Elliptical Trainer (I...think that's spelt correctly)

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parisElle
parisElle Posts: 13
in Fitness and Exercise
So when I go to the gym this is the machine I hit up. 1. i've heard it's better for your knees. Not that I have knee problems but I'd like to keep mine for the next 80 years or so. 2. I love that it works both arms and legs, and while I feel like I'm working up a sweat and my heart rate is elevated I don't feel like I'm dying. This is where I think there's a problem.

Should I feel like I'm dying?!

Or...is my approach of moderate intensity for a longer period of time, just as effective?
Because when I hop on the stairmaster I'm crawling off within 5 minutes which, although a great illustration of how out of shape I am, is not exactly motivating.

In general I've just been getting a lot of different views on the elliptical and whether or not this exercise will help me on this weight loss journey (sorry I have a "weight loss journey" quota to hit everyday)

So for those of you who use/have used this machine? what's the deal? Will it really contribute to buns of steel and michelle obama arms? Will it at least help be burn off lunch? Will I have to convert to the dreaded running on a treadmill?

Thanks!

Replies

  • meganlynn1984
    meganlynn1984 Posts: 28 Member
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    I also use this machine alot. I used to only use the treadmill, but after seeing the calories burned in such a shorter amount of time than the treadmill, this is the only machine I use anymore. I think it should help on your weight loss journey. If it makes you sweat, gets your heart rate up, you are burning calories. I dont even put it on resistance levels...its a good workout I think. I love how it works your arms as well. But I am only on week 5 of diet & exercise, so I cant tell any noticeable difference in my arms. I do feel like my legs are more muscular and sculpted.
  • hkuiuc99
    hkuiuc99 Posts: 79 Member
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    first of all, I LOVE the Elliptical! A few years back I worked out on the elliptical every day for about 45 minutes and lost a lot of weight (in combination with a balanced diet of course...) I did feel that I plateaued and I think that's why I stopped working out for a while, so that would be my only concern. You need to mix it up a little so that if/when you plateau it won't be such a road block like it was for me.

    I don't think you should feel like you are "dying" but you should break a sweat and be out of breath!

    I have heard a lot about "muscle confusion" and variety in your workouts helps with the problem of plateaus. And that if you aren't working out at the right "intensity" it will take you a long time to reach your goals. (at least that's what the trainers at the gym told me when they were trying to sell me the polar watch and program to find out my "zones.")

    If you only do the elliptical, try to mix up your intensity so that you can work in different "heart rate zones". I find that changing speed, incline, direction, etc helps with that.

    I hope that helps!
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
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    LOL I don't have an answer but I've had the same question for a long time! At one gym I go to they have these gazelle machines..sort of like the elliptical but more of a long, flat motion than up and down. Man those things can really burn the calories, but it never seems that hard. So why do I get on the stairmaster and have to work twice as hard to burn half the calories?? I don't get it either.
  • JDMPWR
    JDMPWR Posts: 1,863 Member
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    This machine is great. Decent arm workout plus great cardio. I don't recommend doing it for longer then 45 minutes. Find your fat burning HR and add 5-8 bpm over what the normal calculator or scale says you should be at. I noticed too high of a bpm and you dot sweat as much too low and the same.

    Also great for people with knee problems such as myself. I have been doing the elliptical 6-7 times and weights 3-4 times a week. I can say due to eating right and that machine I have now lost 18lbs this month and still 6 more days to go!!!!
  • williamtl
    williamtl Posts: 5
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    I love my elliptical. Since I have eight bulging discs, fibromyalgia, and myofascial pain syndrome, exercising was really difficult for me. Please know that not all ellipticals are created equal. The Life Fitness elliptical is the only one that my body will tolerate. It has made a huge difference in my weight loss journey. My arms and legs have slimmed down tremendously; however, the best result has been the increased stamina. My body does not constantly ache anymore and I have been able come home from work and actually have enough energy to clean house or do other things. If you purchase one, make sure you try plenty of brands. They are not cheap. Hopefully, the gym that you are going to has a good quality elliptical, or at least one that is to your liking. If you don't like their brand, I think it is well worth the money to get a home version of a gym quality machine.
  • Shash27
    Shash27 Posts: 172
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    I LOVE the elliptical!!!:love:

    I don't feel like I'm dying either.. but I'm actually quite a sweaty mess after 30 minutes.

    I do the elliptical at my gym during my lunch break and have found the "weight loss" setting on the Precor machine awesome. 30 minutes..4 minutes resistance 1..4 resistance 8..so up and down.

    I burn 300-350 calories doing that.

    I've actually gotten to the point where I'm bummed the 30 minutes is up and if I don't get off the machine I'll be late getting back to work.

    I go longer on the weekends.

    The elliptical rocks!!
  • adrienc
    adrienc Posts: 57
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    The elliptical trainer is awesome!

