Elliptical

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laurenjessica315
laurenjessica315 Posts: 23 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi,
I know this is a loaded question, but if I do the elliptical with intervals/tougher resistance for about 35 minutes/day is that more effective than doing 35 minutes of intervals on the tredmill. I am 5'6, 120 lbs and am trying to loose any extra weight/get more toned (am also doing Insanity or strength training). I just stated doing cardio again so I havent plateaued...just was wondering which is more effective at shedding extra lbs/tightening up - elliptical or tredmill...

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  • trud72
    trud72 Posts: 1,912 Member
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    :bigsmile: Not a whole lot init to be honest

    swap between the both for best results x
  • pinthin87
    pinthin87 Posts: 296 Member
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    I would say the elliptical. Just keep aware of your core, because it is not as effective if you don't pay attention to that. It works your arms too if you are doing it correctly which is an added bonus!
  • mandella2010
    mandella2010 Posts: 11
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    with my experience the elliptical works better because it sheds double the amount of calories a treadmill would in the same amount of time:)
  • angiemartin78
    angiemartin78 Posts: 475 Member
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    :bigsmile: Not a whole lot init to be honest

    swap between the both for best results x

    ^^^This
  • linz1125
    linz1125 Posts: 441 Member
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    I doubt there would be any difference - I am just able to get to higher levels on the elliptical because it doesn't hurt my knees like the treadmill does. If you want to tighten up though I would recommend doing more strength training.
  • Ladyzumba
    Ladyzumba Posts: 217 Member
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    I'm a fan of the elliptical. I think that you burn more on it unless your running
    on the treadmill or walking at a at least 4.0 increasing the incline every 5 mins.
  • eduardoschoen
    eduardoschoen Posts: 56
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    Personally, my heart rate is higher when on a treadmill but I reach anaerobic phase too soon. Therefore, I primarily use the Precor 546 Elliptical and set it at weight loss or interval training. I use my HRM to make sure I am in zones 3 and 4 mostly and jump into zone 5 on occasion throughout the workout as well.

    Essentially, not one program or exercise will work for everybody because we are all different. I know this probably didn't answer your question. Sorry.

    Good luck meeting your goals! I wish you the best. :)
  • JustJennie1
    JustJennie1 Posts: 3,843 Member
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    What do YOU like to do?

    If you like the elliptical then do the elliptical. I'm not being snarky here either. I really mean it. Do whatever it is that you want to do and feel will give you the best workout. Lots of people are going to have different opinions on which cardio is better and burns more calories but it all comes down to you and what's going to keep you from getting bored.
  • soehlerking
    soehlerking Posts: 589 Member
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    I've read (various places) that the elliptical read-out (and MFP, sadly) will over-estimate your calories burned by up to 43%. That doesn't mean I'm not a die-hard fan of the elliptical; that's what kept me going before I really taught myself how to run. But your body will tell you which one makes you exert more energy (aka calories). I've always understood that you should be working hard enough that you're only able to get out 1-2 sentences at a time. Just my experience. Hope it helps!!
  • 126siany
    126siany Posts: 1,386 Member
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    :bigsmile: Not a whole lot init to be honest

    swap between the both for best results x

    Yeah, they are about the same, although perceived exertion always seems lower to me on the elliptical. I always use the ellipticals that can vary the incline.

    When you use the elliptical, try to keep your hands either off the rails or just lightly touching them. I see way too many people leaning on the machines and therefore not carrying their full body weight through the exercise.
  • mcrowe1016
    mcrowe1016 Posts: 647 Member
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    Personally, the elliptical lies to me about calories burned. It greatly overestimates compared to the treadmill, which is part of the reason I had such a hard time losing weight while doing elliptical only. I am still pretty pissed off about that.

    Now I have a HRM and am in love with how much I can customize the treadmill to my work out needs.
  • majones_orl
    majones_orl Posts: 195 Member
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    I started out using the calories burned on MFP but stopped and use the calories from th machine, big difference.

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