Creating Endurance on Elliptical

How fast are you going when you start out? It's common for people to go harder than they should at the start because they're "fresh," then burn out quickly. Try slowing your overall pace down. Or you can try intervals - go at your "fast" speed for 2 minutes, then slow down for 2 minutes. Each time you work out, try to extend your "fast" period by 5-10 seconds and shorten your "slow" interval until you can do the entire session at a constant pace. Then add resistance.

Also, make sure you're properly fueled before a workout. Go in well-hydrated, and if you need to eat beforehand to have a good workout, make sure you do.

Working out 6 days a week is fine once you start getting into shape but it is too much for a beginner. Is this a personal trainer or someone who works at a gym? Some gym employees do not have the credentials to set up realistic exercise programs. You don't want to do too much where you end up dropping out or getting injured.

RhapsodyWinters wrote: »

wilsoncl6 wrote: »

Doing cardio every day may be a little much for someone just starting out. It all depends on the intensity of your cardio routine and your body's ability to recover. It might just be your recovery is slow so your muscles can't perform at the same level for each session. The key is intensity of effort and not necessarily time. It's not how long you go but how hard you push yourself for the time you put in. If you go 5 minutes but feel as if you're spent in those 5 minutes as you are in 30, then you've had a good workout. Recovery is even harder if you're eating at a caloric deficit as your body needs calories as well as protein to repair muscle tissue. Over time, your body will get used to the effort and will slowly build up endurance and the amount of time it takes to recover before your next cardio session will become shorter. My recommendation is to just stick with it, do what you can for as long as you can and everything else will work itself out. I wouldn't recommend doing cardio for more than 5 days of the week, you need time in between to recover.

So, if I'm interpreting this correctly, is that I should do high intensity for as long as I can, let myself adjust to it, and then try pushing myself to doing high intensity for longer periods of time?

I'm currently logging everything, and I do plan to start on protein shakes for the gaps in my calorie allowance (I tend to leave 400+ calories uneaten if I'm logging meals).

Regardless of what workouts I do, I'm pushing myself to do the length to the point where I just barely can do the work. However, when I get out of the gym, I'm only sore for maybe an hour. Later on, it's certain muscles that are only slightly sore if I move them a certain way.

Soreness isn't necessarily an indicator of a good workout. Not everyone gets sore, and honestly if you did get intensely sore it means you're overdoing it and need to let your body adjust more. So don't use soreness as a metric of if you've worked hard enough.

Your comment about your legs getting tired does sound like you've been given too much volume, and that can lead to injury. It really might be better to drop the 10-15 minute cardio sessions entirely so your body can properly recover. You'll probably be able to make more progress in your longer sessions (and don't feel bad if you can't hit 30 minutes yet, work up to it). Talk with your trainer about how you're feeling with your routine, and if they're unwilling to modify it, you probably need a new trainer.

Not all trainers are created equal. We get overenthusiastic new trainers in my gym from time to time, and in their inexperienced zeal to get clients in shape they often give people more than they can handle. I saw a girl with asthma nearly faint during her orientation session. Try to find one who works with a lot of people like you and respects your current limitations.

Just take your time. I got my elliptical in February; at that time, I could only do 6 minutes straight without a break. Week after week, I added a couple of minutes. I now do 30 minutes, it's still hard to do, and I'm sweating a storm, but I can do the whole 30 without breaking. Just gotta work yourself into it. xo

Don't be afraid to ask him how to use the machines. It is great you are doing that, it sounds like you have a great start.

RhapsodyWinters wrote: »

OP Update

I spoke with my trainer, and he said I should keep doing the 10-15 minutes during the 3 weight training days, and that on my cardio days, I don't have to do everything in one stretch. When I get tired on one cardio machine, move to the next and do what I can there, and keep doing that with small breaks in between if I need to.

So, I'll stick with it for now. That method seemed to really work yesterday. Maybe didn't burn as many calories, but right now I just need to get my body used to doing all these exercises! He'll be showing me how to do my chest exercises tomorrow. x.x There doesn't seem to be an ab day, but maybe it's best that comes later when I've lost more weight anyway.

Abs are something that you can hit as an accessory to other exercises. You don't necessarily need to directly hit abs, although an ab routine of some kind doesn't hurt. I wouldn't worry about it too much. It may be something that the trainer will have you incorporate after you've dropped some of the weight. Heck, you work abs every day all day just by moving around (i.e. sitting and standing and turning your torso). You can work your abs just by randomly squeezing those muscles and relaxing them repetively as you go through your day. That's something I do all of the time.