Objective To analyzes the biomechanical and dynamic characteristics of human body during exercise on elliptical cross trainer. Methods An elliptical cross trainer model and a human skeletal muscle model were built by three-dimensional (3D) modeling software and AnyBody software, respectively, which were then coupled and simulated. Results During exercise on elliptical cross trainer, the lumbar spine L5 was subjected to the maximum force 1023 kN, and the maximum activation of external oblique and internal oblique muscles were 80% and 40%, respectively. The maximum muscle activation in lower limb muscle groups did not exceed 40%, and the maximum plantar ground reaction force was 600 N. Conclusions The use of elliptical cross trainer can alleviate the pain of patients with chronic low back pain, and help to improve the trunk control and balance function of patients with stroke and hemiplegia. Compared with running exercise, exercise on elliptical cross trainer can protect the human knee joint.