An elliptical machine is a popular and effective tool for achieving weight loss and improving overall fitness. It offers a low-impact cardio workout that can benefit your stamina and strengthen both your upper and lower body. This article explores the many benefits of using an elliptical machine for weight loss, including how it compares to other forms of exercise like walking and running.
What is an Elliptical Machine?
The elliptical trainer is a stationary exercise machine that combines elements of walking and stair-climbing movements to help improve cardiovascular fitness. It’s a top choice for home exercise equipment and one of the most sought-after cardio machines at fitness centers.
Benefits of Exercising with an Elliptical Machine
1. Provides a Low Impact Cardio Workout
One of the most commonly reported benefits of the elliptical trainer is that it’s a low-impact exercise. The elliptical may be a better option if you want a low impact exercise that’s easier on the joints and can support injury recovery. During some aerobic activities like running, your lower body joints, such as the knees, ankles, and hips, can take a beating from the constant impact. On the elliptical, however, your feet never lift off the pedals. Instead, your lower body glides through the movements of walking, running, and ascending a steep slope. According to the Arthritis Foundation, 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. A 2021 study also found that the elliptical trainer caused less long-term joint and cartilage degeneration in the knee than cycling, running, and swimming.
2. Strengthens Your Cardiovascular System
The elliptical machine allows you to get a good aerobic workout, which can strengthen your heart, lungs, and muscles. Aerobic exercise, also known as cardio, is a key part of a balanced exercise routine. When you do aerobic exercise, your heart and lungs need to work harder to provide your muscles with more blood and oxygen. This, in turn, can help build your stamina and endurance. Cardiovascular exercise provided by an elliptical can increase aerobic capacity, also known as VO2max, which is linked to lower incidence of cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease such as diabetes, and some forms of cancer.
3. Burns Calories and Supports Weight Management
The elliptical trainer is an effective way to burn calories, which could help support weight management goals. Depending on your weight, this cardio machine can help you burn around 270 to 400 calories in 30 minutes. The lower end of the range represents a person weighing 125 pounds (56.7 kilograms [kg]), while the higher end is for someone weighing 185 pounds (83.9 kg). However, several other factors can influence the number of calories you burn during an elliptical session, including your current fitness level and the speed, intensity, and incline of the machine.
Read also: Elliptical Trainer Benefits: Weight Loss
4. Works Both Upper and Lower Body
An elliptical machine with handles can work the muscles in both your upper and lower body. The elliptical recruits both upper and lower body muscles, engaging the arms, chest, and core as well as the legs. To maximize the upper body benefits, distribute your weight and resistance evenly by pumping your arms at the same speed as your legs. To focus even more on the upper body, initiate the movement from the arms and let your lower body follow along. When done correctly, the elliptical can target your glutes, hamstrings, quads, chest, back, biceps, triceps, and core muscles.
5. Facilitates Fat Burning
The elliptical machine can be an effective tool for burning body fat and losing weight when used in conjunction with other tools, such as balanced eating, resistance training, and effective sleep management. Weight loss primarily occurs when a calorie deficit is maintained over a prolonged period. A calorie deficit occurs when your body expends more energy (calories) than it takes in daily. Regular aerobic exercise can help you maintain a calorie deficit by burning calories. Some research also found that aerobic exercise is associated with less abdominal fat and reductions in waist circumference.
6. Maximizes Fat Burning with HIIT
To maximize fat burning in a shorter amount of time, try HIIT. You can start with a 2-to-1 ratio, such as 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. Don’t stop moving your legs during the recovery periods. Continue to move the pedals at a slower pace. To use HIIT elliptical workouts to lose weight, try altering the pace or resistance of the elliptical machine to a hard-to-sustain level, depending on your current fitness level. You should feel too breathless to speak in full sentences during your high-intensity interval session, and your recovery periods should feel comfortable and conversational.
7. Targets Different Muscle Groups
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.
8. Improves Balance
Using an elliptical machine may be an effective way to improve overall balance, which is important for preventing falls and other injuries. Try standing up straight and releasing the elliptical handles. This could 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.
Read also: Elliptical Training: Your Guide to Shedding Pounds
9. Aids in Injury Recovery
Some research suggests that working out on an elliptical can be an effective way to build or maintain cardiovascular fitness while recovering from an injury. Since it’s a low impact exercise, the elliptical puts less stress on your joints than high impact workouts like running, jogging, or jumping. Working out on an elliptical after an injury could also help improve your range of motion and strengthen the muscles and joints while taking the stress off the injured area.
