The Complete Guide: How to Use the Elliptical Trainer the Right Way to Lose Weight

FacebookTwitterPinterestEmailWhatsAppVKontakte

We have all seen many times people doing cardio workouts on the elliptical for hours. But their speed is barely faster than walking, but they still continue to think that they can lose weight by training on an elliptical machine...

BUT THIS IS NOT SO!

Let's be clear: Even if you exercise at a very slow pace for an hour, you will still burn some calories. However, if you want to achieve good results and effective and proper fat burning, then you should find out how to exercise on an elliptical trainer to lose weight.

The elliptical machine is great for beginners and allows you to ease your way into the world of cardio. The elliptical is a good choice, especially if you need less stress on your joints while working your lower body and training your core.

The elliptical will give you a hot workout without any of the bone damage you might get from running or on a treadmill.

Even though the elliptical does not put stress on the joints, it provides excellent challenges for the hips and buttocks. As a bonus, if your machine has handles, you can work your entire body, which means burning more calories.

If you're just starting to exercise or haven't exercised in a while, the last thing you want to do is make the mistake of "too much, too soon." Working out too hard will not only make you regret ever doing it in the first place and your muscles sore, but it also puts your body at risk of injury. The body needs time to recover and regain its previous strength, so it is always best to take breaks.

Ellipsoid for weight loss. What is unique?

An elliptical trainer is a kind of hybrid from a treadmill. You can use it to walk, run, or simulate climbing stairs, which will give your entire body a workout. Most people use it as an at-home cardio workout for weight loss, but it can also be used to build muscle and train the lungs and heart.

Why should you choose elliptical training for weight loss?

There are several reasons for this:

1. This is easier on the knees, hips and ankles. Running and jogging are highly traumatic activities that place a lot of stress on the joints. People after surgery or injury often cannot run outside or on a treadmill. But on the ellipse you don’t take your feet off the pedals, so there won’t be a disastrous result.
2. Easier on your back. For example, cycling works the muscles of the lower body, but reduces the load on the gluteal muscle and reduces the muscles in the back. Elliptical training for weight loss involves both of these muscle groups along with the legs. The back muscles do a lot of work to maintain balance.
3. The movable handles work your upper body, and you can also adjust the incline of the pedals: walking, running, or staircase.
4. It's easier on your body. 20 athletes reported lower perceived stress when training on the elliptical machine, but their heart rate and oxygen consumption were the same as with other types of exercise.

Bonus: with the help of the ellipse, you can sharpen your steps specifically on the buttocks, and not on the quadriceps.

Still, pretty good reasons to exercise on an elliptical to lose weight, right?

Training results

The elliptical provides excellent cardio exercise, which saturates the body with a large amount of oxygen, improves blood circulation and stimulates metabolism. Thanks to such training, you not only get rid of excess weight, but also significantly strengthen the overall health of the whole body.

The ellipse trainer will help:

• get rid of extra pounds;
• improve the functioning of the respiratory system;
• increase muscle tone;
• develop flexibility of joints and ligaments;
• strengthen the functioning of the heart and blood vessels;
• remove excess salts from the body.

Involving the main muscle groups during exercise increases the tone of the entire body, relieving it of stagnant processes that arise as a result of a sedentary lifestyle. Exercising on the simulator is a good prevention of various diseases, such as heart attack, diabetes, venous insufficiency. Regular cardio training is a great way to stay in good physical shape.

How long should you exercise on the elliptical and where in the gym or at home?

The huge advantage of this simulator is that it can be found everywhere! It is found in almost all gyms in the country, next to treadmills and bicycles. You can perform elliptical exercises in almost any fitness club, gym or health spa.

Of course, elliptical trainers are fairly inexpensive and you can buy them for your home.

Class time varies from 30 minutes to 2 hours. Everyone chooses this for themselves.

TOP 5 best elliptical trainers

The reputation of the manufacturer is very important. Good reviews are a guarantee of quality, so pay attention to them when choosing equipment available on the market. Taking into account current buying trends, we have compiled a ranking of the best elliptical trainers for the gym and home.

Oxygen Peak E

A magnetic type device for beginners and users of average physical fitness (the flywheel weighs only 6 kg). Characteristics:

• compact overall dimensions;
• high quality of component materials;
• affordable price.

Carbon Fitness E304

Compact magnetic model with soft running. There are sensors on the handles that measure pulse. The load is adjusted in stages - in eight positions.

Suitable for short people - the stride length is only 310 mm. Supports a person weighing up to 120 kg. With this exercise machine you can quickly tone your buttock muscles.

