do ellipitical machines help tone and lose weight?

lovelyMYlovely
lovelyMYlovely Posts: 1,066 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
i have several questions about ellipitical machines.....

1- do they JUST work out your lower body? or do you also see results in your midsection aswell?

2- do you lose weight with these? or do they just make you tone up?

3- have you seen any improvements using one?

i am just trying to tone up and lose 10 pounds... :) i currently do not exercise but i am thinking of buying one.. :) i looked online and i saw one for 250$ so very excited but i need to know everyhing about this machines results first lol...

thank you sooo much and i hope you are doing well today!!!
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Replies

  • lovelyMYlovely
    lovelyMYlovely Posts: 1,066 Member
    bump lol.... i need advice guys..
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    I'd use the money on some dumbbells and run outside or buy a jump rope if you want to do cardio. Toning up is more or less accomplished by retaining fat-free mass (muscle and connective tissue, for example) through resistance training while reducing fat mass to expose the underlying muscle.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,990 Member
    Any machinery that increases cardio respiratory work will burn more calories. With a calorie deficit combined with exercise, you lose weight. "Toning" (really no such thing but for sake of argument) happens when you combine resistance training to "harden" up the muscle underneath. You may condition your leg muscles some from an elliptical, but it really doesn't do much for upper body.
    There's no short cut. Resistance train the whole body, cardio to improve cardio vascular health and calorie deficit to help burn fat.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • EvaD12
    EvaD12 Posts: 49
    I'd give an ergo/rowing machine a try they work everything if you use them properly. If you don't know how to use one get someone at the gym to show you.
  • lovelyMYlovely
    lovelyMYlovely Posts: 1,066 Member
    I'd give an ergo/rowing machine a try they work everything if you use them properly. If you don't know how to use one get someone at the gym to show you.
    ill google it... lol
  • lovelyMYlovely
    lovelyMYlovely Posts: 1,066 Member
    hmmmm well i really wanted to try to see if i could lose the 10 pounds with the ellipitical machine.... that is just somethin i would enjoy doing rather than it feeling like a chore... but if it doesnt help me lose my belly idk what i should do
  • stefosaurusrawrrrr
    stefosaurusrawrrrr Posts: 44
    I LOVE the elliptical machine. It can help you lose weight but I'd suggest pairing it with something else. I usually run and use the elliptical machine. And the elliptical has done wonders for my calf and butt muscles, haha. It can also get your heart rate up, especially if the resistance is quite high.
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
    hmmmm well i really wanted to try to see if i could lose the 10 pounds with the ellipitical machine.... that is just somethin i would enjoy doing rather than it feeling like a chore... but if it doesnt help me lose my belly idk what i should do

    You lose body fat by creating a calorie deficit. This is accomplished by eating less food and/or exercising so that you burn more calories than you eat.

    Ellipticals will definitely add to you calorie deficit.

    But to "tone" you need resistance/weight training. "Toning" (I hate that word, lol) is building the muscle so it appears more firm as ninerbuff above said. Ellipticals will help you lose the fat so you see the muscle hiding underneath, but if you want to build muscle aka "tone" you need to apply resistance through weight training. Ellipticals are meant for cardio only to increase your calorie deficit.
  • notthatthis
    notthatthis Posts: 218
    Spend $250 on sessions with a personal trainer, home ellipticals are nonsense.
  • alexveksler
    alexveksler Posts: 409 Member
    I use elliptical 7 days per week. I walk 60 minutes on Precor 546 at maximum setting of incline of 20 and resistance of 25. I am 50 years old and my target heart rate should be 138. When I started my exercise routine 18 months ago, my heart rate was just over 161 BPM. Today I my heart rate is 130 for the entire 60 minute workout. I burn around 1000 calories and walk 4.2 miles (that's what the machine shows)

    In result, I am down 77 pounds and back to my college size clothes of 30 size weight.

