elliptical trainer workout

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Eidajan
Eidajan Posts: 36
in Fitness and Exercise
I am confused about what I should be shooting for when working out on an elliptical. When wearing the chest strap, HR can be either in the "weight loss" zone or the "cardiovascular" zone. To be in the "weight loss" zone I only need to do between 120-135 strides/min which I don't perceive to be a great workout. In the "cardio" zone I need to be at about 150-160 or more strides/min - this I can feel to be a good workout, I sweat and it forces me to drink more water - so I try to stay in this zone for most of my workout and burn about 500 calories in 45 minutes. If my goal is weight loss should I only try to stay in the "weight loss" zone - OR does it mean that even in the "cardio" zone I am reaping the benefits of the "weight loss" zone?

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  • starkiss100
    starkiss100 Posts: 235 Member
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    Good question, I have often wondered the same thing and thought the same thing.
  • sillygoose1977
    sillygoose1977 Posts: 2,151 Member
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    I may be wrong, but cardio is cardio. As long as you just do it, you are are burning calories. I just get on that thing and go as much as I can.
  • TracieMyron
    TracieMyron Posts: 9
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    If you are in the cardio zone, you will be burning fat. You have to do cardio to burn fat. In the weight loss zone, you should be building muscle. I always try for the interval training so that I can have the best of both worlds. Good luck!
  • nisijam5
    nisijam5 Posts: 10,390 Member
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    weight loss burns calories, cardiovascular works out your heart muscle
  • texasguy
    texasguy Posts: 21 Member
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    i was told if you can burn 500 calories in 20 minutes or 500 calories in 2 hours, its the same thing, calories are calories so if you feel like busting your butt that day and burn them quick then do it...
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    These "zone" things can be misleading you will burn more fat and calories at the higher intensity. That being said a lower % of the calories at a higher intensity would be from fat.

    As an example (these numbers for % cals from fat are just for illustration purposes, may be more or less) lets say you are in the fat burning zone and burn 80% cals from fat and burn a total of 240 cals in 30 minute of the 240, 192 (240*.80) would be from fat. Now if you worked out in the cardio zone and burned 70% cals from fat but burned 300 cals you would have burned 210 (300*.70) cals from fat. So in half an hour at the higher rate you would burn more total calories, more fat calories but a lower % of calories from fat. That being said using the higher intensity will yield greater weighloss, fitness, and cardiovascular results.
  • MomsDaily140
    MomsDaily140 Posts: 116
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    I always shoot for the cardio zone and that 500 cal burn off, but it's good to vary it up too, keep the body guessing.... So on days I know I will do my weights or the circuit along with cardio I shoot for the weight loss.
  • WildFlower7
    WildFlower7 Posts: 714 Member
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    I may be wrong, but cardio is cardio. As long as you just do it, you are are burning calories. I just get on that thing and go as much as I can.

    I'm with her^.....I just go as hard as I can the entire time...I'm already on the thing working out might as well get as much out of it as I can! My last 3min's I usually "power out" I go harder then "as hard as I can" I give every last ounce of energy to those 3in cause I know after those last 3min...I'm done. I burn anywhere from 375-400 in 30min and I have a whole bunch of different weightloss programs where the resisstance is constantly changing, so that helps too. Good luck!!

    Check out HIIT, that's mainly what my programed workouts consist of on my elliptical!
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    If you are in the cardio zone, you will be burning fat. You have to do cardio to burn fat. In the weight loss zone, you should be building muscle. I always try for the interval training so that I can have the best of both worlds. Good luck!

    Not quite fat burning zone is a higher % calories from fat, cardio zone is more total calories.
  • natl27
    natl27 Posts: 30 Member
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    I read this the other day:
    http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/332288/workout_tips_fat_burning_zone_vs_cardio.html?cat=51

    the second page uses the elliptical as an example.
  • krepka
    krepka Posts: 26 Member
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    I don't worry about what the monitor says. I just work as hard as I can for the time I want. That strategy has worked for me!
  • meshaffer
    meshaffer Posts: 21 Member
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    They are two different types of workouts. The upper number (for my age my hr should be 152) is when I am working aerobically. It is the cardio that we all think of sweating to death on the elliptical.
    The lower number fat burning (my hr is 123) is anaerobic. You should do this twice a week and it is what burns fat. They are both different, but needed. It takes at least twenty minutes in anaerobic for you to start fat burning so plan for 40 minutes or so and you will get 20 minutes of benefit.

    So this is the advice that I received from my trainer and it has worked so far. Both are needed the 120 burn can definitely get boring and you will feel like you aren't doing anything, but trust me.....you are! :)
  • rafaelwall
    rafaelwall Posts: 16
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    Not quite fat burning zone is a higher % calories from fat, cardio zone is more total calories.

    So if you're not burning cals from fat, what else are you burning cals from during cardio? Muscle?
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    Not quite fat burning zone is a higher % calories from fat, cardio zone is more total calories.

    So if you're not burning cals from fat, what else are you burning cals from during cardio? Muscle?

    most would come form they Glycogen stores, and yes some muscle. Ever see a muscular long distance runner?
  • Eidajan
    Eidajan Posts: 36
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    I read the article mentioned by natl. This is what I am taking away - it is good to work out for 45 minutes in the "cardio" zone because - you will still burn more fat than if you did the same time in the "wt loss" zone.
    I am not sure my elliptical has the HIIT mode - I typically do the cross trainer mode for 45 minutes with a 5 min cooldown. Are the Interval modes same as HIIT? One can change the activity and rest intervals in those 3 modes...
  • dave4d
    dave4d Posts: 1,155 Member
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    I just set if for random. I figure that is as close to intervals as I can get on the elliptical. Today I only had time for 20 minutes, so I set it at level 10 on random for the first 15 minutes, and upped it to 12 for the last 5. Went at level 15 for about a minute. I wanted to get to 250 calories burned on it.

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