Want better results???? Ditch the elliptical and......

Colbyandsage

I agree the elliptical and MPF show crazy high amounts of calorites burned. I use the elluptical on my off day for training for marathons. The stair machines are killer. Too much for "rest" days for me. I would also say running burns more calories.

Same here. Plus I have a HRM so I don't use the machine counter. Rest days, I only do 40 mins.

I don't even know what that machine is but I used to have an old school stepped but it broke, I loved it! Now, I can't stand machines so I would rather go outside!

Unknown

This content has been removed.

HelloSweetie4

When I was a member at a gym a couple years ago, one of the many times I tried to lose weight and failed, I liked the elliptical. Now that I'm actually making progress in my weight loss, it seems to easy. I did it before because I have bad knees and it was easier on them. Now that I've dropped a few pounds I prefer to jog or run on the street and my knees don't hurt. I also do stairs climbing on our back steps outside. I wish I had a stair machine so I wouldn't have to only do it on nice days. Rain and concrete steps don't mix well lol.

Neecy_Pooh

I love the step mill and use it at level 10 or 11 and burn about 13 cals per minute. I do not like the elipticals because I cannot stand the movement. It isn't a realistic movement for me. I run on the treadmill, use the upright stationary bike, row machine and the step mill. Using all of those in for ten minutes each I can burn about 550 in 40 minutes. LOVE it!

annabanana1786

bump to finish reading later

LilRedRooster

I see your stair mill, and raise you one outdoor run on varied terrains.

When I want better results, I put on my shoes, and go run up and down stairs at apartment complexes, football fields, and wherever else steps are available. Or I find really big hills somewhere. All free, and they don't require me to stand in line waiting for a machine, wiping down after someone else uses it, or any kind of set-up. That and I don't see the point in training to walk up and down revolving stairs that don't go anywhere. My hikes in the mountains don't involve a mountain that rotates under me while I just stay one place.

Though that would be pretty cool.

MsQt

I lost almost 200 lbs on the elliptical.............I wish someone had told me sooner it didnt work

Dude! Best post in the entire thread! Thanks for your contribution.

:drinker:

michellepierce1

I am fortunate enough to have a stair master at home. I bought one a few years ago for a killer deal of $450 from the original $1200 this one was valued at around this year. I never used it but knew it was a killer work out. I now use it on the days I just can't get to the gym or don't get to go to Sloan Lake and run. I agree this is the work out to have on hand. Quick, easy, BRUTAL.

mruntidy

Yup, I was right, all the elliptical people came out and got offended in full force! I never said it didn't have it's uses, but people are going to twist things how they see fit. to the guy who lost 200 pounds. CONGRATS!! Something tells me though..that you also cleaned up your diet. give yourself credit, it wasn't just the elliptical machine.

So by that logic does using a stair mill make any difference either if people clean up their diet?

Any exercise will "make a difference". Heck, you don't even need to exercise AT ALL to lose weight if you don't want, as long as your calories in is less than yoru calories out. It's not just about calories. It's about challenge, effort, striving to hit a "10" in your exertion. If you just want to burn some calories to lose weight or work off that piece of cake..then sure...paddle away ont he elliptical for an hour. I guess I shouldn't have assumed that everyone was into fitness for fitness.

As far as the ellliptical being for the unfit and elderly. I stand by that comment. When you get "good" on the elliptical, why wouldn't you want to step it up? I just don't get being content with a certain level. I do'nt want to "maintain". If i can do 20 push ups, I wanna work to 25, or do one arms, or do them weighted. I don't just hit 20 and think "oh good, I made it, now i'm done". I"m competitive. I race, I like challenge.Fitness is a lifeslong pursuit for me, not just a tool to get thin.

Again, if you ARE content with where you're at, and you LOVE plugging away on the elliptical, then do so. For the rest of you (who don't have messed up knees and DO go to a gym) try the step mill. Hell..it was just a suggestion.

