"Elliptical is a waste of time" how about NOT?!
EthanJeremiahsMama
Posts: 534 Member
Hi MFP! So this morning before leaving to work I was having breakfast with my mom, having a conversation about the gym basically.. and we were talking mainly about the elliptical and how we both love it more than the treadmill now.. and here comes my irritating step brother, apparently he was in the living room and heard us speaking.. he says "I don't know why you're wasting your time on that thing... it's not gonna make you lose any weight or make your legs thinner like you've been wanting too haha" .. uhh, rude much? This is probably the 4th person I have heard this from which gets a bit annoying.. I honestly think the elliptical is a great cardio workout especially when you're doing intervals of high resistance and low.. who agree's?!
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Replies
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I definitely AGREE! I love my elliptical, and couldn't have lost the weight without it... and MFP, of course! My thighs are very muscular and MUCH thinner! Good luck!0
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Is your step-brother some type of skilled individual as to having some basis for such a comment? If he has the skills and training for making the statement, then he's open to a discussion as to why. It's cardio, and resistance at the same time - why wouldn't it be a good workout.
I too get frustrated with individuals when they make broad ended comments and don't know what they are talking about. Prove him wrong and then point out to him it was the elliptical that got you there
Evidence of looking good is the best defense. 0 -
it's a great way to have low impact on your joints. But you can still get a great workout.
I know a girl and man at my gym and that is all they do and they have dropped tons of weight. They do need to weight train a little to balance their bodies, but as a form of cardio why not.0 -
Is your step-brother some type of skilled individual as to having some basis for such a comment? If he has the skills and training for making the statement, then he's open to a discussion as to why. It's cardio, and resistance at the same time - why wouldn't it be a good workout.
I too get frustrated with individuals when they make broad ended comments and don't know what they are talking about. Prove him wrong and then point out to him it was the elliptical that got you there Evidence of looking good is the best defense.
I definitely agree!! 0 -
Totally agree!!
It's an excellent workout, and great for your legs.
The argument against the elliptical is that it's not "functional" exercise. It won't make you a better runner, basketball player, etc. The movement of the elliptical is not something that is mirrored in everyday life.
But to be quite honest... Who cares??
I'm increasing my cardiovascular ability and muscle tone. What more can you ask for?
Lisa
aka Prettypooks0 -
The elliptical kicked my rear the first few times I got on it, and I wasn't out of shape! I think because it's so low-impact, people think it's not as much of a workout as it is.0
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I could not agree more with the posts here! I do the elliptical 3 times a week with a HRM and burn over 500 calories in 45 minutes. I can’t run because my joints hurt and it’s to high impact for me.
500 calories is 500 calories! My heart is pounding and I’m sweating. How is that not doing anything.
I won't give it up! 0 -
My elliptical is an key tool in my HIIT program, which has helped me to lose almost 30 lbs. over the past year. It has done wonders for my blood pressure and my calf muscles. I had a hip replacement last year, and it allows me to get a strenuous cardio workout without putting stress on my joints.0
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My elliptical/arc has definitely helped me lose my weight.0
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It can be a waste of time if the workout isn't challenging. If the level is at 1, and you can breeze through it in 30 minutes, then yes you're wasting your time. I see people at the gym on the Precor at level 1 and 4 many, many times and doing a trance fixed steady state cardio watching the TV till they're done.Hi MFP! So this morning before leaving to work I was having breakfast with my mom, having a conversation about the gym basically.. and we were talking mainly about the elliptical and how we both love it more than the treadmill now.. and here comes my irritating step brother, apparently he was in the living room and heard us speaking.. he says "I don't know why you're wasting your time on that thing... it's not gonna make you lose any weight or make your legs thinner like you've been wanting too haha" .. uhh, rude much? This is probably the 4th person I have heard this from which gets a bit annoying.. I honestly think the elliptical is a great cardio workout especially when you're doing intervals of high resistance and low.. who agree's?!
I say bump the machine up to 10-15 for a decent workout.0 -
It can be a waste of time if the workout isn't challenging. If the level is at 1, and you can breeze through it in 30 minutes, then yes you're wasting your time. I see people at the gym on the Precor at level 1 and 4 many, many times and doing a trance fixed steady state cardio watching the TV till they're done.Hi MFP! So this morning before leaving to work I was having breakfast with my mom, having a conversation about the gym basically.. and we were talking mainly about the elliptical and how we both love it more than the treadmill now.. and here comes my irritating step brother, apparently he was in the living room and heard us speaking.. he says "I don't know why you're wasting your time on that thing... it's not gonna make you lose any weight or make your legs thinner like you've been wanting too haha" .. uhh, rude much? This is probably the 4th person I have heard this from which gets a bit annoying.. I honestly think the elliptical is a great cardio workout especially when you're doing intervals of high resistance and low.. who agree's?!
I say bump the machine up to 10-15 for a decent workout.
