elliptical

jacpell80

Any have suggestions on using elliptical?
Pro/cons...how many calories does it burns...what body areas does it target

JustAnotherOneOfThoseGirls

i use it to warm up and cool down, i do 0.5 km forwards, 0.5 km backwards, then the same again to cool down. Going forwards and backwards uses different major muscle groups. It's also pretty good for doing HIIT training. Calories depends on how fast your going, what effort level it's on etc., but usually it burns about the same as a gentle jog, but obviously, it could be more or less depending on your settings. And it's good for working the whole body, especially if you use the arm handles

lorrpb

JustAnotherOneOfThoseGirls wrote: »

i use it to warm up and cool down, i do 0.5 km forwards, 0.5 km backwards, then the same again to cool down. Going forwards and backwards uses different major muscle groups. It's also pretty good for doing HIIT training. Calories depends on how fast your going, what effort level it's on etc., but usually it burns about the same as a gentle jog, but obviously, it could be more or less depending on your settings. And it's good for working the whole body, especially if you use the arm handles

I also alternate forwards and backwards throughout my workout, so I'm glad to see someone else do the same!

JustAnotherOneOfThoseGirls

lorrpb wrote: »

JustAnotherOneOfThoseGirls wrote: »

i use it to warm up and cool down, i do 0.5 km forwards, 0.5 km backwards, then the same again to cool down. Going forwards and backwards uses different major muscle groups. It's also pretty good for doing HIIT training. Calories depends on how fast your going, what effort level it's on etc., but usually it burns about the same as a gentle jog, but obviously, it could be more or less depending on your settings. And it's good for working the whole body, especially if you use the arm handles

I also alternate forwards and backwards throughout my workout, so I'm glad to see someone else do the same!

YES! once you get over the odd looks, you notice the one's who appreciate that you know what you're doing and you feel ever so slightly invincible :') plus my quads and hamstrings appreciate the switch up

AngusCody22

I love the elliptical! You can burn a lot of calories & it's not hard on your knees!

jdawson002

the elliptical is a great machine. Make sure you crank up the resistance and you'll certainly be feeling it after just a few minutes

sijomial

jacpell80 wrote: »

Any have suggestions on using elliptical?
Pro/cons...how many calories does it burns...what body areas does it target

I don't use them much as I'm primarily a cyclist, they are quite complimentary though.
Tend to use them for intervals with varying resistance (or elevation depending on make/model).
Often I will alternate 5 mins forwards and 1min backwards, mostly to stop my feet falling asleep (loose shoe laces also help prevent that...).

How many calories it burns depends on you!
Your weight, effort, resistance, fitness level and of course the duration determines the calorie burn. In winter I often use one at my local gym while watching a game of rugby on the TV so long duration = high calorie burns.
Some will give accurate calorie estimates, some will be totally fanciful so use common sense. If it seems too good to be true then it's probably too good to be true....

Areas targeted:
Heart / lungs / circulation - it is cardio after all.
Muscles mostly quads, glutes and calves. Going in reverse will bring some hamstring activation. If elliptical has your arms in use too then push and pull to work both biceps and triceps.

dustedwithsugar

I had no idea that you can go backwards!! Although it makes sense when I think about it now... I'll definitely try backwards workout today, thanks!