Elliptical newb help

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tistal
tistal Posts: 869 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Gonna attempt the elliptical at the gym tomorrow for the first time. I am clueless as to what "speed" or "level" or whatever to start at. I have never even looked at one before! lol Any help? I am not completely out of shape but have no idea what it will work or will do to me!

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  • erudy13
    erudy13 Posts: 2
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    Typically, you work at your own speed. Start at level 1, and when it seems to easy, keep going up. I LOVE the elliptical! I start at 1 for five minutes, go up to 5 for five minutes, then 10, then 15, then 20, then 15 again, then 10, then 5, and then 1 again for a cooldown. Everything is five minutes. I try to watch/listen to a TV show while I'm doing it though because it won't seem as long! Hope this helps!
  • Still_Fluffy
    Still_Fluffy Posts: 341 Member
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    I recomend doing the interval program. Start out on the easiest session and increase until you find the level that gives you a good burn. Careful, the calorie burn always seems very high on elipticals. I always log 85% of the calories of what it says. You could ask someone that works at the gym for help too. Good luck.
  • sabolfitwife
    sabolfitwife Posts: 424 Member
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    I wish I had a fancy, electronic elliptical. Mine just has a tension knob to turn (levels 1-8), but honestly they all feel the same!! I'm starting out at 2 miles and when that gets to easy I will start going longer.
  • amandae0182
    amandae0182 Posts: 23
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    I am completely out of shape. 5 weeks ago I could barely do 10 minutes on the Elliptical at a resistance of 15. Today in the gym I did 40 mins of interval training. It jumped betweek 30 and 45. I would say start slow and work your way up and experiment with the different programs that should be an option. I like the interval one best. I work out with my mom who likes the weight loss one the best. Good luck! Anda hve fun!
  • ahjenny
    ahjenny Posts: 293 Member
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    You can go at your own pace, although I'd recommend going a little slower than you want to at first until you get used to it. Right now, I have my intensity (resistance) set to a 7 or 8 depending on the machine. I think the ones at my gym are getting worn out. As for the courses, try out different ones. You'll probably find that you like the machine all the way up, down, or somewhere in the middle. And an added thing to try out is going 'backwards' too. Just a note: be careful when you get off after working it for a bit. I find my legs can get a little bit wobbly from getting used to the repetitive back and forth motion. They recover quickly, but that first step off is always kinda funny for me. Work your way up in time increments, too. Have fun! I love the elliptical.
  • FrozenGod
    FrozenGod Posts: 21
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    I have an elliptical at home posted right in front of the tv, lol. I usually set the resistance fairly high and try to keep a steady pace for 45min-60min. It's easier for a man to just set a high resistance and go at a medium speed, within 45 min. you should burn about 600 calories if not more. I don't know how many resistance levels are on the ones at your gym, but mine has 12 and I usually set mine to 10 and try to burn about 140-150 calories every 10 minutes.
  • meau67
    meau67 Posts: 6
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    Machines are typically calibrated to a 150 lb. person. If your machine can input weight and age, go ahead and trust the machine.
  • ahjenny
    ahjenny Posts: 293 Member
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    I recomend doing the interval program. Start out on the easiest session and increase until you find the level that gives you a good burn. Careful, the calorie burn always seems very high on elipticals. I always log 85% of the calories of what it says. You could ask someone that works at the gym for help too. Good luck.

    That is a good point. If you can use an HRM, that would be for the best. The longer I work out on the elliptical, the larger the gap of calories burned is between what the machine says, what MFP says, and what my HRM says.
  • tistal
    tistal Posts: 869 Member
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    Thank you everyone! I am at 150lbs so if it is set for that then I should be good. I am hoping it will help lift my booty a bit! Im looking forward to it and a bit nervous but feeling a bit better since I have some good info now!
  • keeannholmes
    keeannholmes Posts: 6 Member
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    It's all about what makes you feel comfortable. If I were you I would just try to start out going slow and work your speed up as your body gets adjusted. When I first started it, it hurt my thighs so bad but I kept doing a little everyday until I got used to doing it. It's not that bad, you will do just fine! If you need help with the machines ask someone at the gym they will show you exactly how to use it. Hope this helps.
  • arock1000
    arock1000 Posts: 61 Member
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    I'm not sure if it will be the same as the one I use but here is my advice. I started out doing target heart rate but the calorie burn was small. I changed to intervals at level 4/resistance 6 and level 10/resistance 11 and now I burn a little more than 100 calories per 10min. I started out at 4/4 and 10/8 and built up to what I'm doing now - also was doing about 30 min and built up to 60min. It mainly works your heart and legs. I would also suggested lifting free weights as well if you haven't already.
    Nice job on losing 51 el bees!!!!
  • cindyhoney2
    cindyhoney2 Posts: 603 Member
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    I have a NordicTrak and I use the Endurance 3 which is 45 mins. I put the incline at 20% (which is max on mine) and as far as speed, I go 11-14 (which I recently heard was as good as running (I really don't know)) I agree with the previous poster about the calories it shows being burned, it was a huge difference when I got my HRM, like 400 calories for a 45 min work out. I hope you like it, I'm sure you'll see the most results from the Butt Bible tho.
  • DannyMussels
    DannyMussels Posts: 1,842 Member
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    The first time I used one, I was super sore on my upper thighs, cause I'm not used to that kinda movement.

    Otherwise, I got heavily into intervals on it, and loved a 30 minute session.

    Probably my favorite piece of equiptment.

    Good luck!
  • Agator82
    Agator82 Posts: 249 Member
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    Typically, you work at your own speed. Start at level 1, and when it seems to easy, keep going up. I LOVE the elliptical! I start at 1 for five minutes, go up to 5 for five minutes, then 10, then 15, then 20, then 15 again, then 10, then 5, and then 1 again for a cooldown. Everything is five minutes. I try to watch/listen to a TV show while I'm doing it though because it won't seem as long! Hope this helps!

    This is similar to my routine when I go 'manual', when I started I would typically top off at 10 or 12 now I top off at 21 or 22. It really depends on ability. My only objection to the machine is that it does require some coordination, but I have learned to work with it and that is a big step. Good luck and have fun!
  • tistal
    tistal Posts: 869 Member
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    I'm not sure if it will be the same as the one I use but here is my advice. I started out doing target heart rate but the calorie burn was small. I changed to intervals at level 4/resistance 6 and level 10/resistance 11 and now I burn a little more than 100 calories per 10min. I started out at 4/4 and 10/8 and built up to what I'm doing now - also was doing about 30 min and built up to 60min. It mainly works your heart and legs. I would also suggested lifting free weights as well if you haven't already.
    Nice job on losing 51 el bees!!!!

    I have not started on free weights yet because I have no idea where to start. I WANT to lift, so bad, but have no idea where to start. That is going to be my next step.
  • packmom54
    packmom54 Posts: 1
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    try the manual setting and then you can adjust according to how in shape you are
  • Mighty_Rabite
    Mighty_Rabite Posts: 581 Member
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    I love hitting the elliptical from time to time. I tested it once to see if it had a four digit calorie read-out.. it took me all but 9 seconds of the 70 minute max, but I did nab 1002 calories (I think of my burn as about 75% of what the machine says), and no funny rollover or anything. >_>

    Resistance is something you have to kind of feel out, the ones at my gym have a level setting of 1-24, heart rate monitoring, and weight entry. What I'll often do is do intervals with level 13-15-17 or something similar (it ramps up exponentially after about 15) and try to keep a minimum 6.5mph pace the entire time.

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