Oxygen EX 35

Non-folding design with a simple console. Model characteristics:

• step length – 40 cm, user weight – up to 150 kg;
• 19 standard programs;
• sensors on the handles for measuring pulse;
• 4 heart rate dependent programs.

Spirit SE205

Front-wheel drive silent ellipsoid with an electromagnetic load system, soft pedal rotation, reliable assembly. There are 24 load levels available.

Differences and advantages:

• step length – 41 cm, user weight – up to 120 kg;
• the ability to measure heart rate, adjust the angle of the platforms;
• presence of audio input;
• connection of a wireless heart rate sensor is available.

The Ultimate Guide to Elliptical Training

Below we will look at how to exercise on an elliptical trainer to burn fat, how long you should exercise on it, and how to do it correctly. Let's talk about some common mistakes. Then we will learn a few rules for increasing your training time. A specific training program, even 3, will be at the end.

Precautions when training on the elliptical

Low-tempo cardio exercise is often recommended to reduce health risks and simply maintain physical activity. But each situation is individual. Before trying this workout, consult your doctor if you have any medical conditions, injuries, or are taking medications that may affect your heart rate.

The first time you try the elliptical, you'll likely feel "it" in all of your lower body muscles, especially your quads (the front muscles of your thighs). It's normal if you feel a slight burning sensation as your muscles work, and you may need to start with a shorter workout, around 10 minutes, and slowly build up to longer workouts as you become more resilient.

Be sure to control the intensity. The simplest way is RPE, a scale of 1 to 10 that rates how hard you have to work at each resistance level on the machine itself. For this workout, you need to stay between level 4, which is an easy warm-up pace, and level 6, which is where you're just getting out of your comfort zone.

How NOT to use an ellipse

It is impossible to quickly become thin and burn all the excess fat, but very few people know this. I'm willing to bet that 90% of the people working out around you are using the elliptical machine incorrectly. It's rude but necessary - they are "elliptically" illiterate.

Here are a few mistakes they are likely making:

• Resistance too low. The machine is designed to work at high resistance, but if you stay at 1-5 forever, you will never see results. Divide your workout into several parts with different resistance levels to get the fastest results!
• Steady pace. Low intensity, steady pace burns fat but also breaks down muscle. You need to use an elliptical trainer to lose weight quickly. This is where HIIT comes in handy.
• Move only forward. Remember that the ellipse can move both backwards and forwards! Use this setting and you will work your muscles at a new angle, which means more developed muscles.
• Poor posture. Slouching, bending too much, etc. can increase the risk of muscle and joint damage. People who train in the proper posture work both the upper body and core muscles along with the lower back, which helps increase efficiency.
• Repeating the same workout. Yours is load adaptable so it will build muscle and strengthen your cardiovascular system to meet the demands of your workout. But if you never change it, you're allowing your body to simply adapt to the workout and nothing more. In order to lose weight and read only positive reviews under your photos, you need to change your training program often.
• Of course, there is always the classic mistake of NOT doing strength training, focusing solely on cardio and the “elliptical for weight loss.” You burn a little fat initially, and then muscle begins to act as fuel. But don’t be too upset, because next you will learn how to lose weight on an elliptical trainer without harming your muscles.

Now you may be thinking, “Am I doing all this wrong?”

How to increase your training time?

Your ultimate goal is simple: lose weight and look good. To do this you need:

• Burn fat and calories;
• Build muscles.

Elliptical Trainer for Muscle Building

Here's how to get the most out of your muscle building with the elliptical workout:

• Increase the intensity/angle – instead of always going for one incline or difficulty, switch it all up. Raise the angle upward until you are "climbing stairs" or increase the resistance until you find it difficult to take each step. The harder the workout, the more muscle!
• Move forward and backward - don't just walk forward, but switch and move backward. It will be uncomfortable at first, but once you get used to it, you will find that the muscles are being worked from a completely different angle!
• Take the correct position - stand straight, move your shoulders back and tense your abs.
• Pressing the handles hard is a way to add some upper body and abs work along with a lower body workout. The more you work on your body, the better!

The elliptical machine is not designed to do the same type of muscle building as strength training, but you will find that some small adjustments can make a difference!

