Discover How an Elliptical Machine Can Turbocharge Your Weight Loss Journey!

The elliptical machine is a popular cardio machine at fitness centers and a top choice for home exercise equipment. It offers a low impact cardio workout that can benefit your overall fitness, including increasing your stamina and strengthening your upper and lower body.

Benefits of Using an Elliptical Machine

Boosts Stamina and Cardio Capacity

Aerobic exercise, also known as cardio, is a key part of a balanced exercise routine. The elliptical machine allows you to get a good aerobic workout, which can strengthen your heart, lungs, and muscles. This, in turn, can help build your stamina and endurance. When you do aerobic exercise, your heart and lungs need to work harder to provide your muscles with more blood and oxygen. 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.

Burns Calories

The elliptical is a great cardio workout. Depending on how much you weigh, this cardio machine can burn about 270-400 calories in 30 minutes. The lower end of the range represents a person weighing 125 pounds (56.7 kg) while the higher end is for someone weighing 185 pounds (83.9 kg). Burning more calories than you consume can help you lose weight. To boost your calorie burn, consider increasing the intensity of your elliptical workouts. Elliptical trainer workouts help speed up your metabolism and burn calories, which can help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight. How many calories you burn on an elliptical machine depends on your weight plus workout length and intensity. A 150-pound person doing a 30-minute elliptical workout at moderate intensity will burn about 170 calories, according to the Calorie Control Council.

Protects Your Joints

Since your feet never lift off of the pedals with an elliptical, this machine offers a low impact cardio workout. A 2014 study showed that an elliptical workout is significantly less weight-bearing than other cardio exercises like running, jogging, and similar workouts. In other words, with an elliptical, you can continue training without the wear and tear that comes with high impact exercise. Your knees, ankles, hips, and other joints can take a beating when running or doing other high impact cardio exercises. Ellipticals are a great, low-impact exercise if you have knee pain, aching hips or arthritis.

Upper and Lower Body Workout

An elliptical machine with handles is one of the few cardio machines that can provide you with both an upper and lower body workout. The key to maximizing its upper body benefits is to distribute your weight and resistance evenly. In other words, pump your arms just as fast as you’re moving your legs. The pedal action of an elliptical machine works your:

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Glutes.
Hamstrings.
Quadriceps.
Calves.

The arm motion works these muscles in your upper body:

Arms (biceps and triceps).
Chest (pectoralis major, minor and serratus anterior).
Shoulders (deltoids).

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. When done correctly, the elliptical can target your glutes, hamstrings, quads, chest, back, biceps, triceps, and core muscles.

Burns Body Fat

Given that the calorie burn associated with an elliptical is higher than that of some other cardio machines like the stationary bike, it can help you lose body fat in a shorter amount of time. This is especially true if you focus on interval work. Taking your elliptical session up a notch with higher-intensity interval training (HIIT) can help you burn fat along with calories. (Win-win!) To maximize fat burning, try to focus on the intensity and duration of your workouts. One study found that while both high and medium intensity workouts helped with fat loss, high intensity intervals allowed you to accomplish more in a shorter amount of time. Consider adding interval training to your elliptical workouts with a 2-to-1 ratio, e.g., 30 seconds of high intensity work followed by 15 seconds of recovery, or 60 seconds of high intensity work followed by 30 seconds of recovery.

Targets Specific Leg Muscles

You can 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. By increasing the incline, you may feel the backside of your lower body more. If you adjust the foot pedals lower, you may feel your quads working harder. Plus, since the foot pedals also move in reverse, you can change the direction of your stride and focus more on your hamstrings and glutes.

Improves Balance

Weight-bearing exercise can not only help strengthen your bones but also improve your balance. If you stand up straight and let go of the elliptical handles, you can target your core muscles and work on your balance. Just ensure that the resistance and incline are set at manageable levels so you can use the elliptical machine safely without using the handles.

Maintains Fitness After Injury

If you’re nursing an injury and can’t participate in your regular physical activities, working out on an elliptical can be a great way to build or maintain your fitness. Since it’s a low impact exercise, the elliptical puts less stress on your joints than high impact workouts like running, jogging, or jumping. 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. Working out on an elliptical after an injury may help you regain full range of motion. It can also help strengthen your muscles and joints while taking the stress off of the injured area.

Provides a Variety of Options

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. Elliptical machines usually offer a variety of preprogrammed exercise routines that mimic hill climbing, interval training, and other customizable options that help you get the type of workout you want.

Straightforward to Use

One of the advantages of an elliptical is that it doesn’t take long to learn how to use it. 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. Although the learning curve with this machine is fairly easy, you may want to ask a personal trainer for guidance if you haven’t used one before. A trainer can give you tips on how to use it correctly and the type of workout that may be best for your fitness goals. When first getting started on the elliptical, you may want to only use the foot pedals. Once you get used to the movement of the machine, you can add the handles. One of the reasons elliptical machines have become so popular is their simplicity.

Potential drawbacks

Muscle Activation Differences: The motion on the elliptical is slightly different than running or walking, so leg and core muscles are activated differently. This difference in muscle activation may potentially lead to injury if the body doesn’t adapt to the new muscle-firing and movement patterns.
Improper Alignment: If you aren’t consciously trying to keep your legs aligned properly, you may feel pain associated with improper tracking of the feet and legs, especially because your foot often remains in a fixed position on the elliptical machine.
Limited Leg Strength Gains: Since the elliptical is lower impact than running or walking, you may see fewer gains in leg strength due to less stress being placed on the legs.
Reduced Bone Density Improvement: Because of this lower impact, you may also see less improvement in bone density compared with running or weightlifting. This is because higher loads or impact tend to increase bone density in the lower body.
Machine Size and Fit: Make sure the machine is the right size for you and not too big or small. Hints for that? If you’re pushing off on your toes or heels a lot, it may be too big. If you find yourself hunching over, it may be too small.
Not a Cure-All: While aerobic exercise can aid weight loss, it’s not a magical cure for belly fat. That said, combining exercise and a low calorie, high protein diet as part of an overall weight loss program can result in both subcutaneous and intra-abdominal fat, according to research.

