Eliptical?

Justanotherhippy
Justanotherhippy Posts: 27 Member
edited November 17 in Fitness and Exercise
How efficient is the eliptical actually for cardio and booty building?

Replies

  • MaddMaestro
    MaddMaestro Posts: 405 Member
    I was never sure if the eliptical poses different benefits than treadmills/walking but I'm going to try that in lieu of jogging for a while. The impact is bothering my hips, so maybe elipticals are good for that?
  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,571 Member
    The elliptical is fine for a cardiovascular workout and it can burn some calories. It does nothing for booty building.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    MaddMaestro wrote: »
    I was never sure if the eliptical poses different benefits than treadmills/walking but I'm going to try that in lieu of jogging for a while. The impact is bothering my hips, so maybe elipticals are good for that?

    Sounds like cycling might be better for you?
  • darbunk
    darbunk Posts: 26 Member
    If you want to build up your booty you have to do exercises that burn. Lunges, curtsey lunges, duck walk with resistance band, donkey kicks, pistol squats. These all work lower body, including the booty.
  • LeoT0917
    LeoT0917 Posts: 206 Member
    edited April 2017
    Cycling is very good for glute development. Especially if you work hills and interval training into your cycling workouts.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    bbell1985 wrote: »
    The elliptical is fine for a cardiovascular workout and it can burn some calories. It does nothing for booty building.

    It can build glute muscles - if there's sufficient intensity and resistance.
    Not probably the quickest or most efficient way though compared to actual resistance training unless you regard getting a bit of resistance work whilst getting a cardio workout as efficient (two for the price of one!).
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    MaddMaestro wrote: »
    I was never sure if the eliptical poses different benefits than treadmills/walking but I'm going to try that in lieu of jogging for a while. The impact is bothering my hips, so maybe elipticals are good for that?

    If you have hip issues from running then the Elliptical is unlikely to help. The elliptical doesn't do a great deal for core stability and strength, which is a principal contributor to hip issues in runners.

    I'd veer towards cycling as more complementary to running and providing very good CV benefits. Together with resistance training to improve core strength.

    Elliptical is a bit meh as far as contribution to other activities is concerned.
  • menotyou56
    menotyou56 Posts: 178 Member
    I did 15 minutes on an elliptical a few days ago at the gym and the top part of my legs got sore from it so it must be hitting my legs in a different way than the treadmill.
  • wpg2mpls
    wpg2mpls Posts: 17 Member
    The elliptical can be a great cardio choice, judging by my HR it is on par with running 9 min/miles for me. That being said, resistance is key; I could go all day long on it at a low level and hardly burn anything, but crank up that resistance and maybe add in some 30-60 second sprints and you can work up an awesome sweat. The resistance also helps build up your glutes, especially if you can adjust the machine to a steeper incline but you won't get anywhere near the results that you will from squats and other compound lifts.
  • Mandamanda93
    Mandamanda93 Posts: 213 Member
    I love the elliptical. Something about the motion makes it much easier on my knees than walking/jogging (chronic pain sufferer here), and with the elliptical at my gym, you can ramp up the incline and resistance to target specific muscle groups while you're getting your cardio in. Like some folks have said- the key is to up your resistance so that it's ACTUALLY making you work out, and if you're looking to build glute muscles rather than just tone them, you'll likely have to incorporate some weight lifting.
  • Sharon_C
    Sharon_C Posts: 2,132 Member
    I do the elliptical every single day and it can absolutely help those glutes and quads. I wouldn't use it as your sole leg workout though because it will take forever for you to see results. I have arthritis in my hips so I can't run and my doctor recommended the elliptical. I've been doing it for a few years. Top resistance and top incline. You'll feel it then :)
  • dawson002
    dawson002 Posts: 170 Member
    Elliptical is awesome to use, especially if your sore from running!

    Just make sure to turn the resistance up to a level where you have to make an effort
  • coffeemom479
    coffeemom479 Posts: 4 Member
    It burns so good!!! I can only do 2-3 minutes! It's my second week of exersize Nguyen with our home gym. I use to do 30 minutes on the elliptical a day and forgot what all it targets. It's evil... lol!
  • don9992
    don9992 Posts: 49 Member
    I do both elliptical and spinning training. Since I've had a few cardiac adventures in the past, I always wear an HRM when working out and record the sessions. I find that, when I compare 45 minutes on the elliptical machine to a 45 minute spinning class, both of which were fairly strenuous, the elliptical always shows a higher average heart rate and around a hundred more calories burned.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I find it to be about the most boring thing possible...
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