Anyone else hate the eliptical..or is it just me?

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24

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  • Lula16
    Lula16 Posts: 628 Member
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    i love my elliptical!! you have to kind of stride, use your body weight not just your legs and arms. And do intervals, do resistance #2 for 2 mts, then resistance #4 for 2 mts, and resistance #6 for 1 minute. If you do 3 or 4 sets of these, you wont get bored as easily and you will get better weight loss results. When you get the hang of it, you can change your resistance. i started doing these intevals first for 5 mts for 3 days, then i moved it up to 10 mts for 6 days, now i'm up to 20 mts and trying to get to 30 mts! good luck!!
  • Melisha82
    Melisha82 Posts: 243
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    I get bored if the incline isn't up high enough. I love it,though!!
  • JoyousRen
    JoyousRen Posts: 3,823 Member
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    I hate hate HATE them not because they are hard or make me hurt. I just find them so boring and the motion is so awkward. I did them before I started running but found I was starting to avoid the gym because I didn't want to get on one. If you don't like it, find something you DO like.
  • polo571
    polo571 Posts: 708 Member
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    I love the Cybex arc do you have one of these are your health club? If so DO NOT put in your actually weight when you are first working out. If you 220 pounds I suggest putting in 100 and work your way up. I tried to do my weight at 375 when I first started and there is now way I could stick with it. I hope this helps..

    The Arc is the only piece of equipment I use. I know do 60 minutes a day at 25 resistance and 10 incline for about 1300 cals per hour. When I do HIIT training I can do 190 to 200 strides per minute on my sprints. Stick with it and you will love what it did for you in the end =)
  • mallorybriann
    mallorybriann Posts: 1,380 Member
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    I despise them as well.:grumble:
    I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Arch machines! Way easier on my feet and knees and way more fun.
    I burn more cals on the Arcs too.
  • mallorybriann
    mallorybriann Posts: 1,380 Member
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    I an Arc machine addict :bigsmile:
    I love the Cybex arc do you have one of these are your health club? If so DO NOT put in your actually weight when you are first working out. If you 220 pounds I suggest putting in 100 and work your way up. I tried to do my weight at 375 when I first started and there is now way I could stick with it. I hope this helps..
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    What brand are you using? Some are better than others. You may need to adjust the resistance and incline to make sure you don't go too fast. I know people have similar complaints about the arc trainer. It just takes learning how to use it properly.
  • princesschikee
    princesschikee Posts: 138
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    I have an elliptical and do it 3 or 4 times a week. Although it's not my favorite, I know that I need to have a variety of different cardio machines so you can target different areas of your body. Just like lifting weights, you always have to mix it up. My fave is the Cybex Arc Trainer it burns the most calories of all machines that I've tried. I'm a gym rat so I have access to just about everything, but like doing my cardio separate from weight lifting, that's why I have an elliptical at home.
    If you are not accustomed to any of the machines it's always best to start out on the lowest setting for 10 minutes or even 5 and gradually increase as you start to feel more comfortable. Remember, it takes 21 days to form a new habit so stick with it and continue to seek outside positive support.
    Good luck.
  • ZebraHead
    ZebraHead Posts: 15,207 Member
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    I was just looking at images of Arc Trainers. What makes them different than an Elliptical Trainer?
  • lorriefagan
    lorriefagan Posts: 32 Member
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    I just finished my workout on my Sole E35 elliptical and absolutely love it! It is so smooth and sturdy...I don't feel like I am going to fall off. Can you listen to music or watch T.V while on it, maybe a small DVD player to watch? Start out real slow...at least you are moving.... then gradually pick up the pace and distance...you don't have to kill yourself while you build up your endurance. When I first bought it I could only stay on for 15 mins. at a really slow pace :yawn: , now I am on it for 45mins. a day. I never thought I would like working out on it...it takes time and patience. Yes, it might not be for everyone, but give it a chance. I have arthritis in my knee and don't feel any pain at all, in fact I think it is helping my joints. Good luck...hope this helps!! :happy:
  • bethabeeg
    bethabeeg Posts: 63 Member
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    Amen! I don't know how people can do them either. I go on one and feel as though I'm going to die... Not due to being out of breath or anything my body just isn't built for them. I have strong legs but not the span they use of feet distance. So it's strange to me and only causes more of a headache then a helpful work out tool. Don't fret though there are pleanty of us like this out there :)
  • mauck1975
    mauck1975 Posts: 77 Member
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    I just started doing 5 minutes a day last thursday. I think now i will do 7 minutes for a week. this is really hard for me but I am hoping to work up to at least 20 minutes.
  • danilandry
    danilandry Posts: 48 Member
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    They hurt my knees too fast, i think my balance may be off haha
  • nickeymhughes
    nickeymhughes Posts: 115 Member
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    My sister hates it too, it hurts her knees, but I love them. If you just getting on it and going it should be on #1 setting which shouldn't be hard, does it have the ability to tell you what your heart rate is? If I have a hard day with my legs I can't do the eliptical even on #1 cause it seems like to much work. I only do like 20 minutes on it before my lifting and another 20 on the treadmill after lifting.
  • kimmerroze
    kimmerroze Posts: 1,330 Member
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    The arc Trainers, or the "experience series adaptive motion trainer" Are a combination of running and the elyptical. This is my most FAVORITE machine!!! I LOVE IT!

