Starting out.

khicks137

I haven't worked out in about a year and a half. I got on the elliptical today and was able to stay on for the duration of a nine minute TedTalk. I'm curious as to how far I need to push myself without pushing too hard. Is a nine minute workout laughable or is it doing any good?

peleroja

Nine minutes is better than no minutes, but even better than that would be to consider either slowing down/decreasing intensity and targeting at least a half hour, or doing intervals (even something simple like 2 minutes high intensity, 3 min low - your elliptical might even have a program for this already) for 20-30 minutes as well.

There is certainly a benefit to short, high intensity cardio (like sprinting) as well, but if you're just starting out, I think most people are better served with a more moderate, longer cardio workout.

khicks137

Thanks for this!

Panda8ach

I have an Elliptical trainer and I started last week with 10 minutes! I felt pathetic lol but it's better than nothing... I'm a week on it and I'm up to 25 minutes... I'm no jillian Michaels but I was proud

Luna3386

Good job! I'd add anywhere from 1-5 minutes per session. I think starting off slower is better for you- you have a smaller chance of getting injured!