10. Offers Variety and Customizable Workouts
Elliptical machines typically offer a range of preprogrammed exercise routines that simulate hill climbing, interval training, and other customizable options, allowing you to achieve the type of workout you desire. You can choose from hill climbs, interval training, a flat walk, or create a custom routine that fits your needs or physical abilities.
11. Easy to Learn
One of the advantages of an elliptical is that it doesn’t take long to learn how to use it. 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 provide you with tips on how to use it correctly and recommend the type of workout that may be best suited for your fitness goals. When first starting the elliptical, you may want to use only the foot pedals. Once you get used to the machine’s movement, you can add the handles.
Elliptical vs. Walking: Which Burns More Fat?
When it comes to burning fat and getting in shape, choosing the right exercise can make all the difference. Many fitness enthusiasts often debate between two popular forms of cardio: using an elliptical machine and walking. Both are excellent low-impact exercises that offer various health benefits.
1. Calorie Burn
Elliptical machines are well-known for their ability to burn calories efficiently. A moderate session on an elliptical can burn between 270 and 400 calories in 30 minutes, depending on your weight and workout intensity. This calorie-burning capacity directly contributes to fat loss, as the body burns stored fat for energy when calorie intake is controlled. A brisk walk can burn around 150 to 300 calories in 30 minutes, depending on speed, weight, and terrain. While the calorie burn might be slightly lower than using an elliptical, walking has its own set of advantages.
Read also: Comprehensive Guide to Elliptical Weight Loss
2. Full-Body vs. Lower-Body Workout
One of the key benefits of an elliptical machine is that it provides a full-body workout. Unlike walking, which primarily engages the lower body, an elliptical workout also involves the upper body. By pushing and pulling the handles, users engage their chest, shoulders, and arms, in addition to the legs, glutes, and core. Walking primarily engages the muscles in the lower body, including the calves, thighs, and glutes. If done on varied terrain or inclines, walking can also activate core muscles, helping with overall body toning.
3. Impact on Joints
For those with joint issues or who are recovering from injury, the elliptical offers a low-impact alternative that is gentle on the knees, hips, and ankles.
4. Additional Benefits of Walking
Walking, especially outdoors, offers unique mental health benefits. Studies have shown that walking in nature can reduce stress, improve mood, and boost creativity.
5. Intensity and Consistency
The key to burning more fat lies in the intensity of the workout. The elliptical allows users to easily adjust resistance levels and speed, providing a more challenging workout that can elevate heart rate and increase fat burn. When choosing between the elliptical and walking, consider what you enjoy more and can sustain over time. Consistency is crucial for long-term fat loss and fitness. If you find the elliptical more engaging and can stay consistent with your workouts, it may be the better option for you.
6. Elliptical Advantage
In other words, the ellipticals generally offer a higher calorie burn rate. For those focused on maximizing fat loss in the shortest amount of time, the elliptical might be the better choice.
Elliptical vs. Treadmill
The elliptical and treadmill are excellent stationary aerobic exercise machines, and each has its own unique benefits. If you’re debating between ellipticals vs treadmills, you’re not alone.
1. Impact on Joints
Ellipticals are designed to be joint-friendly. Instead of pounding against a surface, your feet glide in a smooth circular motion. The elliptical may be a better option if you want a low impact exercise that’s easier on the joints and can support injury recovery. Treadmills involve repeated foot strikes that create more impact on the knees and hips. Ellipticals reduce impact thanks to their smooth, gliding motion.
2. Upper vs. Lower Body Workout
Unlike treadmills, ellipticals actively work your upper and lower body. Pushing and pulling the handles recruits your arms, chest, shoulders, and core while your legs drive the stride. Treadmills - especially incline treadmills - target the glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves. Ellipticals recruit both upper and lower body muscles, engaging the arms, chest, and core as well as the legs. Treadmills primarily strengthen the lower body.
3. Versatility
From steady-state walks to HIIT sprints and incline hiking sessions, treadmills offer nearly limitless training options. Ellipticals offer a range of preprogrammed exercise routines that simulate hill climbing, interval training, and other customizable options, allowing you to achieve the type of workout you desire.
