which is better?....

kobrie17
kobrie17 Posts: 106 Member
edited September 19 in Fitness and Exercise
i run on a track on which 10 laps is a mile, i run 1 lap, walk .5 laps 6 times this takes me about 15min. ( ..and this is pretty difficult for me, i couldnt run much more than the 1 lap, but im not winded anymore after the .5 lap walk ..hopefully this gives you a good idea about how much im exerting myself). I used to do the elliptical for 1 hr going about 146 strides per min, i felt like i was working but i didnt get winded and could fairly easily carry on for an hr. I did both these activities 4-6 days a week and im wondering which one is better?

i've been working out, doing the elliptical for an 1hr or swimming 1 hr 4-6 days a week, and eating 1300 calories a day since march and i had lost 20 lbs by june, but have since plateau'd. This is why i've decided to switch up the routine to running, trying to work my way to running 1 mile (no walking!) comfortably. i want to lose another 40lbs.


Is it better i fully exert myself for 15 minutes (followed by 10min cool down and 15min free weights) or do just the elliptical moving fairly comfortably for 1 hr?

Replies

  • kobrie17
    kobrie17 Posts: 106 Member
    i run on a track on which 10 laps is a mile, i run 1 lap, walk .5 laps 6 times this takes me about 15min. ( ..and this is pretty difficult for me, i couldnt run much more than the 1 lap, but im not winded anymore after the .5 lap walk ..hopefully this gives you a good idea about how much im exerting myself). I used to do the elliptical for 1 hr going about 146 strides per min, i felt like i was working but i didnt get winded and could fairly easily carry on for an hr. I did both these activities 4-6 days a week and im wondering which one is better?

    i've been working out, doing the elliptical for an 1hr or swimming 1 hr 4-6 days a week, and eating 1300 calories a day since march and i had lost 20 lbs by june, but have since plateau'd. This is why i've decided to switch up the routine to running, trying to work my way to running 1 mile (no walking!) comfortably. i want to lose another 40lbs.


    Is it better i fully exert myself for 15 minutes (followed by 10min cool down and 15min free weights) or do just the elliptical moving fairly comfortably for 1 hr?
  • Phoenix_Rising
    Phoenix_Rising Posts: 11,417 Member
    No idea.
    But BUMP.
  • psyknife
    psyknife Posts: 487 Member
    Elliptical puts less impact on your body... so, if you want to save your knees and hips then it's a better choice... but getting outside and running is still fun :)

    However, if you've plateaued it usually means that your body has adapted to doing the same routine over and over again... so you may want to look at trying something new. Have you done circuit training before??? You may want to look into starting to do some weight training routines.

    Otherwise, for cardio, try something new... swimming, biking, skating, kickboxing... just something that will shock your body again.
  • songbyrdsweet
    songbyrdsweet Posts: 5,691 Member
    Neither one is better...both are really sub-par if your main goal is to waste a lot of calories in order to eat more (which is really all cardio does...it's a means to an end, not a fat-burner).

    Some say slow, low intensity is good because it burns more calories from fat. Well, we burn the highest % of calories from fat at REST, but burn very few calories, so low-slow is really a drop in the bucket in terms of calories burnt.

    Interval training is good for improving explosive power and strength, and burns a very high amount of calories in a very short time, but since you can only maintain it for about 10 minutes, once again you're not burning much.

    It's best to perform moderate intensity cardio (70-80% MHR) for over 30 minutes to burn a high amount of calories. At this level, you can maintain the intensity for longer than you can perform interval training, and you're burning more calories than you would doing slow-low cardio. Plus, you're reaping the cardiovascular benefits associated with that heart rate level and duration.

    If you're not comfortable running for an extended period of time, that's fine. You'll work up to it just like you're doing now..run a little bit, speed walk a little bit, etc. But when you're on the elliptical, you SHOULD feel winded. If you're not breathing at least a little hard, chances are you're not reaching levels of exertion that will burn a good amount of calories or improve your CV fitness.

    In the end, with fat loss, it comes down to calories in vs. out. Exercise does piddly-squat in terms of fat loss. All it does is increase the amount of calories you waste in a day so you can eat more. You'd get the same results with an equivalent caloric deficit and no exercise. Just burn calories, it's easy. :smile:
  • kerrilucko
    kerrilucko Posts: 3,852 Member
    I've heard that while the eliptycal is a good choice for people with bad knees/ and joints, comparatively speaking, it doesn't do nearly as much for your body. The reason for this is that the movement of an elyptical does not mimic anything in everyday life. It is essentially a useless movement, you're training your body to do something that really has no purpose. I have heard this from people who are trained to know what they are talking about, however I have never seriously used an eliptycal so I can't really comment personally. :flowerforyou:
  • Nich0le
    Nich0le Posts: 2,906 Member
    You can do either but increase your resistance/speed or time by 20% and re do your profile. The problem is that the closer you get to your goal weight the more you will need to maintain that weight. Like previously, your body has adapted, you can tell when it has done this because your weight doesn't budge much if at all. You should also consider changing your routine from elliptical and running to do a spinning class, something that shocks your body into doing what you want it to do again.

    Last, if you don't already have a weight training program going you need to. Weight lifting will help build muscle (no it wont bulk you up). Lean muscle mass will burn more calories during the day and will help you keep the weight off once you have lost it. My doctor recommended at least 3 sessions for 45 minutes each with a day of rest in between.

    good luck :flowerforyou:
  • dubess
    dubess Posts: 14
    i try to mix it up at the gym but do circuit training every time - 4-5 times a week. sometimes i focus on just my upper body since i have weak arms. then i ride the bike for 20 mins or so, or walk for 30 mins, both with some intensity. i walk or ride the stationary bike everytime and i thought that all this walking would make some improvement. i've been doing this for 5 weeks and nothing. i've been watching what i eat, with my calorie intake at 1200 and i try to keep with that plus use some of my exercise calories. what am i doing wrong? i need to lose that fat around my butt, hips and stomach. i have a stability ball at home and do some exercising at night. but i'm hungry too. i am pretty good during the day but at night, i'm starving. i try to stick to yogurt with flax or apples, carrots, but it does not fill me up and it's 11pm and i'm hungry. so, i grab some trail mix.

    i'm at a loss. my weight has held steady, i've lost maybe 1/2 inch around my waist but my hip area is not losing anything. i feel like all this time at the gym is a waste of time. i can't hit the aerobic classes because they are usually around 5:30-6pm and that's when I pickup my 7 yr old twins and it's too chaotic for them - not getting home till 7 or 7:30. And I'm laid off, so i'm not running around at work.

    any suggestions for the exercise or food? i really need to take off these 20 lbs i've gained in a year!
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