Not everybody is at your fitness level. I leave the machine on level 1 for 30 minutes and burn 350 calories and I'm dripping with sweat. Maybe 10-15 is a workout for you but for those of us who are not cardiovascular gods- a nice sweaty workout on level 1 or 2 is good enough.0 -
agree Elliptical is a great workout machine.0
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I've been told by my Doctor "If it makes your heart rate go up, it's exercise.".0
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I could not agree more with the posts here! I do the elliptical 3 times a week with a HRM and burn over 500 calories in 45 minutes. I can’t run because my joints hurt and it’s to high impact for me.
500 calories is 500 calories! My heart is pounding and I’m sweating. How is that not doing anything.
I won't give it up!
Same here, I have poor ligaments in my knee joints so running is way out of the question unless I fancy not walking for a few days afterwards. The elliptical is fantastic for me, it has toned down my thighs considerably and toned my butt. I'm going to try out some tabata reps on it this week in one of my sessions. I'm sure it will kill me all over again0 -
a friend of mine challenged me on this one.. I'd been selling the benefits of my X-Trainer, given I was trying to shift 2st following a L4 L5 disc prolapse. She swore that the treadmill was her saviour.
So.. One day at the gym she shouts over.. "do 15 mins in that then come do 15 mins on this. See what the cals burn is in comparison"
Whilst the treadmill did show a higher burn... its foook all use if it compounds my back and renders me laid up for three weeks...
Horses for courses.0 -
Biggest load of bull**** I have ever heard. It has helped tone my legs, bum, arms and chest and I have lost 9 pounds. Up until a month ago that was the only exercise I did.0
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It can be a waste of time if the workout isn't challenging. If the level is at 1, and you can breeze through it in 30 minutes, then yes you're wasting your time. I see people at the gym on the Precor at level 1 and 4 many, many times and doing a trance fixed steady state cardio watching the TV till they're done.Hi MFP! So this morning before leaving to work I was having breakfast with my mom, having a conversation about the gym basically.. and we were talking mainly about the elliptical and how we both love it more than the treadmill now.. and here comes my irritating step brother, apparently he was in the living room and heard us speaking.. he says "I don't know why you're wasting your time on that thing... it's not gonna make you lose any weight or make your legs thinner like you've been wanting too haha" .. uhh, rude much? This is probably the 4th person I have heard this from which gets a bit annoying.. I honestly think the elliptical is a great cardio workout especially when you're doing intervals of high resistance and low.. who agree's?!
I say bump the machine up to 10-15 for a decent workout.
Not everybody is at your fitness level. I leave the machine on level 1 for 30 minutes and burn 350 calories and I'm dripping with sweat. Maybe 10-15 is a workout for you but for those of us who are not cardiovascular gods- a nice sweaty workout on level 1 or 2 is good enough.
Notice he said, "It CAN be IF the workout isn't challenging." If you get a good workout on 1 or 2, great. If you breezing through it and dont get your heart rate up to the target zone, it's not really doing you much good. Keep challenging yourself... What you can do today is going to be much different than what you can do a month or two from now if you keep at it!!0 -
I defin itely agree with you!! The elliptical is one of the only full body workouts there is. I usually burn about 860 calories per session, but you have to make sure that you move your arms as well as your legs, some people just move their legs and let the arm things just go back and forth, those people are wasting their time, but if you grab the arm things too, then to me it burns more calories than almost anything!!!Hi MFP! So this morning before leaving to work I was having breakfast with my mom, having a conversation about the gym basically.. and we were talking mainly about the elliptical and how we both love it more than the treadmill now.. and here comes my irritating step brother, apparently he was in the living room and heard us speaking.. he says "I don't know why you're wasting your time on that thing... it's not gonna make you lose any weight or make your legs thinner like you've been wanting too haha" .. uhh, rude much? This is probably the 4th person I have heard this from which gets a bit annoying.. I honestly think the elliptical is a great cardio workout especially when you're doing intervals of high resistance and low.. who agree's?!0
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It can be a waste of time if the workout isn't challenging. If the level is at 1, and you can breeze through it in 30 minutes, then yes you're wasting your time. I see people at the gym on the Precor at level 1 and 4 many, many times and doing a trance fixed steady state cardio watching the TV till they're done.Hi MFP! So this morning before leaving to work I was having breakfast with my mom, having a conversation about the gym basically.. and we were talking mainly about the elliptical and how we both love it more than the treadmill now.. and here comes my irritating step brother, apparently he was in the living room and heard us speaking.. he says "I don't know why you're wasting your time on that thing... it's not gonna make you lose any weight or make your legs thinner like you've been wanting too haha" .. uhh, rude much? This is probably the 4th person I have heard this from which gets a bit annoying.. I honestly think the elliptical is a great cardio workout especially when you're doing intervals of high resistance and low.. who agree's?!
I say bump the machine up to 10-15 for a decent workout.
That is true of any workout, regardless of the modality.
It's true of people waving around 3lb hand weights while Jillian Michaels is telling them they are "building muscle to burn more fat".
It's true of the people lifting weights who haven't changed either the exercise or weight they are lifting in 2 years.0 -
I defin itely agree with you!! The elliptical is one of the only full body workouts there is. I usually burn about 860 calories per session, but you have to make sure that you move your arms as well as your legs, some people just move their legs and let the arm things just go back and forth, those people are wasting their time, but if you grab the arm things too, then to me it burns more calories than almost anything!!!