    Wait, what was your question?
  • tndejong
    tndejong Posts: 463
    i have an elliptical and love my machine. but i also have a pricey gym model. dont waste the 250 on one! the cheap ones break quickly. my sister in law has already had to replace her cheap 300 model in a week. i have a large amount of weight to lose and i only use the elliptical. 25 pounds in less then a month. but if your only looking to lose 10, then im not sure if you would get the same results i have so far.
  • samuel248
    samuel248 Posts: 2
    I bought a treadmill two weeks ago online, I go running/jogging on it everyday at least for 2hours, I completed a 65miles jog last week in a week. I weighed my self yesterday and I lost 5kg in a week. I will advise you to buy it, but you need to put a lot of hard work and determination to get a result, because some times it gets boring
  • dawson55510
    dawson55510 Posts: 197 Member
    ellipitical in my opinion is the best cardio machine to burn fat. It also is easy on the joints and burns good kcals
  • suiteblooms
    suiteblooms Posts: 100
    Ellipticals are a great way to increase your heart rate which in turn helps you to burn calories. From there you have a simple math problem to do. Take your calorie intake for the day (say 1800 calories) subtract your Daily Caloric Expenditure (how many calories your body burns naturally in a day - see this website to calculate: http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/calories-burned.php . Now subtract how many calories you burn on in your work out. If your answer is a negative number, than congratulations - you are on your way to loosing pounds of fat. It only takes a loss of 3,500 calories to loose 1 lb.
    Ellipticals are also wonderful because you can set the resistance and this will make your calf, leg & butt muscles work. That sore feeling you get after a workout? That means your muscles are growing. However, an elliptical machine is not a full body work out. If you want to look strong and be strong - not MUSCULAR, just healthy... you need to incorporate other excersizes. Take a pilates class, swim laps, follow a workout DVD, or just get a mat and find some excersizes to do at home.
    Bottom line, whether you want to loose 100 lbs or just 10, it's not easy. You will have to work for it. You will have tough days, and you will not always be motivated. If you are not certain that you are commited enough to put in the energy, then I would suggest waiting to buy an elliptical, because all you will have to show for your $250 are a too snug pair of jeans, and an expensive coat rack.
  • nexangelus
    nexangelus Posts: 2,080 Member
    hmmmm well i really wanted to try to see if i could lose the 10 pounds with the ellipitical machine.... that is just somethin i would enjoy doing rather than it feeling like a chore... but if it doesnt help me lose my belly idk what i should do

    Exercise alone will not lose the fat. Calorie deficit does that (cutting calories from the food you consume), exercise gets the heart and body fit. If you want muscle tone, then start lifting weights.
  • GuybrushThreepw00d
    GuybrushThreepw00d Posts: 784 Member
    get a basic weights program from your gym.
    start going to a "body pump" class.

    If you want to "tone", you want to be lifting weight.
  • notthatthis
    notthatthis Posts: 218
    Ellipticals are a great way to increase your heart rate which in turn helps you to burn calories. From there you have a simple math problem to do. Take your calorie intake for the day (say 1800 calories) subtract your Daily Caloric Expenditure (how many calories your body burns naturally in a day - see this website to calculate: http://caloriecount.about.com/cc/calories-burned.php . Now subtract how many calories you burn on in your work out. If your answer is a negative number, than congratulations - you are on your way to loosing pounds of fat. It only takes a loss of 3,500 calories to loose 1 lb.
    Ellipticals are also wonderful because you can set the resistance and this will make your calf, leg & butt muscles work. That sore feeling you get after a workout? That means your muscles are growing. However, an elliptical machine is not a full body work out. If you want to look strong and be strong - not MUSCULAR, just healthy... you need to incorporate other excersizes. Take a pilates class, swim laps, follow a workout DVD, or just get a mat and find some excersizes to do at home.
    Bottom line, whether you want to loose 100 lbs or just 10, it's not easy. You will have to work for it. You will have tough days, and you will not always be motivated. If you are not certain that you are commited enough to put in the energy, then I would suggest waiting to buy an elliptical, because all you will have to show for your $250 are a too snug pair of jeans, and an expensive coat rack.

    Myfitnesspal calulates everything for you, it is rather the point of the site to calculate you BMR, TDEE, macros, etc.etc.

    Ellipticals are a full body workout, see those handles where your hands go, you can push with your arms or pull and let the legs have a rest.

    Look strong and be strong but not muscular. OMG WTF.

    Right, I am off before I LOSE my tongue by biting through it. See that, it's LOSE.
  • muayqis
    muayqis Posts: 72
    pipped to the post by [notthatthis]
    When I've used elliptical machines before they've had big levers for your hands to pull on, you can get a decent burn using your arms to augment your legs.
    If i do a 'sprint' on the eliptic my arms are burning almost as much as my legs. So i guess there must be some merit wrt upper body workout.
    Legs burned out? ease up on the legs and use more arm.

    Obviously it's no replacement for a strength program, but just seems odd that nobody's mentions this.
  • mariagabriella
    mariagabriella Posts: 267 Member
    I'd use the money on some dumbbells and run outside or buy a jump rope if you want to do cardio. Toning up is more or less accomplished by retaining fat-free mass (muscle and connective tissue, for example) through resistance training while reducing fat mass to expose the underlying muscle.

    this... plus you can do so much more with weights and you can incorporate them into a circuit. and you can do body weight exercises for cardio.
  • notthatthis
    notthatthis Posts: 218
    Technically you can do so much more with resistance bands than with dumbbells, certainly at the weight level that most people would consider buying especially on a budget. A TRX90 is possibly the best investment for home use; possibly.
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
    Diet will help you lose weight. Cardio simply burns some of the calories you take in and using EPOC (post exercise oxygen conusumption) causes the metabolism to burn some extra calories for 12-24 hours afterwards.

