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MyFitnessPal Community

Tried elliptical for first time today

Ketomaniac9

My legs exploded in less than 5 minutes.. wow but I sure got a fast heartbeat going.. spent rest of the time there on treadmill probably should have just stuck to that lol.

Replies

BackTatJIM

I love the elliptical, I have been using one 6 days a week for over 3 weeks straight now and I really have to up the resistance from where I first started to get a good sweat going. I average about 400 calories burnt in 33 mins.
- i started at 4 mins of 2 risistance and 4 mins of 8 resistance back and forcth for 30 mins
- 3 weeks later i am doing 4 mins at 8 resistance and 4 mins at 10 resistance for 30 mins
- try sticking to the ellipitcal you will see a big differance in just a few weekas

wftiger

Go for 6 tomorrow. Your legs will hurt like a mother tomorrow on it too (butt probably too depending on the incline you used) but you will get used to it quickly.

I love it now. I only go 30-40 minutes at 14 resistance (just got to 14 today) but it is one heck of a workout. I like it because I can get my heart rate up faster and feel like I get more of a workout then on the treadmill. If I can get done in 30 what would take me 60 on the treadmill I am all for that!

myjourney2

same thing happened to me! I thought my legs were going to fall off but the next time I tried it , it was that much easier. It really does get better

Ketomaniac9

I love the elliptical, I have been using one 6 days a week for over 3 weeks straight now and I really have to up the resistance from where I first started to get a good sweat going. I average about 400 calories burnt in 33 mins.
- i started at 4 mins of 2 risistance and 4 mins of 8 resistance back and forcth for 30 mins
- 3 weeks later i am doing 4 mins at 8 resistance and 4 mins at 10 resistance for 30 mins
- try sticking to the ellipitcal you will see a big differance in just a few weekas

Yep going back tomorrow to attempt to do it longer wish me luck

ChelleDJM

I'm the opposite. I love the elliptical, but my legs hurt like crazy on the treadmill. My husband only does the treadmill and burns about the same as I do on the elliptical. .

vberdiel76

The first time I tried it my knees were burning so I haven't been on it since but maybe I should try it again tomorrow when I'm at the gym!!!!!

nosila96

I love the elliptical because I can watch shows on my tablet.
I burn about 500 in 40 mins

madisonsteelex

You will definitely get used to it, it's really good in the beginning but after a while you will get used to it and feel like you're not doing anything. It takes me doing sprints at at least 50 resistance for me to even get my heart rate above 160 anymore.

madisonsteelex

Oh and all I can say is definitely do not pay attention to what the machine tells you. For the first 8-10 months of my weight loss I was doing the elliptical and pretty much only the elliptical every day for an hour. The machine would tell me I burned around 800-900 calories. My roommate got a heart rate monitor and I found out I was only burning about 450-500 calories in an hour of high intensity on the elliptical. And by high intensity I mean intervals from level 50-100.

pants77

I swear by the elliptical for cardio. It's low impact so my knees and feet don't explode. Back when I was around 350 I started at 15-20 minutes with the minimum resistance setting and gradually worked my way up. Actual running is tough for me because my knees are iffy and my legs get really sore before I can really get my heart rate up. I get a much better cardio workout on the elliptical.

Be sure you start out with the minimum resistance and don't try to go too hard right away. Like anything else, your body just needs time to get used to it. But like Madison and others have said, the calorie totals on most machines are total BS so just ignore them. Stick with it!