Why can't I last 5 minutes on an elliptical!

canary_girl

Elliptical isn't my favorite, but I find that the first 5-10 minutes are the toughest. If I can make it through that I can go an hour. For me it's not necessarily pain, just my body screaming "STOP" at me. If I can ignore it for 10 minutes I am fine.

Lemongrab13

Zombeh purst! :indifferent:

But to add for the sake of it, I run and strength train regularly. No matter how fit I get I still find the elliptical extraordinarily sucky. Not painful, but it's exhausting. NothxJeff.

rml_16

I begged my husband for an elliptical, and finally he got me one. but now I cant even stay on there for 5 minutes before my legs are in pain and I get off. I hear everyone doing 20 minutes to an hour on those things. How do you manage?!

I'm sure I'm supposed to just push through the pain, but maybe I'm just doing something wrong!

I need advice!

Keep getting on it. I couldn't do five minutes the first time I got on one, either. Now I can go for hours.

arewethereyet

OP was on March 12, 2011 5:25 AM, and she has deactivated. Maybe she never got to 6 minutes :ohwell:

flomelly3h

I’m finding my quads are agony after just a few minutes on elliptical I’ve tried pushing through pain barrier can’t do it. I can row for 20 minutes and cycle for same time so why can’t I manage this? Beginning to despair help

spr931

WalkingAlong wrote: »

I avoid them because they make my toes numb.

They make my toes go numb too!

AnnPT77

flomelly3h wrote: »

I’m finding my quads are agony after just a few minutes on elliptical I’ve tried pushing through pain barrier can’t do it. I can row for 20 minutes and cycle for same time so why can’t I manage this? Beginning to despair help

This is a thread from 2011, and like many old threads, there is some questionable to bad advice on it.

IMO, there are two things to think about here:

1. What is the nature of the agony? If it's normal "muscle burning" kind of feelings, causing "jelly legs" after, it may just be a matter of starting more slowly, for a short session, and *gradually* increasing duration or intensity. Don't go all out, take it easier; and increase duration slowly.

On the other hand, if it's sharp pain that's more localized, such as in a joint or a sharp pain localized in a muscle, there may be either a form issue (are you hyperextending or locking your knees, for one example?), or a pre-existing condition that make the elliptical not a great exercise choice for you. No matter what people said in 2011, IMO trying to push through actual pain is a bad idea. If the problem is just muscular challenge, back off to the point where it's a *manageable* challenge. That's not shameful, it's smart.

2. Conditioning is very sport-specific. When one starts some new exercise modality, *some* benefits from other exercise can carry over (such as aerobic capacity), but there will be new challenges that make us a beginner at the new thing, and require adaptation/conditioning to the new thing. That's completely normal.

So: Sharp, acute, localized pain? Something is wrong. More generalized "muscle challenge" kind of discomfort? Back off duration/intensity, work your way up.

Something else? Ask more questions.

Best wishes!