    It's part of my workout as well, especially while I'm on business trip (30% of the time!). Helps me to shed those extra calories from restaurants and hotel room service!

    I also love it gives you both cardio and a total body work out. I'm a guy who absolutely hates weight lifting. other than lifting my own body weight, so elliptical is almost the only machine I hit when I'm getting to the gym (I'm also a big fan of Power Yoga which gives me the exact muscular tone and energized feeling I need =)

    As for feeling like you're dying, I'm not sure it's worth it. A lot of recent studies have shown that it's NOT HOW INTENSE that's important, it's HOW OFTEN you are practicing. In other words, the most important is to be consistent with your practice.

    So once you've found an exercise that suits you, keep doing it regularly and you should be just be fine!!

    Of course it also depends of your goals... If you want to get a very muscular body, or tone-up some specific areas of your body, then you should add more intense strength training to your cardio workout.

    Remember also that as for fat burning, 70% comes from reducing your daily intake, and 30% from exercise burn.
    So, no matter what you do, if you don't reduce your NET calorie intake first, you might not lose any weight!
    it's all explained there: http://bit.ly/9MAvfH
  • dinos
    dinos Posts: 1,390 Member
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    The elliptical trainer is awesome!

    It's part of my workout as well, especially while I'm on business trip (30% of the time!). Helps me to shed those extra calories from restaurants and hotel room service!

    I also love it gives you both cardio and a total body work out. I'm a guy who absolutely hates weight lifting. other than lifting my own body weight, so elliptical is almost the only machine I hit when I'm getting to the gym (I'm also a big fan of Power Yoga which gives me the exact muscular tone and energized feeling I need =)

    As for feeling like you're dying, I'm not sure it's worth it. A lot of recent studies have shown that it's NOT HOW INTENSE that's important, it's HOW OFTEN you are practicing. In other words, the most important is to be consistent with your practice.

    So once you've found an exercise that suits you, keep doing it regularly and you should be just be fine!!

    Of course it also depends of your goals... If you want to get a very muscular body, or tone-up some specific areas of your body, then you should add more intense strength training to your cardio workout.

    Remember also that as for fat burning, 70% comes from reducing your daily intake, and 30% from exercise burn.
    So, no matter what you do, if you don't reduce your NET calorie intake first, you might not lose any weight!
    it's all explained there: http://bit.ly/9MAvfH

    Yep adrien said it all. The elliptical trainer is awesome.
  • softcoeur
    softcoeur Posts: 10
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    I elliptical almost every day! It's hands down my favorite cardio. Easy on the joints, gets a little arm motion in there too, and blows through those calories like crazy.
  • crlujan
    crlujan Posts: 59
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    I think the reason that we don't feel like we're dying on the elliptical is because of the smoothness of the motion. I could do the same amount of time/calorie burn on the treadmill and feel like I'm dying. The constant Boom! Boom! Boom! from stomping on the treadmill is what kills us, I think. You can get the same calorie burn on the elliptical and feel comfortable.

    Also, I quite enjoyed your "spelt" joke. =)
  • cutmd
    cutmd Posts: 1,168 Member
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    I recently started using the elliptical in my new apartment and I am amazed. My heart rate goes up high and stays there, and I don't feel it the same way I do doing kickboxing or workout DVDs. I get a great calorie burn in so little time with no impact, and it is complimenting my Brazilian butt lift program by helping lift my butt even more. I really enjoy doing intervals to my iPod, and burn 500 calories in less than an hour, which is fantastic for my size. Also, I've been working on keeping my abs sucked in and they are sore today along with the rest of my body.

    Seems to good to be true. Part of me wants to abandon all other workouts because of all this, but I know the variety is good for me.:grumble:
  • lee112780
    lee112780 Posts: 419 Member
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    I never feel like Im getting a workout either on it. It is good for your knees though. Try increasing the intensity, and also doing really fast intervals. Also, try not to bounce on it ( which Im guilty of), then gravity is doing som of the work.
  • lethwin
    lethwin Posts: 18 Member
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    I've been using it for years. Its a great calorie burner. Many of them have different modes(strength, cardio, fat burn, etc) you can try. If yours does, try using them to get ideas of various intensity levels. Depending on resistance and incline you can feel like your dying on the elliptical too! Not that I recommend that. I usually try to stay around 75-85% max HR and this gets me a really good sweat and ready to take on the day after my 30-40 minutes are up.
  • hawkeye01
    hawkeye01 Posts: 162
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    I also agree with everyone's comments here, the Elliptical is my favorite machine. I use to lift weights for about 30mins and then hit the Elliptical for another 30 or so. It provided an excellent workout which burned about 700 calories or so. My speed was also pretty high back then. But in the last month I changed it up a bit where I now use the Elliptical for a 5 minute warm up, hit the weights for 30 or so and then come back to it for another 15-20. I find this works better for me personally because I was really tired after the initial 30 mins. which left me drained for lifting.

    Anyway, good luck with your progress.

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