Elliptical trainer questions

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Replies

  • shurleec
    shurleec Posts: 99 Member
    You can get a heartrate monitor anywhere. I bought mine at ****s sporting goods. It has a chest strap (pretty comfortable) and a watch that keeps track of calories. I went with a polar f7, I'm not a runner so I didn't need anything to fancy. Definitely best decision i've made!
  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
    30minutes - 300 calories is great!

    To expect more is unreasonable.
    KEEP PUNCHING!
    I had to find my burn zone through experimentation.
    And the last thing I would ever do is get a HRM - one more thing to keep track of?
    No thanks!
    I don't need one, because I just know what I am burning as well as eating.
    It's become second nature.

    Do what is right for you.
  • I1ahunt
    I1ahunt Posts: 72
    Any sporting goods store, Target, Walmart . There are numerous makers. I use a Polar, with a wear link strap .....it is automatically read by all of the cardio machines I have ever come across....there are other makers, but not sure if you would have to wear the wrist monitor or if the machines will read the output.......try this link for researching Polar....

    http://www.shoppolar.com/_polarususdenstore/cgi-bin/go.cgi/webstore/category?category=accessories
  • KLDunford
    KLDunford Posts: 41
    I usually do a cross ramp of 8-10 and a resistance of 8-10 in 40 mins I usually burn 400 calories and it's pretty accurate, I believe, because my bodybugg calculates the same.
  • georgia98_98
    georgia98_98 Posts: 123 Member
    The machines give you a very rough estimate....Burning calories really depends on your size / heart rate etc- maybe try a heart rate monitor to give you a more accurate reading?
    Agreed try this site... cheap!!!!! Polar ft7 $73 -$82.... Free shipping...Great for boot camps or cycling, while anything! lol
    heartratemonitorsusa.com‏
  • seaglass2
    seaglass2 Posts: 192
    I just ordered a Polar HRM. It will be interesting to see how different it is than the calories given by my Precor elliptical which calculates calories burned using a Polar system where you enter your weight and take your heart rate during the workout.
  • ceecee368
    ceecee368 Posts: 21 Member
    The number of calories you burn will vary greatly depending on your height, weight, age and the difficulty level of the workout. Generally you'll burn about 100 calories per mile run (this is true for both an elliptical, treadmill or outdoor running). If you increase the resistance or push yourself to run faster, you'll burn more, but I generally just give myself 100 exercise calories burned per mile.

    A lot of people overestimate the number of calories burned during their workouts, and you want to be careful not to do that so as not to allow yourself to eat too many calories during the day. 300 calories in 30 minutes is great!
  • tinamatteson
    tinamatteson Posts: 125 Member
    30minutes - 300 calories is great!

    To expect more is unreasonable.
    KEEP PUNCHING!
    I had to find my burn zone through experimentation.
    And the last thing I would ever do is get a HRM - one more thing to keep track of?
    No thanks!
    I don't need one, because I just know what I am burning as well as eating.
    It's become second nature.

    Do what is right for you.

    Ha ha, you make a good point! One more thing to keep track of, indeed! I appreciate your response. You are right, it's good enough to know I'm burning and eating well and the weight loss is happening slowly but surely. Staying consistent is my goal.
  • ElectricMayhem
    ElectricMayhem Posts: 214 Member
    I just got my HRM (the polar F7) last week.. i do the elliptical about 3 times a week for 60 minutes (i usually get a bit sweaty, i change levels and intensity up and down several times during the workout) and it says i burn about 570 calories each time. I also do Zumba 2 times a week and i feel like i'm really killing myself (sweating much more and out of breath!) and it says i usually burn around 670. ( btw i'm 5'4 and 235 lbs) Sounds like you are doing great, just keep doing it and you should see results! Great Job!
  • simplyliving
    simplyliving Posts: 29
    I firmly believe that all elliptical trainers are not created equal. At my gym we have 3 different types of elliptical trainers and they are vastly different in calculating calories burned. There are these runner gliding type ellipticals and I can go crazy on them in 60 minutes sweating like crazy and it will say I only burned around 500 calories. Then there are these brand new elliptical trainers our gym got and they are really tough. They are almost a stair stepper and elliptical in one and I am burning close to 800 calories. The other one are the old school elliptical trainers and I burn quite a bit when I up the resistance like you do.

    I just purchased a Fitbit and can't wait to get it in the mail. I can't wait to get a more accurate reading on my daily activity. Apparantly, the Fitbit syncs with MyFitnessPal. www.fitbit.com
  • FORIANN
    FORIANN Posts: 273 Member
    I weigh 288lbs...and am not very overweight...just big. I do an hour and I burn around 1200 calories. I give myself about 10 min to get my HR up to my 'cruising altitude' and that's where I stay most of the time. I stay on a pretty high resistance...about 13....and keep my HR around 150 bpm. I'm dropping a lot of weight though and as I do my calories burned is going down.

    In addition what's worked well for me is I set my calorie goal to lost 2lbs a week....don't log anything other than the cardio work I do, even though I walk a lot and do strength/core training...and overestimate your calories if you're not completely sure. I'm seeing really really good results.

    The HRM I got was a Timex for about $26...with chest strap. It links up automatically to the elliptical I use.

    Sounds like you're on the right track.
  • tinamatteson
    tinamatteson Posts: 125 Member
    I'm no expert on the elliptical, but I can tell you my experience! Each elliptical, even if it feels the same, seems to show a different amount of calories burned so don't get discouraged. I have lost 70 of my 80 lbs from doing 30 minutes on the elliptical about 5 days a week and nothing more. A lot of the time when I was really out of shape there was little to no resistance. You'll see results! I recently switched over to interval training and I will run a minute/walk a minute on the treadmill and keep alternating like that. Throw that in a day or two a week for 20-30 mins instead of the elliptical and you'll feel the difference!

    Plus the fact that you're doing this in the morning is really helping your metabolism throughout the day so in the worst case, even if you feel like you might not be burning the calories you want to be burning, it's making a difference all day long. When I switched to morning workouts the pounds were falling off even though I felt like I was tired and maybe not doing that much.

    You're doing awesome, good luck on a really rewarding journey!! :)

    VERY encouraging. Thank you!
  • newfieborn
    newfieborn Posts: 85
    Firstly, I think you are doing great and I love my elliptical as well. This is my 2 cents.

    Counting calories is great if that is what you like to do. It is NOT required. You do not NEED (you may want) a HRM. If you eat Balanced meals every 2 -3 hrs and exercise regularly, you will loss weight. MBF is a great tool to help you keep track of your daily intake and it really gives you an idea of what you are eating. The support is great as well.

    I use this workout for my elliptical. I also vary the incline as well. This is a 20 min workout but it can be changed to any lenght you want. The intensity level ( and incline if you want), changes every minute. I did up several tables that shows a 20, 30, 40, 50 , & 60 min workouts and it is taped to my Elliptical.

    Warm up the first 2 minutes at Intensity Level 5
    Minutes 2-3 move from Intensity Level 5 to 6
    Minutes 4-5, 6-10 and 11-14 work your way from Intensity Level 6 to Level 9, maintain for one minute.
    Minutes 15-19 work your way from Intensity Level 6 to Level 10 (High Point at Level 10), maintain for one minute.
    Minute 20 cool down to Intensity Level 5 for one minute.

    You have to know your target workout heart rate and keep it there for your workout. A HRM can be good for this.

    Do not over think this. You can spend thousands of $ on this or spend nothing. If you are committed, it will work either way.

    Good luck.
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