Elliptical Workouts - Which setting is better?

sunshinethompson
sunshinethompson Posts: 106 Member
edited October 2 in Fitness and Exercise
I started working on my elliptical and was curious which setting would be better for burning more calories?

To have the "Resistance" at 10-15: You go slower but use more force the pedal

To have the "Resistance" at 1-10: You go faster but use less force

I usually do:

20 minutes at 1-3 (resistance) w/ ramp @ 10 degree angle - normal

10 minutes at 5 (resistance) w/ ramp @ 15 degree angle

10 minutes at 10 (resistance) w/ ramp @ 20 degree angle

5 minutes at 10 (resistance) w/ ramp @ 25 degree angle

ANY ADVISE FROM SOMEONE WHO USES IT REGULARLY??????

Replies

  • aippolito1
    aippolito1 Posts: 4,894 Member
    It depends on what you're trying to achieve. Using more resistance will build muscle. Less resistance will be more of a cardio exercise and will keep your legs about the same size or thin them out. When I felt my legs were bulking up, my friend told me take off the resistance for the elliptical and that seemed to help things. Now I leave the resistance to the stationary bike and go for lower resistance on the elliptical/cross ramp. Hope this helps!
  • chickenpoppa
    chickenpoppa Posts: 207 Member
    Ive always wondered that myself. Thanks for asking the question sunshinethompson and for answering it arielle0489. Greatly appreciated:-)
  • sc1572
    sc1572 Posts: 2,309 Member
    I normally do 10 minutes of 10/5 and then 5 of 15/10 :)
  • sovannac
    sovannac Posts: 445 Member
    I would like to know this too!

    When I worked with a trainer, she had me do 10 minutes @ level 8, ramp 4 and then one minute of 15/15 then back to 8/4 for 10 minutes, 15/15 one minute, 8/4 for 10 minutes, and 15/15 for one minute.

    You have to get your heart rate going - intervals intervals intervals!
  • shesblossoming
    shesblossoming Posts: 426
    I usually change it up everyday, but I generally change up the resistance every two to three minutes. I use my HRM while I'm on and in 30 minutes with no resistance the whole time, I burn 187. If I switch up the resistance throughout, I burn around 210 - 230 depending on how hard I'm pushing myself. It makes a huge difference, especially if you're trying to maintain the same speed at a higher level. My heart rate spikes up during that time and then calms down when the resistance is lower. And it's great to work out your leg muscles too.
  • SiriuslyAwesome
    SiriuslyAwesome Posts: 2 Member
    I change it up all the time. Today I did 5 mins at 10 crossramp with 4 resistance and 3 mins at 4 crossramp with 10 resistance. Change like that for an hour and a half while monitoring heart rate to stay in the fat burning zone. I would use the "weight loss" option, but it is only for a 33 minute workout, and I like to go for at least an hour and I hate re-putting in the info to calculate every time the program ends. It is similar to the "weight loss" option with the intervals and resistance changes, just for about 3x the time.
  • sunshinethompson
    sunshinethompson Posts: 106 Member
    Thanks for letting me know! I'm definitely trying to lose weight in my thighs. I wouldn't mind having Venus Williams thighs but I think I need to trim off some of the fat first [laughing at myself - Venus thighs]! Thanks again for educating me on this machine. I certainly burns calories for sure!

    I pushed myself to go for 70 minutes one day and haven't been able to do it again. I made 35 minutes my daily goal.
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