How to Maximize Weight Loss with an Elliptical Machine

Interval Training: To maximize fat burning, try to focus on the intensity and duration of your workouts. Consider adding interval training to your elliptical workouts with a 2-to-1 ratio, e.g., 30 seconds of high intensity work followed by 15 seconds of recovery, or 60 seconds of high intensity work followed by 30 seconds of recovery.
Target Specific Leg Muscles: You can 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.
Proper Form: Consciously try to keep your legs aligned properly to avoid pain associated with improper tracking of the feet and legs.
Add Variety: Include other exercises in your routine if you’re looking to strengthen your legs and build bone density.

Other exercises to consider

High-intensity interval training (HIIT): This is probably one of the fastest and most efficient ways to lose belly fat and reduce the overall body fat percentage. HIIT combines periods of high-intensity short exercise sessions followed by brief 30- to 60-second recovery periods. This exercise usually doesn't exceed 30 minutes. Based on the individual’s fitness level, a typical HIIT session can vary between 15 and 30 minutes.
Strength training: Lifting weights boosts metabolism and ensures the prolonged maintenance of an efficient fat-burning rate, which means fat continues to burn even after the workout. Weight exercises burn fat and build muscles, reducing the percentage of body fat and toning up the body.
Bicycling: Bicycling is an effective low impact cardio exercise. One can cycle outdoors or do a workout on a stationary bike.
Russian twists: For this exercise, one needs to sit down on the floor, keep the legs straight or bend the knees and lean back slightly forming a V shape. This posture should be held while twisting the upper body from side to side without moving the legs. The hands can be joined together in front of the chest. Russian twists can also be increased in intensity by holding a dumbbell in front of the chest and gradually increasing the weight of the dumbbell. This increases resistance which strengthens muscles and burns more calories.
Bicycle crunches: Bicycle crunches help burn belly fat and strengthen abdominal muscles. For this exercise, one has to lie on their back with their hands behind their head. Then, raise the knees to the chest while lifting the head and shoulders off the ground. While pedaling with the legs, alternate touching the right elbow to the left knee and then the left elbow to the right knee.
Reverse crunches: These exercises help burn lower belly fat. One has to lie down on their back on a yoga mat with the knees together, legs bent in a 90-degree angle with their feet firmly planted on the floor. The palms should be placed down on the floor for support. Tighten the abs to lift the hips and legs off the floor and simultaneously draw the knees inward toward the chest. Hold this position for a second at the top of the movement.

Elliptical vs. Other Cardio Exercises

Elliptical vs. Running

If you’re looking for an alternative to running, the elliptical is a great option. Not only is it easier on your joints, but you can also adjust the incline and resistance to mimic a running workout. That said, most avid runners will tell you that it’s not the same as a good old-fashioned run. Hitting the pavement or trails requires your feet to leave the ground and forces your body to adapt to inconsistent conditions. You might be stepping on uneven surfaces or going up and down hills. This means you’ll recruit your lower body muscles to a greater degree and need more force to propel yourself forward. Plus, pumping your arms boosts your heart rate, increases calorie burning, and uses some key upper body muscles like the biceps, triceps, chest, and upper back. One way to get the best of both worlds is to incorporate the elliptical into a running routine. For example, replace one outdoor or treadmill running day with a 30-45-minute workout on the elliptical. Use this time to work on intervals and heart rate training. As a result, you’ll focus less on the impact and more on your cardiovascular system. Many ellipticals come with handlebars that allow you to push and pull against resistance, but unlike the arm movements you perform continuously while running, this motion is optional with an elliptical. Also, the machine will do some of the work for you. Although you should engage your core muscles when performing any aerobic workout, it’s easier to let these critical muscles relax when exercising on the elliptical, making running a better workout for your core.

Elliptical vs. Cycling

Both cycling and the elliptical machine are considered low impact cardiovascular activities. Since your feet are in contact with the pedals during the entire workout, both cycling and elliptical training are easier on the joints than running or other high intensity workouts. If you’re using an upright or recumbent bike, you can regulate the resistance to get a cardiovascular workout and calorie burn similar to those of the elliptical. However, comparing outdoor cycling with an elliptical is a little more challenging. There are more variables like hills, uneven terrain, trails, and traffic when you head outdoors. This often results in a workout that’s more interval-based than a consistent, moderate intensity session on an elliptical. Outdoor cycling also requires your body to adjust to varying conditions. In that sense, cycling may be a better workout, especially if you’re looking for a more functional workout that replicates the movement patterns you do more regularly. Plus, findings from self-reported data show that ditching motorized transportation in favor of cycling to work may result in less weight gain over time.

How much time should you spend on the elliptical?

The amount of time you should spend on the elliptical depends on your overall goals. In general, you should aim for a minimum of 150 minutes of cardiovascular exercise each week, with the upper end being 300 minutes. This translates to 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise 5 days a week to hit the 150-minute goal. If you don’t have 30 minutes to spare, up the intensity and do 20 minutes instead. Working out at a higher intensity is a time-efficient method for improving your cardiovascular health and boosting your calorie burn.

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