4. Training for a Race
If you’re training for a 5K, half marathon, or full marathon, treadmills are unmatched for replicating outdoor running conditions indoors. A treadmill is the better choice for race prep because it closely mimics outdoor running, allows pacing practice, and supports structured intervals.
5. Calorie Burn
Adding incline and speed can dramatically increase energy expenditure on a treadmill. Increasing the speed and incline on your treadmill can help you burn more calories. Both ellipticals and treadmills can burn significant calories. Ellipticals often show higher calorie burn for beginners, while treadmills can match or surpass that with running or incline walking.
6. Muscle Building
Ellipticals recruit both upper and lower body muscles, engaging the arms, chest, and core as well as the legs. Treadmills primarily strengthen the lower body.
7. Conclusion
In other words, both machines can deliver an effective workout. Not necessarily. The smartest option? Use both. Alternating between the two keeps workouts varied, reduces overuse injuries, and challenges your body in new ways. Many NordicTrack users combine both for best results. Want low-impact, full-body training? Go elliptical. Want running-specific training and variety? Or better yet - alternate between the two for maximum benefits.
Potential Risks
Like all exercise machines, there are some potential risks associated with using an elliptical. You may find that your muscles are sore the days after using it for the first few times, especially if you’ve never used an elliptical before. The movement pattern is different than walking. This may feel awkward, and it’ll activate your muscles in different ways. It’s essential to ease into an elliptical workout routine, allowing your body to become accustomed to these movements and helping to prevent overuse injuries. As you become more comfortable on the machine, you can start to adjust the resistance, speed, and incline to make your workouts more intense.
How Long Should You Use an Elliptical?
The amount of time you should spend on the elliptical depends on your overall goals. The amount of time you should spend on the elliptical depends on your fitness level, workout intensity, and personal goals.
1. Fitness Level
Your current fitness level plays a major role in determining how long you can safely and effectively use the elliptical. Beginners may find 15-20 minutes challenging, while more experienced users can handle 45-60 minutes.
2. Weight Loss Goals
The amount of weight you aim to lose also affects workout length.
3. Workout Intensity
Workout intensity plays a major role in calorie burn and fat loss. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) on the elliptical, alternating short bursts of high resistance and fast pace with brief recovery periods, can be much more effective. Interval training involves alternating between high-intensity bursts and lower-intensity recovery periods.
4. General Guidelines
In general, you should 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. If you don’t have 30 minutes to spare, up the intensity and do 20 minutes instead.
5. Training for a 5K
Using an elliptical to train for a 5K race can help build your cardiovascular fitness. But it won’t effectively train all of the muscles used during running, so it’s best to use a combination of running and elliptical training when preparing for a 5K.
Maximizing Your Elliptical Workout
1. Increase Resistance and Incline
Increasing the resistance and incline on your elliptical can significantly boost your workout's effectiveness - higher resistance levels force your muscles to work harder, increasing calorie burn and muscle tone.
2. Track Your Progress
Tracking your progress is essential to stay motivated and make necessary adjustments; use a fitness tracker or the built-in monitor on your elliptical to keep an eye on metrics like time, distance, calories burned, and heart rate. All SOLE ellipticals have displays that show your workout metrics like calories burned, duration, etc.
3. Avoid Common Mistakes
Even with consistent effort, certain habits can limit your results.
- Relying too much on the handles reduces lower-body engagement, which lowers calorie burn and limits overall effectiveness.
- Using minimal resistance makes pedaling easier but limits muscle activation and slows fat loss.
- Performing the same workout repeatedly can cause your body to adapt, reducing its effectiveness over time.
4. Stay Hydrated
During exercise: Stay hydrated. It strengthens your heart. It improves lung function. It reduces heart disease risk factors. It lowers heart attack risk.
5. Replenish Energy After Workout
After your workout, focus on replenishing your energy and aiding muscle recovery with a balanced meal that includes protein, carbohydrates, and healthy fats.
6. Best Time to Use Elliptical
The best time to use the elliptical is whenever it fits best into your schedule and when you feel most energetic. Some people prefer morning workouts to start their day with a burst of energy, while others find evening sessions help them unwind.
7. Vary Your Routine
To keep your workouts interesting, vary your routine with different resistance levels, inclines, or interval training. Using a SOLE elliptical, you can also take advantage of the built-in touchscreen or connect to the free SOLE+ app for instructor-led workouts, which provide variety and guidance.
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