Actually, ditch the handles and just move your arms like you're running and you'll burn even more because then you're really working your full body. If your handles are on the handles they're either swinging with the motion of your legs, or if you're actually exerting energy into the handles while holding them then you're detracting from the workout your legs have to do.
Just pedal with your legs and work your arms/upper body like you're on a treadmill. This makes sure sure your legs are doing all of the work on the machine, you're getting your upper body moving and burning on it's own and you'll even be helping your core a but because you'll be keeping your balance on the machine as you pedal.
And switch up the way you're pedaling too. Sometimes go forewards and sometimes go backwards, each direction works different muscle groups in the legs/butt. That way you can get an even more well rounded workout all on the same machine.
I also definitely agree on the resistance as well. Make sure your heart rate it up and going while on it or all the sweat in the world isn't going to do you any good. Even when I went from not a second of working out since high school onto the elliptical, I had to have that thing set at a minimum of four (which I typically intervalled with 8 or 9) to even feel like there was anything happening. And even then it was the intervals of 8 or 9 that kept my heart rate up, I had to go twice as hard on it when it was on resistance of 4 to keep my heart rate from dropping too low.0 -
Level 1 is less resistance than natural walking for your weight. Dripping sweat is not the best indicator of a hard workout. If you're using the calorie reader on the machine, it's more than likely that it's not calibrated since gym machines are used constantly.
Not everybody is at your fitness level. I leave the machine on level 1 for 30 minutes and burn 350 calories and I'm dripping with sweat. Maybe 10-15 is a workout for you but for those of us who are not cardiovascular gods- a nice sweaty workout on level 1 or 2 is good enough.
It's like taking "baby steps" on a Stairclimber.
It's not like I don't do this for a living..................................0 -
If you watched a scary movie and heart rate went up, I think he would disagree.I've been told by my Doctor "If it makes your heart rate go up, it's exercise.".0 -
Completely agree here. If it's too comfortable, then chances are it's not doing much.
That is true of any workout, regardless of the modality.
It's true of people waving around 3lb hand weights while Jillian Michaels is telling them they are "building muscle to burn more fat".
It's true of the people lifting weights who haven't changed either the exercise or weight they are lifting in 2 years.0 -
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Exactly! That first post was very condescending. And even if you're at the higher level, 30 minutes on level 1 is still 30 minutes of movement. I wouldn't call that a waste of time.
It can be a waste of time if the workout isn't challenging. If the level is at 1, and you can breeze through it in 30 minutes, then yes you're wasting your time. I see people at the gym on the Precor at level 1 and 4 many, many times and doing a trance fixed steady state cardio watching the TV till they're done.Hi MFP! So this morning before leaving to work I was having breakfast with my mom, having a conversation about the gym basically.. and we were talking mainly about the elliptical and how we both love it more than the treadmill now.. and here comes my irritating step brother, apparently he was in the living room and heard us speaking.. he says "I don't know why you're wasting your time on that thing... it's not gonna make you lose any weight or make your legs thinner like you've been wanting too haha" .. uhh, rude much? This is probably the 4th person I have heard this from which gets a bit annoying.. I honestly think the elliptical is a great cardio workout especially when you're doing intervals of high resistance and low.. who agree's?!
I say bump the machine up to 10-15 for a decent workout.
Not everybody is at your fitness level. I leave the machine on level 1 for 30 minutes and burn 350 calories and I'm dripping with sweat. Maybe 10-15 is a workout for you but for those of us who are not cardiovascular gods- a nice sweaty workout on level 1 or 2 is good enough.0 -
I defin itely agree with you!! The elliptical is one of the only full body workouts there is. I usually burn about 860 calories per session, but you have to make sure that you move your arms as well as your legs, some people just move their legs and let the arm things just go back and forth, those people are wasting their time, but if you grab the arm things too, then to me it burns more calories than almost anything!!!Hi MFP! So this morning before leaving to work I was having breakfast with my mom, having a conversation about the gym basically.. and we were talking mainly about the elliptical and how we both love it more than the treadmill now.. and here comes my irritating step brother, apparently he was in the living room and heard us speaking.. he says "I don't know why you're wasting your time on that thing... it's not gonna make you lose any weight or make your legs thinner like you've been wanting too haha" .. uhh, rude much? This is probably the 4th person I have heard this from which gets a bit annoying.. I honestly think the elliptical is a great cardio workout especially when you're doing intervals of high resistance and low.. who agree's?!
No again. Not holding the arms forces you to balance and engages your core. And your HR still goes up.0 -
I have been doing intervals on my elliptical to get more out of my workout. I start out at level 1 for 3 mins then level 2 for 2 mins and then I alternate between level 4 for one minute and then back to level 1 for 2 mins. I am working my way up. Right now level 4 is still very challenging. When I am on 4 my HR is around 170-175 and when I drop back to level 1 my HR is around 160. I wear a HRM and unfortunately I don't burn as much as I thought I was. While my machine says I burn 400 cals in 30 mins in reality I burn just over 200.0
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