptical exercise machine without shoes. Below, let's take a look at the two main benefits of using it without shoes. Firstly, it is beneficial to your feet health. Using the elliptical trainer barefoot is very beneficial to the health of your feet. Wearing sneakers and socks for long periods of time will lead to bacterial infections, disease-causing microbes or fungus. Therefore, if you exercise at home, you don't need to wear shoes. But if you exercise in the gym, make sure you wear clean shoes and socks. Secondly, you can get rid of the dirty smell. This is one of the main problems of wearing shoes for exercise. Wearing shoes for long periods of time to exercise can cause discomfort and odors. To get rid of this situation, you must clean your shoes properly after heavy use or a few days of minor use. But if you don't want to spend time cleaning your shoes frequently, it may be your best choice to exercise on the elliptical exercise machine without shoes.

What risk factors should be avoided when using it without shoes?
Although you can use an elliptical exercise machine without shoes, there are still some risk factors in using it without shoes. You should avoid these risk factors as much as possible. But don't worry, if you pay attention, you can avoid them. Next, let's discuss these risk factors.

1. Slipping
Slipping may be the biggest risk factor when exercising barefoot on an elliptical machine. During exercise, sweating due to burning calories is very common. If you use the elliptical exercise machine barefoot and sweat runs down your legs, you may put yourself in danger, which may increase your risk of slipping. Therefore, you must be more careful in the exercise process.

2. Blisters on the feet
Excessive exercise on the elliptical exercise machine without shoes may cause blisters on your feet. You can avoid this risk by reducing the frequency of your workouts or by placing your legs in the middle of the elliptical stride.

3. Foot sole pain
If you are bulky, aged, or weak, it is recommended not to use the elliptical exercise machine barefoot. Long-term use of it may affect the soles of your feet, and may cause pain on the soles of your feet. Besides, if you feel uncomfortable when stepping on the pedals, it may also cause your heel pain.

4. Get infected
If other family members use the elliptical exercise machine, you are more likely to be infected by their bacteria. In addition, bacteria may also come from children or pets. Therefore, to avoid this risk, you must keep the elliptical exercise machine clean or away from children or pets.

To sum up, you can use an elliptical trainer without shoes. Exercising barefoot on it can bring you some benefits, but at the same time you also need to be extra careful when exercising barefoot on it.