Have you ever been drawn to the elliptical machine at the gym, intrigued by its smooth, flowing motion and wondering if it truly delivers a worthwhile workout? The answer is a resounding yes! The elliptical cross trainer is a versatile and effective tool for achieving weight loss and improving overall fitness.
What is an Elliptical Machine?
An elliptical machine, also known as an elliptical trainer or cross-trainer, is a stationary exercise device that combines the motions of a treadmill, stair climber, and vertical climber. This unique combination provides a full-body workout with minimal strain on your joints. It typically features moving foot pedals, moving arm bars, and a flywheel. The term "elliptical" refers to the oval or round shape of the flywheel, which ensures a smooth and fluid motion of the pedals and arms. You can adjust the resistance on the flywheel to modify the intensity of your workout.
Ellipticals are commonly found in fitness centers and are also available for home use, with home models generally being more compact than those in gyms.
Benefits of Using an Elliptical Machine for Weight Loss
An elliptical machine is a great way to work toward a weekly minimum goal of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardiovascular exercise, which allows you to build or maintain endurance levels.
Here are some of the benefits you’ll get from elliptical workouts:
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- Full-Body Workout: Ellipticals engage both your upper and lower body, potentially burning more calories compared to other exercise equipment. The pedal action works your lower body muscles, while the arm motion strengthens your arms, chest, and shoulders.
- Low-Impact Exercise: Elliptical trainers provide similar workout benefits to walking, jogging, or stair climbing, while applying less pressure on your joints. This makes them ideal if you have knee pain, aching hips, or arthritis. The Arthritis Foundation suggests that the elliptical machine may be especially beneficial for people with knee or hip arthritis because it places minimal stress, weight, or impact on the joints.
- Calorie and Fat Burning: Elliptical workouts help speed up your metabolism and burn calories, which can help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Depending on your weight, this cardio machine can help you burn around 270 to 400 calories in 30 minutes. Elliptical trainer workouts help speed up your metabolism and burn calories, which can help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
- Cardiovascular Fitness: Using an elliptical machine can give you a great cardio workout. Your speed and machine resistance will affect your workout intensity and how hard your heart works. Working at moderate intensity can help improve cardiovascular endurance, which helps strengthen your heart and lungs.
- Muscle Strengthening: An elliptical session will work back and core muscles, which are important for good posture. The list of engaged posture muscles includes your abdominal muscles, plus your erector spinae, latissimus dorsi, trapezius, and rhomboids.
- Safe Activity After Injury: After an injury, knee surgery, or other event, the elliptical can be a good way to improve range of motion while not overly stressing the injured area. You can safely ease back into exercise (if appropriate) while still getting a full-body workout.
- Variety of Workouts: Most elliptical machines come with preprogrammed workouts so you can easily switch things up. You can choose from hill climbs, interval training, a flat walk, or create a custom routine that fits your needs or physical abilities.
- Ease of Use: One of the reasons elliptical machines have become so popular is their simplicity. No complex coordination or movements are required. Just get on and start moving. A trainer at your gym can give you specific tips to help you get the most out of your elliptical workout.
Maximizing Weight Loss with Elliptical Workouts
To maximize your weight loss efforts on an elliptical machine, consider the following strategies:
- High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT): Taking your elliptical session up a notch with higher-intensity interval training (HIIT) can help you burn fat along with calories. It’s basically a cycle of highs and lows that gets your heart rate up between active rest breaks. Aim for your work-to-recovery ratio to be about 1:1, or equal parts higher intensity work and lower intensity recovery.
- Proper Form: Maintain good posture and engage your core muscles throughout the workout. Distribute your weight and resistance evenly by pumping your arms at the same speed as your legs to maximize the upper body benefits.
- Vary Resistance and Incline: Change both the resistance and incline of the foot pedals on an elliptical. By doing this, you can target different muscles in your lower body, including your quads, glutes, hamstrings, and calves.
- Consistency: Aim for a minimum of 150 to 300 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise weekly, or 75 minutes of high intensity exercise. This translates to at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise 5 days a week.
- Listen to Your Body: Don’t crank up the resistance on an elliptical right out of the gate. You really want to apply just enough resistance to where you feel like it's challenging, but you can maintain your control and technique.
Elliptical vs. Treadmill: Which is Better for Weight Loss?
Both ellipticals and treadmills are excellent cardio options, but they provide very different training experiences.
Ellipticals are designed to be joint-friendly, actively work your upper and lower body, and reduce impact. Treadmills target the glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves, offer nearly limitless training options, and replicate outdoor running conditions indoors.
Both machines can deliver an effective workout and help with weight loss, especially when paired with balanced nutrition. The smartest option? Use both.
Addressing Common Concerns
- Is it OK to use an elliptical machine every day? If you love the elliptical machine, there’s nothing wrong with using it every day. Still, overdoing any type of exercise can set you up for burnout and injuries.
- Are ellipticals better than treadmills for beginners? Ellipticals are often better for beginners because they’re low-impact, easy to learn, and support a full-body workout without putting stress on the joints.
- Which burns more calories: ellipticals or treadmills? Both can burn significant calories. Ellipticals often show higher calorie burn for beginners, while treadmills can match or surpass that with running or incline walking.
- Are treadmills harder on your joints than ellipticals? Yes. Treadmills involve repeated foot strikes that create more impact on the knees and hips. Ellipticals reduce impact thanks to their smooth, gliding motion.
- Is an elliptical good for weight loss compared to a treadmill? Yes. Ellipticals can be just as effective for weight loss as treadmills when resistance and incline are increased. Both machines work best when combined with good nutrition.
Read also: Elliptical Training: Your Guide to Shedding Pounds