    You burn more calories, and it is easier on your joints.

    As far as the Elyptical goes, I would say you aren't controlling yourself if your heartrate is going out of control. Its about moving but it is also about control. Kinda like lifting weights If you don't let the weights come down slowly they smack together and make a loud sound right. I would suggest flexing your core muscles while you are doing it. Also I would make sure the incline is lower. If you are getting on a machine and it was previously used by someone at a higher incline, you are going to die on it.

    but I think your main issues is that you are just Peddling away instead of trying to make it go slower by controlling the movement.

    Its a great machine if you can master how to use it. Just take it slowly.
  • cnjbarry
    cnjbarry Posts: 91 Member
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    I hate them too :) I just cant seem to get to a comfortable pace.
  • newnicole
    newnicole Posts: 44
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    its supposed to be hard... if it didn't raise your heart rate then why would you even do it?
  • redbirdsings
    redbirdsings Posts: 38 Member
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    :happy: I'm not alone. Good to know i am not the only person out there that doesn't like it. honestly don't think i have given it a fair try. It's so intimidating to first of all be of the few fat people in my gym, let alone a newbie on a stupid machine that makes me want to pass out.
    I will try it slow and low for a while. I am a simplest. I want to utilize the most effective caloric burner in the shortest amount of time.
    My usual MO is treadmill, with variant speed and incline, the more the incline the more i like. I miss hiking in the mountains where i used to live.
    which gets a pretty good burn going, but there is a fascination with this machine that continually kicks my tail! I will conquer, then move on. Really someday i would love to start running....(outside) someday .....but that day is not today.
    I am a member at anytime fitness, it is a brand new gym just opened 6 months ago so equipment is all new and honestly have no idea what the brand of machines are, they are all very nice though and thankfully sturdy. Im 6 feet tall and no small person, so they take a beating at aleast from me :)
    Thanks for all the words of advice!!!
    Keep at it everyone!!!:tongue:
  • HollyLLillis
    HollyLLillis Posts: 113 Member
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    When I first went to the SNAP fitness and she showed me the eliptical I was thinking wow how cool is this machine, it works your arms and legs and burns a lot of calories..... I did a 10 minute stint and holy crap I thought I was going to die... haven't been on it since... I would like to but I feel I'm just not in the shape I should be to do it... So I'm with you there... so it's an hour on the tredmil for me each night and I do the weighloss and will do a bit more of an incline on days I want to work a bit harder and no incline on the days I just wanna get my walk in quick!!
  • NOLAdy
    NOLAdy Posts: 133 Member
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    I only do 10 min. on the eliptical, just to get my heart rate up before doing weights. I do 5 min in one direction and than 5 min. in reverse. I don't do resistance, or whatever else you can adjust on it, I just get on and push enough buttons to get my time running. Than I get on the treadmill for about 5-10min. after doing weights just to walk off my heart rate so that I'm not walking out the gym all pumped up and breathing heavy. LOL I have no idea how people do such a long time on the stationary machines. More power to them, but I get bored with just my 10 min. Though, I would prefer to do the same activity outdoors for a considerable amount of time. I think a lot of it is "mind over matter". At the gym you have nothing to think about except the fact that you're working out. I was struggling through my spin class yesterday even though I've done harder routines. I just couldn't get my mind in the right zone. I try hard to focus on some sort of daydream so that I'm not focusing on the fact that I'm not comfortable. I can do that very easily at the park. LOL At the park I'm a super hero, at the gym I'm a girl whos obviouslly pushing herself.

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