elliptical question

Jess21684
Jess21684 Posts: 202 Member
edited September 24 in Fitness and Exercise
When i get on the elliptical, for me it doesnt seem very challenging and my HR doesnt get up very high it seems like. I try to up the incline and the resistence as much as i can to make it more challenging and get my HR up. ive read/heard that overtime if you set the resistence levels pretty high, your thigh muscles can possibly bulk up a little which is def NOT what i need! what do you guys typically do w the elliptical? do u set the incline high or the resistence? both?! just wondering what the vast majority of you guys set your elliptical settings to to get the most out of your workouts Is it ok to set the resistence/incline as high as you can handle in order to get your HR up wout having to worry about bulky legs?

Replies

  • Eyvette1
    Eyvette1 Posts: 76 Member
    I set mine at the medium setting for both and go faster to get up my HR. It does wonders for me like that.
  • bethvandenberg
    bethvandenberg Posts: 1,496 Member
    bump
  • strandedeyes
    strandedeyes Posts: 392 Member
    I usually just change the resistance vs anything else. I also will go backwards for a few to change it up and work different muscles.
  • MarieRich
    MarieRich Posts: 87 Member
    I do intervals. I do it fast and easy for 2 minutes, then slow it down and increase resistance for two minutes.
  • shanolap
    shanolap Posts: 1,204 Member
    I like to use the preset workouts on mine. And you get out of it what you put into it, so go faster. Don't worry about your thighs bulking up, not gonna happen using an elliptical. :smile:
  • sweetdee88
    sweetdee88 Posts: 22
    i usually get on my elliptical for between 15-20 minutes. for the first 5 minutes i do the lowest settings as a warm up, and then i up both the resistance and incline to mid-way for another 5, then up it to the highest of both settings for the last 5-10 minutes. i usually burn between 300-500 calories depending on how hard i push it and how long i go for. and i'm not sure about bulking up your thighs. i haven't noticed a huge difference, although i've always had larger thigh muscles from playing sports and running track throughout most of my younger years. muscular thighs are sexy! i'm no expert, but i think it might be difficult to get HUGE thighs just from an elliptical, right? i hope so at least ha ha! the only women i've known to have really large muscular thighs were women that did a lot of weightlifting and squats. hope that helps! :)
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    Unless you're eating in excess of your maintenance calories and are eating tons of protein, you won't build much muscle. It's very difficult for anyone to build a lot of muscle, it takes an incredible amount of training and generally cannot be done while eating a calorie deficit. Don't worry about "bulking" up from using the elliptical, from lifting weights, or from anything else.
  • velix
    velix Posts: 437 Member
    The elliptical at my gym (ProForm brand I believe) has settings of resistance / incline to a max of 20. I like to stay on manual settings, changing them as I go.

    For warm up, I start at 10/10 - and for the rest of the work out I keep my incline at 10 or 11, and increase my resistance to 12 / 13 for intervals, and back to 10/10 for cool down.

    I burn on average 100 calories for every 10 minutes (HRM) which is on par with most other cardio exercise (except stationary bike & treadmill)
  • Giovanni_P
    Giovanni_P Posts: 107
    I workout to the beat of the music I am listening to. If the next song has a faster beat, (130+ beats per minute) I'll lower the resistance in order to keep up. Or if the beat slows down too much, (115 bpm or less) I increase resistance.
  • lreed
    lreed Posts: 348 Member
    What are your strides per minute? I chug along at 140 and then get the strides up to 180 and 190 and my heart rate goes thru the roof! Keep your hands off the bars if you can, I keep my crossramp on 10 and the resistance on 7. :wink: Good luck!
  • Shua456
    Shua456 Posts: 211
    I go a minimum of 120 rpm's - usually closer to 140 rpm's for at least 30-40 minutes. By the time I'm done I'm drenched with sweat and my heartrate is about 135.

    Try going faster and pushing yourself that way, I think you'll like the results.
  • Jess21684
    Jess21684 Posts: 202 Member
    yeah i go fast, thats not the issue! im always above 150 and sometimes when i have the resistence or incline on a lower setting i can even get it up to 200. and i dont ever really hand on the handles much. i usually just swing my arms. the only thing that seems to make it challenging for me is by setting the incline and resistance higher so i was just worried about bulky thighs or whatever cause thats what ive heard from some people before is they tend to get more muscle in their thighs from having the resistance so high and i dont need bulky thighs! i act want them to slim down
  • velix
    velix Posts: 437 Member
    What are your strides per minute? I chug along at 140 and then get the strides up to 180 and 190 and my heart rate goes thru the roof! Keep your hands off the bars if you can, I keep my crossramp on 10 and the resistance on 7. :wink: Good luck!

    I agree with the hands - I never hold on - and it is a much better workout overall - good for balance, your core strength and works more of your body.


    Good Luck!
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