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Elliptical

gracebridges90
gracebridges90 Posts: 39 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So I'm curious about this elliptical. While exercising on it, I'm going at high intensity with my heart rate being at about 130 and going (from what the machine says) between 10-11 Miles an hour. Anyone else use the elliptical and find it successful? Also How can I find out how many calories this burns??

Replies

  • gracebridges90
    gracebridges90 Posts: 39 Member
    Also, I have it at a slight incline and can only go about 20 minutes..
  • ballert1
    ballert1 Posts: 98 Member
    buy yourself a hear rate monitor, where it while you workout, find your target heart rate zone. the longer you're in that zone, the more you burn. fit bits are good trackers for cardio workouts, but any heart rate monitor will do the work
  • Derpina7
    Derpina7 Posts: 552 Member
    Definitely a good place to start :), when I initially decided to take up a more active routine I started with the elliptical. As I progressed to running outside, I find when I hop on an elliptical the 'running stride' isn't as natural - I still utilize it from time to time though (ie. when it's too icey outside during the winter, or if my knee seems to acting up). As far as finding out how many calories you burn, I think buying a heart rate monitor is your best bet. I find the calorie counts on ellipticals and treadmills tend to miscalculate your workout.
  • MadTownD
    MadTownD Posts: 149 Member
    On ours, I can input my weight and it will estimate the number of calories burned.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    So I'm curious about this elliptical. While exercising on it, I'm going at high intensity with my heart rate being at about 130 and going (from what the machine says) between 10-11 Miles an hour. Anyone else use the elliptical and find it successful? Also How can I find out how many calories this burns??

    What do you mean "successful"?

    If you mean for losing weight, well, losing weight is dependent on eating at a calorie deficit. Exercise is for fitness. The elliptical does help with cardio fitness but I'd recommend a balance of cardio and strength/resistance training.

    As for calories burned - this is based on you..height, weight, intensity, etc. An HRM will be a more accurate means than relying on the machine because it is steady rate cardio. I wouldn't use the HRM for strength training, HIIT, yoga, etc.

    For me, personally, MFP's #s for this specific exercise tend to be exaggerated by about 100-150 cals. But again, this is really something that is specific to the person and a general answer really can't fit in here for you :(
  • CodeMonkey78
    CodeMonkey78 Posts: 320 Member
    I use the elliptical quite often and I love it. I have severe arthritis and the elliptical work has significantly helped to strengthen the muscles around my knees, etc. enough to where I can actually jog with significantly less pain. I have lost a total of 93 pounds to date, but not ALL of my loss was due to elliptical work.

    To track my elliptical routines, I use an app called Endomondo. It does not track the "distance" traveled accurately (you can manually edit it later), but it seemingly does an accurate job of measuring caloric burn. Endomondo is not the only app out there; I would recommend trying several different apps and see which one you like the best. Everyone has different preferences.. :)

    As for heart rate, the most accurate monitors available are the wearable, chest-strap versions. I use the Polar H7 -- because I can also swim while wearing it and it has been the most comfortable one that I have tried thus far. I would love to see the watch style monitors improve to the accuracy of the chest straps, but until then, c'est la vie.

    Doing 20 minutes to start is nothing to be ashamed of at all! As you get more accustomed to working out on the elliptical, you will be able to go longer at higher resistances and inclines, so don't give up!

    Good luck!
  • gracebridges90
    gracebridges90 Posts: 39 Member
    I use the elliptical quite often and I love it. I have severe arthritis and the elliptical work has significantly helped to strengthen the muscles around my knees, etc. enough to where I can actually jog with significantly less pain. I have lost a total of 93 pounds to date, but not ALL of my loss was due to elliptical work.

    To track my elliptical routines, I use an app called Endomondo. It does not track the "distance" traveled accurately (you can manually edit it later), but it seemingly does an accurate job of measuring caloric burn. Endomondo is not the only app out there; I would recommend trying several different apps and see which one you like the best. Everyone has different preferences.. :)

    As for heart rate, the most accurate monitors available are the wearable, chest-strap versions. I use the Polar H7 -- because I can also swim while wearing it and it has been the most comfortable one that I have tried thus far. I would love to see the watch style monitors improve to the accuracy of the chest straps, but until then, c'est la vie.

    Doing 20 minutes to start is nothing to be ashamed of at all! As you get more accustomed to working out on the elliptical, you will be able to go longer at higher resistances and inclines, so don't give up!

    Good luck!

    Thank you sooo much! This was definitely helpful. I am just starting out. I am at 1300 calories a day so I'm just introducing myself to fitness. Before, I was very sedentary..I also combine this with Jillian Michaels 30 DS for strength..I am to do all this 5-6 days a week and I feel like I am getting stronger. Before, I could only do 5 minutes of working out I'd be exhausted and giving up. Congrats on that 93 lb weight loss that is so amazing!
  • jayliospecky
    jayliospecky Posts: 25,022 Member
    Depending on the kind of elliptical you are using, the machine burn could be quite accurate. Last time I stayed at a hotel I used their elliptical and it was a more expensive one with the pulse monitor built into the hand grips. I wore my chest strap heart rate monitor at the same time, and they were always within a few beats of each other. Very accurate, in other words. And if you can input your weight into the machine the resulting calorie burn will be pretty accurate, as well. If not you can use your heart rate on a website to calculate your burn according to your weight, time and heart rate.

    I like the elliptical. It is nice for me when I am having pain in different places; it is less jolting than running.

    Exercise is exercise, do what you enjoy/like/whatever.
  • CodeMonkey78
    CodeMonkey78 Posts: 320 Member
    I use the elliptical quite often and I love it. I have severe arthritis and the elliptical work has significantly helped to strengthen the muscles around my knees, etc. enough to where I can actually jog with significantly less pain. I have lost a total of 93 pounds to date, but not ALL of my loss was due to elliptical work.

    To track my elliptical routines, I use an app called Endomondo. It does not track the "distance" traveled accurately (you can manually edit it later), but it seemingly does an accurate job of measuring caloric burn. Endomondo is not the only app out there; I would recommend trying several different apps and see which one you like the best. Everyone has different preferences.. :)

    As for heart rate, the most accurate monitors available are the wearable, chest-strap versions. I use the Polar H7 -- because I can also swim while wearing it and it has been the most comfortable one that I have tried thus far. I would love to see the watch style monitors improve to the accuracy of the chest straps, but until then, c'est la vie.

    Doing 20 minutes to start is nothing to be ashamed of at all! As you get more accustomed to working out on the elliptical, you will be able to go longer at higher resistances and inclines, so don't give up!

    Good luck!

    Thank you sooo much! This was definitely helpful. I am just starting out. I am at 1300 calories a day so I'm just introducing myself to fitness. Before, I was very sedentary..I also combine this with Jillian Michaels 30 DS for strength..I am to do all this 5-6 days a week and I feel like I am getting stronger. Before, I could only do 5 minutes of working out I'd be exhausted and giving up. Congrats on that 93 lb weight loss that is so amazing!

    Thank you :).

    Also, as PikaKnight stated above, creating a caloric deficit and a having a balance of cardio + strength/resistance training is the best formula for success.

    Good luck!

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