Ok, to break that down then 'any exercise makes a difference' exactly
Paddle away on the elliptical - are you assuming that everyone merrily goes at no resistance? I always push as hard as i can every time i am at the gym as im sure you do as well, plus im not assuming that just because you use a stair climber that you are not working out to 100% in the gym.
'When you get good on the elliptical why wouldn't you want to step it up?' i do, it has resistance levels and i get great fitness results out of it doing intervals incorporated into my circuits.
Not being content drives me forward
'if you want to work off that piece of cake paddle away on a *insert any machine,circuit,routine,song and dance here*
You might not have assumed wrong but im guessing that a fair amount of people would take offence at you blanket brushing them for doing something to then say by the way what you're doing is wrong, you aren't doing this for fitness and you should do it my way. Out of interest how would you feel if someone said that to you cause they used an arc trainer or a super muscle burner turn me into a god in five minutes 4000 machine?

I'm doing this to get thin, i'm doing this to get fit, i do it to compete and now i'm doing it to beat you, using an elliptical to boot
Of course, that's all just my opinion

MsQt

Yup, I was right, all the elliptical people came out and got offended in full force! I never said it didn't have it's uses, but people are going to twist things how they see fit. to the guy who lost 200 pounds. CONGRATS!! Something tells me though..that you also cleaned up your diet. give yourself credit, it wasn't just the elliptical machine.

So by that logic does using a stair mill make any difference either if people clean up their diet?

That's just what I was thinking! I lost my first 14 lbs on the elliptical, then I started on the cybrex, then the stepmill, then the leg-press, and squat machine, and so on and on. Now I use everything at the gym to my advantage. I always switch it up and increase intensity and every machine there! Not only that, sometimes I used my own resistance in exercising. Of course foods in my kitchen also help me get the results that I have now and there is no signs me stopping.

Libby81

.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

Tori_356

too bad they dont have one of those at my "gym", id definitly step it up

spinqueen72

hit the step mill instead. Non jarring, more effective, actually simiuates USABLE REALISTIC movement. When I used to train, I slowly converted many a soccer mom to the step mill. I can't tell you how many of those women would brag about how they could go for an hour on the elliptical and burn SOOOO many calories....um hmmmmm.

5 minutes on the step mill at a level 5 and they were panting and DONE.

Elliptical is a great start for poeple who are unfit or elderly. Once you're past the "newbie" phase of exercise however, it's time to step it up..literally!!

I know I'm gonna get a hundred replies of offended people who just swear by the elliptical. For some reason that machine has a cult following (probalby because it's easy and shows huge calorie burns..which are false..but that is another thread). But...there is a reason that very few trainers actually use them THEMSELVES. It's unnatural movement, it's too easy to wimp out on it, and it's just simply not enough once you hit a more advanced level of fitness.

Flame away...most trainers are on board with me on this one. Step mill. GO THERE...

Do you mean the "Stairmaster"?

Unknown

This content has been removed.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

trud72

LOL I had an elliptical. Was great for hanging up wet towels after swimming

Hated using it. 3 minutes and my knees HURT. Not ache, but down right HURT.

Sold the elliptical, joined a gym, and started the treadmill. I LOVE the treadmill.

What's the Step Mill and how is it used?

So I'll join you on the anti-elliptical band wagon

if your knees hurt doing the elliptical they would totallllly kill you doing the step mill!

Chris_acc_can

A calorie burned is a calorie burned regardless of machine used. The elliptical may not be the most efficient cardio machine (you will have to be on longer to burn same calories on stair master) but it will still bun calories.

Every machine has pros or cons. Treadmill is hard on knees and joints, Stair master only engages the lower body and again is hard on knees and ankles. A bike only engages the lower body as waist up is fixed, etc...

You can write a thread on any cardio machine and only highlight the cons. The focus should be that you are at least doing cardio. If you don't care about time at gym than the cardio you do isn't relevant, just the calories burned.

cara4art

I do the elliptical myself - I'm older and I had a knee injury back in late '10, for which I had great rehab.. But I also do stairs, in my apartment building. I do agree, doing the stairs can really kick one's butt, especially if one does them 2 at a time going up. I got into my stair routine as part of my rehab when I got to the point where I could do stairs(esp. the going down part)once more. I do this 3x time a day, 10 flights at a time. I was able to start doing 2 steps at a time going up a couple of months ago - it makes a big difference in perceived effort due to the increased quad and glutes engagement.
But back to the elliptical - I was doing this pre-injury because I'm downright spooked about treadmills(I got thrown off one once, in a private home - fortunately I wasn't badly hurt but it sure scared me to death). IMO, the trick to getting a lot more out of the elliptical is to get enough resistance and incline going on - otherwise one is indeed just gliding along and all. I've gotten GREAT workouts on the elliptical myself, doing both steady-state cardio and intervals. In my book, if you can read a magazine or pay too much attention to the TV while on the elliptical, you aren't working hard enough.