Elliptical trainer for weight loss

The main goal of cardio training is to give your cardiovascular system the right workout, force your body to burn calories and activate stored fat. Here's how you can do it:

• Increase your speed. The slow pace of elliptical training is great for your joints, but you'll never see results unless you increase your speed. Increase the pace a little and you'll increase your fat loss. A faster pace will force your body to adapt, resulting in a faster metabolism, more calories burned, and better fat activation.
• Vary your training plans - don't do the same workout every day. Do HIIT one day, then climb the stairs, then go to the mountains, and a gentle walk the next. The more variety you have in your workouts, the more you will get to know your body.
• Try intervals. Low intensity, steady pace burns fewer calories but more fat. High-intensity interval training (HIIT) burns a lot of calories and a lot of fat. Intervals last from 60 to 90 seconds for low-intensity exercises, and from 30 to 60 seconds for full-intensity exercises.
• Feel the burn - if you don't feel anything, you're training wrong! An easy workout is an easy workout. Every day you have to push your body to its very limits. Any day you don't walk away from the elliptical exhausted is a day you really didn't do as much as you could/should.
• Don't just use the ellipse. Remember that your body adapts to exercise, but so does the type of exercise. If you ONLY use the elliptical, your body will adapt to this style of movement and may even become “locked in” or “stiff.” You may lose mobility because you perform a narrow range of motion. Instead, get off the elliptical and try the treadmill, bike, etc. Do this at least once or twice a week for maximum results!

Follow these tips and you'll make the most of your time on orbitrek.

Types of Elliptical Trainers

There are different types of elliptical trainers, so not everyone can tell the most important differences between the others. A detailed analysis will help answer the question of how to choose an elliptical trainer for your home.

Electromagnetic elliptical trainers

The device is larger and more massive than its magnetic counterpart. The electromagnetic elliptical trainer also differs in that the distance between the bases of the feet is less than 10 centimeters. This significantly affects the way you perform the exercises.

The braking system of this model is controlled by an electromagnet, which generates a field of greater or lesser power.

The simulator is distinguished by its quality and a number of amenities. The functional and modern display shows all the most important training parameters. The user has the following functions at his disposal:

• training time;
• distance traveled;
• calories burned;
• pulse;
• power;
• speed;
• manual training mode.

The simulator is equipped with an innovative computer with the ability to connect a smartphone or tablet running Android or iOS.

The elliptical design also features Bluetooth technology, touch sensors for accurate heart rate measurement, and a USB port.

Electronic load adjustment allows you to change settings without being distracted from your workout. And thanks to the magnetic resistance system, the exercises are quiet and do not disturb others.

The device has wide non-slip platforms and vertical and horizontal stride length adjustment, which ensures comfort even for tall users. Platforms have several regulatory options.

To ensure maximum safety, all handles are covered with a special non-slip material.

Magnetic Elliptical Trainers

The magnetic-elliptical model is no less popular. When performing exercises on it, both the lower and upper parts of the body are involved.

The magnetic version is more compact, so it is better to buy it for an apartment. The folding device can be easily hidden under the bed.

During training, the moving parts (mainly the flywheel) are between the legs. The braking system works by creating a magnetic field. There is resistance that can be adjusted depending on the intensity of the exercise.

Training may seem difficult and tiring at first. For convenience, a load adjustment system is provided.

You should not have any doubts about which exercise machine to choose if you need a universal device that allows you to reduce fat deposits and increase the body's performance. The equipment is recommended primarily for people who have previously led a sedentary lifestyle.

Whether you're interested in a magnetic or electromagnetic elliptical, review the equipment carefully. Reliability of manufacturing, individual technical parameters and a set of supported functions are important.

How to Do an Elliptical Workout for Beginners

• Monitor every aspect of your workout, making an effort to find a pace/resistance level that allows you to perform at your desired RPE.
• Rest if you feel too winded or your muscles are weak. You should feel like you're practicing, but you should also be able to produce full speech.
• Do this workout about three times a week with a rest day in between.
• Progress by adding a few minutes each time you exercise until your workout time reaches 30 minutes.
• Stretch after your workout.

Elliptical training for beginners

At the end of your workout, drink a large glass of water.

Progress in training with the elliptical

To progress in these workouts, start by adding three more minutes during your base tempo, and then add another two minutes before doing a five-minute cool-down.

You can stay at this level for a week, and then add one section for three minutes at a basic pace and another for 2 minutes, but at an above-average tempo. Now you have already trained for 30 minutes. This meets the minimum daily recommendation for a healthy lifestyle.

Contraindications

The ellipse trainer has no special restrictions for exercise due to health reasons. If you are not prohibited from intense aerobic exercise for medical reasons, then you can safely start training. If you have any chronic diseases, you should consult your doctor before exercising. It is not recommended to exercise during viral infections. If you are physically weakened after some serious illness, then exercise on the exercise machine at a calm and moderate pace until you completely recover your health.