FitSugar

Pros and Cons of the Elliptical

FitSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 05:50:09 -0700

Since running is one of my favorite forms of cardio, I'm a big fan of the treadmill when I can't get outside for a run. I'm also big into the elliptical, and by the looks of my gym, it appears tons of other people are too. While it's a popular piece of gym equipment for so many reasons, there are also some disadvantages to using one. Check out the chart below to see if an elliptical is the right machine for you.

Pros	Cons
The circular motion and the fact that you're not pounding your feet down with each step is easier on your knees than running outside on concrete or on a treadmill. The platforms for your feet are always free of rocks, trash, dog poo, and ice, so you can count on where you're stepping to be safe and clean.	Although using an elliptical is less impact on your joints, it also requires less effort, so people complain that it's too easy. Since your feet need to stay on those little platforms, you feel like you have less control over your movements, and it's less natural for someone who's used to running.

To see the rest of the pros and cons, read more.

Pros

Cons

You control the pace by moving your legs slower or faster.
By increasing the resistance of the foot pedals you can make your workout more challenging for your legs and booty. You can also pedal backward to focus on working your backside.
You can also get an arm and upper back workout by adjusting the tension of the handles.
Since you're inside, you can watch TV to beat boredom.
The readout keeps track of your workout data including time, speed, distance, and calories burned, so you can monitor your progress.
Whether it's a torrential downpour outside or it's nighttime, you can always get in your workout.
It's a safe way to burn calories if you're afraid to exercise outside in your neighborhood.

Since you're in control of how fast your legs are moving, it's easier to slack off as compared to using a treadmill, which keeps the same pace.
Since they're a one-size-fits-all kind of machine, someone who's got a naturally shorter stride may end up hyper-extending their knees, which could lead to injury.
If you don't belong to a gym, ellipticals aren't cheap and you'll end up spending around $2,000 for a good one.
Just like any other piece of cardio equipment, the repetition of doing the same thing over again can be so boring that you cut your workout short.
The readout on the machine may not be accurate.
Ellipticals require electricity, so they're not exactly the greenest type of exercise. Plus, if there's a power outage, you can't work out.

Source: Flickr User Jill Clardy

Which Do You Prefer: Treadmill or Elliptical?

FitSugar — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 03:47:42 -0700

As the weather changes and the days shorten, I do a bit more cardio inside on a machine. Sometimes I prefer the treadmill if I want to work on my speed, and sometimes I want to use the elliptical to give my knees a break and work my upper body more. What about you?

Get the Most Out of Your Elliptical Workout

FitSugar — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 04:30:00 -0700

Elliptical trainers are a gym favorite. Not only is this cardio machine joint friendly, but it is also super versatile. You can go forward and backward, work your arms and legs, or focus on your core. Here are some tips to help you squeeze the most out of your minutes on the machine.

If your focus is cardio: Focus on your strides per minute. SPM is the number of times your legs go around, a stat the elliptical tracks for you. Try to keep your strides per minute between 140 and 160. If you're doing intervals on the elliptical, make sure your "sprints" are above 160.
If your focus is toning your thighs: Pay attention to your feet. Pressing more with your heels will work your hamstrings and booty more, while pressing more with your toes will tone your quads on the front of your thighs. Pedaling backward on the machine is great way to tone your backside - hamstrings and glutes.

Interested in a few more tips? Then read more.

If you're short on time: Use your arms and legs equally. To get more bang for your cardio buck, make sure to work your arms as well as your legs. This will help get your heart rate into an intense zone and tone your upper body too. Push the handles to work your pecs and pull the handles to work your lats.
To work your core: Go hands free. Letting go of the handles on the elliptical will challenge your sense of balance and work your core. Make sure not to sway from side to side once you let go of the handles. Place your hands on your hips to monitor your posture.
Tone your glutes: To really target your glutes, work the incline. Do incline intervals increasing the angle for two to three minutes, followed by a similar period with a lower incline.

If you're looking to freshen up your time on the elliptical, I have a PDF for you to print with four different workouts.

Print It: FitSugar Elliptical Workouts

FitSugar — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 06:00:00 -0700

If you love the elliptical, but need to freshen up your workout, you should try one of my four favorite elliptical workouts. I put them all on one printable page for your convenience. Just print this PDF, take it to the gym, and follow the workout of your choice. You can work your booty, do intervals, or use the boredom buster busy-body workout. Keep this sheet in your gym bag for those days when you know you need a workout but can't motivate to figure out what exactly to do. These workouts will help you have fun at the gym!

Source

Get It Up, Your Heart Rate, That Is: Elliptical Incline Booty Workout

FitSugar — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 08:00:00 -0800

Due to a slow going construction project, my husband's elliptical is living with some neighbors. They love it, but we miss it. At the gym recently, looking to work my backside while getting my heart rate up, I did this elliptical workout and played with the incline. Our home machine has a fixed incline, so I have to say it was fun and exciting to work the ramp up and down. I really like how upping the incline makes the glutes work. I found that working with the incline above 15 hurt my knees though, so I never took the ramp to its maximum height. While doing this workout, to ensure that your backside is fully reaping the benefits of working the incline, keep your heels down while working out.