feltlikesound

Me personally I find if I mix up the stair stepper, elliptical, arc trainer, and treadmill it works best for me. If I do just one my body gets use to it and I don't get as much out of it or I get bored.

This is exactly what works for me, too. I have a goal for calories burned, and I just pick and choose what ever type of cardio I feel up to that day, and it's worked very well for me. I usually do elliptical on days my body feels more tired, because I find the movement less strenuous on my muscles and joints (but still reach my calories burned goal).

Libby81

not taking part in uncalled for *****ing

RachFace1000

My physical therapist actually recommended the elliptical machine to me because it doesn't put much stress on my knees... that and bikes. Does the stair stepper do wear-and-tear on your knees? Please let me know! And if anyone knows if the stationary bike is also as big of a lie as the elliptical machine let me know that too...

Unknown

This content has been removed.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

junekmoore

Thanks so much for this post. I hope on the elliptical a few times a week because of the reasons you stated others do. I do not see the results I do from power walking, walking inclines, kickboxing or zumba. This explains it!! The stepmill does wear me out and I guess that is why I avoid it. I will do 20 minutes of it today and jog 20 on the treadmill. Thanks a million!!!

RachFace1000

My physical therapist actually recommended the elliptical machine to me because it doesn't put much stress on my knees... that and bikes. Does the stair stepper do wear-and-tear on your knees? Please let me know! And if anyone knows if the stationary bike is also as big of a lie as the elliptical machine let me know that too...

the step mill does put some stress on the knees, but it really depends on how tall you are. the step mill steps are a foot high. Ask your physio about it. Elliptical is good for knee injuries. So is teh bike. have you tried spin class?

I'm around 5'9 and 5'10.
And I will defiantly ask him! I typically go to the yoga classes at my gym instead of the spin classes at the same time, but I can switch that up every once in a while. The people in that class (not matter how fit) are always sweating buckets!!!

ChaseAlder

I HATE the elliptical. It feels so weird, I can't even stay on it for more than a few minutes.

mikewpg1ca

Personally I'm not a fan of the elliptical because I find the elliptical motion unnatural. Instead if I want a low-impact cardio workout I use the Arc Trainer; it's a similar concept to an elliptical but the Arc Trainer provides a much smoother and natural motion I find.

As for the step mill, I really like that too, but it certainly isn't a low-impact cardio workout. At least for me it works the legs pretty good, which isn't a bad thing, but sometimes when my legs are feeling heavy from running or a leg workout, the step mill is just too much. The Arc Trainer still allows me to get a decent cardio workout in on recovery days without the stress on my leg muscles/joints.

All said, I like to mix up my cardio, treadmill, bike, arc trainer, step mill, row machine, and recently I've started to play with Jacobs Ladder, which makes the step mill seem easy...lol.

braign

I have been running outside and on treadmills for a bit (not more than 1.5 miles yet) and weight training in the gym, and recently because my feet were KILLING me after work, I thought I'd do a 'light' day at the gym and just get on the elliptical (no pounding of feet on surfaces). Well, my breathing was heavy straight away and the sweat was pouring off me after 5 minutes! I've never had so many sweat beads dripping down me before outside of a shower!

I kept my hands on the HRM in the machine (as best I could - the sweat was all slippery) and ignored the calories. It had my heart rate at an average of 168bpm over 15 minutes, so I tapped that into a website that calculates calories burned based on heart rate, and entered that into MFP (since their estimate is way higher).

I agree that people who do the elliptical religiously probably get used to it (the woman next to me wasn't even sweating, just watching TV) but it felt pretty good to me to work that hard. The next time I did it, I had to go up 2 levels to get the same feeling, so I won't get too attached to it, but I wouldn't swear it off completely!