elliptical trainer

disobedientmeek
disobedientmeek Posts: 54
edited September 19 in Fitness and Exercise
I got an elliptical trainer about a week ago and I dont know if im doing it right
I know this sounds stupid but my legs hurt so much - mainly my knees
I started off doing 4 minutes a day [i am very unfit] then have been going up and up Im now on 20 minutes but my knees get so sore i have to have breaks in between to stretch them.
is this normal? should I be using my arms more pulling it down? or do your arms just hold the handles with no effort required?
:angry: :blushing: :sad: or is it just that i have bad knees?
Will it get better?
any advice would be great lol

Replies

  • disobedientmeek
    disobedientmeek Posts: 54
    I got an elliptical trainer about a week ago and I dont know if im doing it right
    I know this sounds stupid but my legs hurt so much - mainly my knees
    I started off doing 4 minutes a day [i am very unfit] then have been going up and up Im now on 20 minutes but my knees get so sore i have to have breaks in between to stretch them.
    is this normal? should I be using my arms more pulling it down? or do your arms just hold the handles with no effort required?
    :angry: :blushing: :sad: or is it just that i have bad knees?
    Will it get better?
    any advice would be great lol
  • lotusfromthemud
    lotusfromthemud Posts: 5,335 Member
    First of all, if you're new to exercise, it will make you sore. Soreness is usual. . .extreme pain is not. It's important to know the difference. Exercise will make you feel uncomfortable, so take a minute to ask yourself "is this discomfort or pain?'

    This could be several things, but my question is how are your shoes? Even though elliptical is little to no impact, you should still be wearing high-quality shoes in order to protect your body.:flowerforyou:
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    I love my ellip!

    Yes....use your arms more. I was on a gym machine and it had a program for elip training. It would give you 1 minute pull really hard with your arms, 1 minute push with arms, 1 minute just legs, 1 minute bend knees. I now do this on my home machine.

    Are you keeping your knees soft? By bending them just a bit you relieve a lot of stress on knees and lower back.

    Try positioning your feet differently. The elip is the only machine where my knees DONT hurt. I do it barefoot and I adjust my feet as I go along. If I feel tightness in my knees it is usually because I have turned my foot out, thus changing the pull on different muscles.

    Does it have a tension change selection? Make sure you are on the lowest selection for now.

    I did just as you. I started with 2 minutes and am now up to 45! So you can do this!!

    :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
  • disobedientmeek
    disobedientmeek Posts: 54
    thankyou so much!!


    I didnt have a clue hehe
    I will do that tomorrow and see if it makes any difference
    Thanks :flowerforyou:
  • disobedientmeek
    disobedientmeek Posts: 54
    First of all, if you're new to exercise, it will make you sore. Soreness is usual. . .extreme pain is not. It's important to know the difference. Exercise will make you feel uncomfortable, so take a minute to ask yourself "is this discomfort or pain?'

    This could be several things, but my question is how are your shoes? Even though elliptical is little to no impact, you should still be wearing high-quality shoes in order to protect your body.:flowerforyou:

    I havent been wearing shoes :embarassed: but I will from now on -
    Its not the usual soreness like when on the rowing maching
    its not "discomfort" Like the rowing machine is discomfort when u have a personal trainer standing next to you saying go faster - its like "OMG this *&^%^&^ hurts!"
    Hopefully it will be better the stronger my knees get [if this will make them stronger?]
  • lotusfromthemud
    lotusfromthemud Posts: 5,335 Member
    If it's actual pain, and the shoes don't alleviate it, I would recommend seeing your doctor.

    Don't mess with your knees, they will always win.
  • disobedientmeek
    disobedientmeek Posts: 54
    thanks
    I will wear shoes and try the things that arewethereyet said and if it doesnt get better I will
    I just wanted to know if it happend to anyone else when they started using one.
    thanks :ohwell:
  • tresa1234
    tresa1234 Posts: 796 Member
    Also, if yours has a ramp adjustment (like to make it seem like you're going up hill) make sure you're working on the lowest setting.

    Hope that helps ... and hang in there! I couldn't do my elliptical very long at first and now I'm up to 30 or 45 minutes.
  • Jackie_W
    Jackie_W Posts: 1,676 Member
    I don't get pain with mine, I got mine a couple of months ago, and am now doing 30 mins a time - but I agree that shoes do help - a lot !!!
    Take it easy at first, don't push yourself too hard, it will come together with time
This discussion has been closed.

Categories