how good is the elliptical?

Options
erinlindsay
erinlindsay Posts: 65
in Fitness and Exercise
i burn tons of calories on the elliptical but i feel like im doing nothing...

how good is the elliptical really for you?

Replies

  • tiffanygil
    tiffanygil Posts: 478 Member
    Options
    I love it! I lost the majority of my wt on the elliptical because it was so much easier on my knees. Try increasing your speed and intensity

    Good luck
  • highrise
    highrise Posts: 147 Member
    Options
    I love the elliptical; low impact for my poor knees :) I whack the resistance up on whichever program I'm doing, and that helps me feel as if I'm actually doing some work. I know it works because I can definitely feel it in my calves the next day.
  • HonestOmnivore
    HonestOmnivore Posts: 1,356 Member
    Options
    Basically- the elliptical melts off my weight and provides me a great core of aerobic exercise. I also have found it put me light years ahead when I started jogging and biking compaired to my prior attempts at those forms of exercise. I use it to do sprints for interval training and once a week I try to do some endurence on it (90 minutes min). It's been the foundation of my exercise program!

    Because it's low impact it's always an option when I'm banged up from some other exercise event. Mine has arm poles so I can tone my arms too - these seem to work quite well!
  • karenmi
    karenmi Posts: 242 Member
    Options
    Check this out: http://www.slice.ca/Shows/XWeighted/Faq.aspx?Title_ID=97067.

    When I first heard him say this years ago, I was an avid elliptical user (daily) and completely disagreed with him. But now, I agree with what he says. It's just one trainer's viewpoint, but it does make you think!

    Now I never use the elliptical, I walk on the treadmill or walk outside.
  • Wolfena
    Wolfena Posts: 1,570 Member
    Options
    If you feel like it's doing nothing, then turn up the resistance!! Or maybe you need to do something new because your body is just used to it now.
  • HonestOmnivore
    HonestOmnivore Posts: 1,356 Member
    Options
    Check this out: http://www.slice.ca/Shows/XWeighted/Faq.aspx?Title_ID=97067.

    When I first heard him say this years ago, I was an avid elliptical user (daily) and completely disagreed with him. But now, I agree with what he says. It's just one trainer's viewpoint, but it does make you think!

    Now I never use the elliptical, I walk on the treadmill or walk outside.
    I read his thoughts on the elliptical but I have to partially disagree. After using just the elliptical machine for a couple months, I found I was able to get on a bike and go for 30 minutes - I'd NEVER been able to do that! Prior times in my life I'd been in great shape but the bike was always a challenge. The elliptical got me close enough that the transition wasn't bad! Same with the jogging. I'm doing the 5K101 and I assure you that at no other time in my life would I have been able to start jogging like I was.

    I think that the elliptical helped my general aerobic health, and strengthened some of the key muscle groups needed for "real life" activity. It gave me a great base!

    Plus I am no more likely to row a boat than I am to want to "elliptical" in the real world- still like that machine!
  • Wolfena
    Wolfena Posts: 1,570 Member
    Options
    I thought the main reason for doing cardio was to keep your heart healthy.... burning calories is just a nice side effect.

    :smile:
  • BroiledNotFried
    BroiledNotFried Posts: 446 Member
    Options
    If you enjoy it, do it. I enjoy the elliptical, and I do it. Nothing better than the elliptical and good music. It's almost like yoga.

    But, I also do a spinning class, treadmill walking on incline, treadmill jogging on zero incline...skating too.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    Options
    Check this out: http://www.slice.ca/Shows/XWeighted/Faq.aspx?Title_ID=97067.

    When I first heard him say this years ago, I was an avid elliptical user (daily) and completely disagreed with him. But now, I agree with what he says. It's just one trainer's viewpoint, but it does make you think!

    Now I never use the elliptical, I walk on the treadmill or walk outside.

    It made me think, all right--all I could think of was: "what a wanker".

    At some point, if you want to be taken seriously as a professional, you have to learn how to separate your personal opinion from your objective analysis of the facts.
  • firedragon064
    firedragon064 Posts: 1,090 Member
    Options
    Does the calorie counting on the elliptical is correct?
    I sweat like crazy on stairmaster to burn 310 calorie for 1/2 hour
    on elliptical .. to burn 310 calorie is easy.

    I don't remember but I think the stairmaster does not ask for my age.
    On the elliptical does ask for both my weight and age.
  • pixiestick
    pixiestick Posts: 839 Member
    Options
    For accurate calorie count, you really need a heart rate monitor.

    As for the elliptical, GREAT machine as long as you cross train with other cardio 1/4 to 1/3 of the time. Mix it up with the stairmaster, rowing machine, or spinning. If you don't feel like you are working hard enough, crank up the resistance and/or the speed. I had a bad injury a few months back and was banned from running (my drug of choice) for six weeks. So the elliptical became my salvation.

    Run on!
  • mlebleek
    mlebleek Posts: 4
    Options
    I actually looked this up a while ago and got a good explanation. If you put in your weight and age you will get a pretty good estimate of cals you are burning but because the elliptical is low impact it is easier to go faster and use a higher level where as a treadmill is high impact so it is harder on your body and makes it more difficult to go fast enough to burn an equivalent amount of calories. For people that can do the treadmill it actually burns more calories/hr if you are able to go at a reasonable speed but it is harder to get to that place than on the elliptical. Apparently it was designed that way. Smart inventors!! I personally have a bum leg and cannot do high impact workouts without a lot of pain and swelling afterwards so if I want to get a really good workout it's the elliptical for me. I turn up my level pretty high and do either hills, random or personal trainer setting. I get a great workout, I'm not in pain for days to come and I have to say I've seen a difference in my overall health. I switch it up with the stairmill and just walking outside (which does not hurt nearly as much as on the treadmill) but the elliptical is my machine of choice!
  • HonestOmnivore
    HonestOmnivore Posts: 1,356 Member
    Options
    mlebleek makes a great point - I can't jog every day, and I won't bike or swim every day (yet) but I've never NEEDED a recovery day from the elliptical. I take a day off at least once a week (it's always supposed to be only one day off but life happens!) but if I were to decide to get some aerobic in every day - the elliptical would be the way to do it.

    Between the ability to move fast or slow, (on mine) use your arms more or less, move up the resistance and (on mine at least) move up the incline... I can find a combination of these that will let me get my heart rate up for 35 minutes without aggravating tender muscle strains or joints.

    And while we can all wonder what our ACTUAL calorie burn might be on a given machine, I've lost pounds at the 'appropriate' rate (6-8 lbs a month) using just the elliptical, and more inches than with diet alone, while watching my body shape and fitness level improve. Not a bad outcome.
  • mworld
    mworld Posts: 270
    Options
    beware the machine calorie counter, especially on the elliptical.

    http://www.consumersearch.com/blog/no-surprise-cardio-machines-overestimate-your-calorie-burn

Categories