Elliptical trainer questions

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  • FORIANN
    FORIANN Posts: 273 Member
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    I weigh 288lbs...and am not very overweight...just big. I do an hour and I burn around 1200 calories. I give myself about 10 min to get my HR up to my 'cruising altitude' and that's where I stay most of the time. I stay on a pretty high resistance...about 13....and keep my HR around 150 bpm. I'm dropping a lot of weight though and as I do my calories burned is going down.

    In addition what's worked well for me is I set my calorie goal to lost 2lbs a week....don't log anything other than the cardio work I do, even though I walk a lot and do strength/core training...and overestimate your calories if you're not completely sure. I'm seeing really really good results.

    The HRM I got was a Timex for about $26...with chest strap. It links up automatically to the elliptical I use.

    Sounds like you're on the right track.
  • tinamatteson
    tinamatteson Posts: 125 Member
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    I'm no expert on the elliptical, but I can tell you my experience! Each elliptical, even if it feels the same, seems to show a different amount of calories burned so don't get discouraged. I have lost 70 of my 80 lbs from doing 30 minutes on the elliptical about 5 days a week and nothing more. A lot of the time when I was really out of shape there was little to no resistance. You'll see results! I recently switched over to interval training and I will run a minute/walk a minute on the treadmill and keep alternating like that. Throw that in a day or two a week for 20-30 mins instead of the elliptical and you'll feel the difference!

    Plus the fact that you're doing this in the morning is really helping your metabolism throughout the day so in the worst case, even if you feel like you might not be burning the calories you want to be burning, it's making a difference all day long. When I switched to morning workouts the pounds were falling off even though I felt like I was tired and maybe not doing that much.

    You're doing awesome, good luck on a really rewarding journey!! :)

    VERY encouraging. Thank you!
  • newfieborn
    newfieborn Posts: 85
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    Firstly, I think you are doing great and I love my elliptical as well. This is my 2 cents.

    Counting calories is great if that is what you like to do. It is NOT required. You do not NEED (you may want) a HRM. If you eat Balanced meals every 2 -3 hrs and exercise regularly, you will loss weight. MBF is a great tool to help you keep track of your daily intake and it really gives you an idea of what you are eating. The support is great as well.

    I use this workout for my elliptical. I also vary the incline as well. This is a 20 min workout but it can be changed to any lenght you want. The intensity level ( and incline if you want), changes every minute. I did up several tables that shows a 20, 30, 40, 50 , & 60 min workouts and it is taped to my Elliptical.

    Warm up the first 2 minutes at Intensity Level 5
    Minutes 2-3 move from Intensity Level 5 to 6
    Minutes 4-5, 6-10 and 11-14 work your way from Intensity Level 6 to Level 9, maintain for one minute.
    Minutes 15-19 work your way from Intensity Level 6 to Level 10 (High Point at Level 10), maintain for one minute.
    Minute 20 cool down to Intensity Level 5 for one minute.

    You have to know your target workout heart rate and keep it there for your workout. A HRM can be good for this.

    Do not over think this. You can spend thousands of $ on this or spend nothing. If you are committed, it will work either way.

    Good luck.

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