There’s no question that the elliptical machine is a great cardio workout, but are you getting all you can from your elliptical routine? Here are five tips from Tivity Health™ to make your workout more effective:

1. Engage.

Stand up straight, use your core and work your upper-body muscles (biceps, triceps and shoulders). This will strengthen your postural muscles, decrease your risk for back and shoulder pain, and even burn more calories.

2. Keep your whole foot on the pedal.

Too much pressure on your toes can lead to foot numbness and decrease your calorie burn. Instead, keep your heel in contact with the pedal and push through your entire foot with each stride.

3. Use the handles.

Press and pull the handles to activate your arm, back, shoulders and core muscles.

4. Mix up your workouts.

Dial-up the resistance to work all your muscles harder. To work your glutes and quads, increase the incline, and to work your hamstrings and calves, lower the incline.

5. Add intervals.

High-intensity intervals (short bursts of hard work) burn more calories in less time and help build strength and lean muscle. When starting with intervals, stick with short high-intensity periods and longer low-to moderate-intensity ones.