    You cannot tone - what exactly are you toning? You build muscle or lose fat. A cross trainer will not build any muscle, other than the heart if used HARD, which is precisely which most people do not.
  • Matt_Wild
    Matt_Wild Posts: 2,673 Member
    pipped to the post by [notthatthis]
    When I've used elliptical machines before they've had big levers for your hands to pull on, you can get a decent burn using your arms to augment your legs.
    If i do a 'sprint' on the eliptic my arms are burning almost as much as my legs. So i guess there must be some merit wrt upper body workout.
    Legs burned out? ease up on the legs and use more arm.

    Obviously it's no replacement for a strength program, but just seems odd that nobody's mentions this.

    The burn is lactic acid, your muscle in the said body part having run out of energy to power itself. The body prefers to generate most of its energy using aerobic methods, meaning with oxygen.

    Sometimes we require energy production faster than our bodies can adequately deliver oxygen. In those cases, the working muscles generate energy anaerobically. This energy comes from glucose through a process called glycolysis, in which glucose is broken down or metabolized into a substance called pyruvate. When oxygen is limited, the body temporarily converts pyruvate into a substance called lactate, which allows glucose breakdown--and thus energy production--to continue.

    The burn is simply a build up of lactate in the muscle because side effect of high lactate levels is an increase in the acidity of the muscle cells.
  • ladymiseryali
    ladymiseryali Posts: 2,555 Member
    When my fiance gets his tax refund, we're getting an elliptical off of amazon. I don't like to run and I've never used an elliptical, so it might be just what I'm looking for. It's only 60 bucks, plus 44 for shipping so I'd say it's a good price! If we don't like it, we can always send it back.

    If you want an elliptical, go for it. There's no harm in trying something new.
  • Sujit8383
    Sujit8383 Posts: 726 Member
    lost 24 kg's in 28 weeks using elliptical................:smile::wink: :laugh: :happy: :tongue: :love: :flowerforyou: :glasses: :smokin: :smooched: :drinker: :bigsmile: :blushing:
  • Keto_T
    Keto_T Posts: 673 Member
    I use an elliptical 2-4 times a week. I like it and it burns calories according to my HRM but I also do a boot camp (weights + cardio). I have a home elliptical that someone gave me and it was not a cheap brand but the ones at the gym are so much nicer, larger, and more stable. You may not be satisfied with a home model. If you want to work out at home I suggest dumbbells, resistance bands and an assortment of videos. Ellipticals work lower body, can work core but do very little for my arms, even using the arm handles. The focus is lower body.
  • SFBJaye
    SFBJaye Posts: 18 Member
    I use elliptical 7 days per week. I walk 60 minutes on Precor 546 at maximum setting of incline of 20 and resistance of 25. I am 50 years old and my target heart rate should be 138. When I started my exercise routine 18 months ago, my heart rate was just over 161 BPM. Today I my heart rate is 130 for the entire 60 minute workout. I burn around 1000 calories and walk 4.2 miles (that's what the machine shows)

    In result, I am down 77 pounds and back to my college size clothes of 30 size weight.

    Wait, what was your question?
    Edited by alexveksler on Tue 01/22/13 03:21 AM [\quote]





    Great info... Way to go BTW!
  • notthatthis
    notthatthis Posts: 218
    I use an elliptical 2-4 times a week. I like it and it burns calories according to my HRM but I also do a boot camp (weights + cardio). I have a home elliptical that someone gave me and it was not a cheap brand but the ones at the gym are so much nicer, larger, and more stable. You may not be satisfied with a home model. If you want to work out at home I suggest dumbbells, resistance bands and an assortment of videos. Ellipticals work lower body, can work core but do very little for my arms, even using the arm handles. The focus is lower body.

    If the gym machine is a lifefitness model and has workout selector, go to X-Train and do a 30 minute workout as the machine tells you which body part to work, assuming that the resistance is correct for your level of fitness then I assure you that when the machine says, "Push with your arms" and then "pull with your arms" then your upper body is getting a workout - fact.
  • lovelyMYlovely
    lovelyMYlovely Posts: 1,066 Member
    ok guys .. i ALREADY am on a restricted calorie intake.. i have so far being on this site for about 2 months.... so i really want an ellipitical machine to help me lose more fat.....

    i already have lovely legs though.. they are very skinny already and i am just worried that the ellipitical will ONLY help lose fat in my legs? is this true or is it asn all around body fat loss machine?.... ( while im on a restricted calorie intake) ???
  • jlt1968
    jlt1968 Posts: 77 Member
    bump
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    hmmmm well i really wanted to try to see if i could lose the 10 pounds with the ellipitical machine.... that is just somethin i would enjoy doing rather than it feeling like a chore... but if it doesnt help me lose my belly idk what i should do

    Put more emphasis on dialing in your diet.

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