To see the 35 minute workout, just read more.

Time	Resistance	Incline	SPM*
0:00-2:30	3.0	5.0	110-130
2:30-5:00	5.0	7.0	120-130
5:00-10:00	9.0	11.0	130-140
10:00-15:00	9.0	13.0	130-140
15:00-20:00	9.0	15:00	130-140
20:00-25:00	11.0	15.0	120-130 / Go BACKWARD
25:00-30:00	9.00	15.0	130-140 / Go FORWARD
30:00-32:30	5.0	5.0	120-130
32:30-35:00	3.0	5.0	120-130

*SPM = Strides Per Minute
Click here for a printable version to take to the gym!

Gym Time: Elliptical Tips

FitSugar — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 05:30:00 -0800

Elliptical trainers are a gym favorite. Not only is this cardio machine joint friendly, but it is also super versatile. You can go forward and backward, work your arms and legs, or focus on your core. Here a some tips to get the most out of this machine and your next elliptical workout.

If your focus is cardio: Focus on your strides per minute. SPM is the number of times your legs go around, a stat the elliptical tracks for you. Try to keep your strides per minute between 140 and 160. If you're doing intervals on the elliptical, make sure your "sprints" are closer to 160.
If your focus is toning your thighs: Pay attention to your feet. Pressing more with your heels will work your hamstrings and booty more, while pressing more with your toes will tone your quads on the front of your thighs.

Interested in a few more tips? Then read more.

If you're short on time: Use your arms and legs equally. To get more bang for your cardio buck, make sure to work your arms as well as your legs. This will help get your heart rate into an intense zone and tone your upper body too.
To work your core: Go hands free. Letting go of the handles on the elliptical will challenge your sense of balance and work your core. Make sure to not sway from side to side once you let go of the handles. Place your hands on your hips to monitor your posture.
To add strength training to your cardio: Try squats. When moving backward on the elliptical, you can hold a squat position. Don't go into a full squat, but only go about three quarters of the way down. Start by holding the position for 20 seconds and work your way up to holding the partial squat for a full minute.

If these tips inspire you to jump on an elliptical and get moving, check out my elliptical cardio workouts.

Source

Fit Tip: Get More Out of the Elliptical

FitSugar — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:00:00 -0800

The elliptical is awesome in so many ways, but it's also easy to cheat on this joint-friendly machine. Avoiding the handles at different points of your workout will engage your core, but when the hands go, form often follows. Get more out of your elliptical workout with this simple trick.

Without the handles our bodies want to shift from side to side, rather than propel forward. Even if your arms are pumping, your hips may bounce from left to right, and while your heart rate stays up your quads are getting a break. When you're doing intervals with no hands, place your hands firmly on your hips for 15 seconds and pull your shoulder blades together to maintain posture. You will feel your hips move less, your core tighten, and your quads challenged. Repeat whenever you feel your form slipping.

Source

You Asked: You're Supposed to Hold the Handles, Right?

FitSugar — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 05:30:00 -0700

In a recent post about how cheating on your workouts could mean you are cheating on your health, I used holding onto the handles while on a cardio machine as an example of cheating. One user didn't understand, so I wanted to clarify.

"I hold onto the elliptical handles . . . I mean, you have to move them. I'm a little confused by this."
- mtiger

Good point! And I think I can help you understand it better. To find out my answer, just read more.

I really meant this comment to be geared toward the folks who hold onto the machine for dear life by leaning their weight into the side bars of the treadmill, stair climber, elliptical, etc. Using the handles for balance is OK, it's when you start to use the handles to relieve some of the resistance that it becomes a problem. Plus, since you often have to lean over to hold on to the machine, you're putting yourself at risk for injury because your body will not be properly aligned.

On an elliptical machine specifically, try not to hold on to the machine for the purpose of making it easier. In fact, using your arms to move the movable handles is altogether different and is often part of the exercise; it may even lead to a greater calorie burn because you are enabled to get a fuller body workout. But think about letting go of the movable handles too, as this will add another element to your exercise by working your core (as you compensate using the rest of your body to stay balanced). Try this fun routine to get you used to letting go of the handles every once in a while.

Source

Which Do You Prefer: Treadmill or Elliptical?

FitSugar — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 04:30:00 -0700

When I hit the gym, both the treadmill and the elliptical are my go-to machines. Sometimes I prefer the treadmill if I want to work on my speed, and sometimes I want to use the elliptical to give my knees a break and work my upper body more.

Lately I've been loving the treadmill more, though, since it's more like running outside. What about you?

Source and Source

Get It Up, Your Heart Rate, That Is: Busy Body Elliptical Workout

FitSugar — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 05:30:00 -0700

The elliptical is an endlessly versatile piece of cardio equipment. To keep myself occupied on this joint-friendly machine, I like to stay busy. The anticipation of changing direction, speed, and resistance makes this 40-minute workout fly by. There are a couple of sprint intervals indicated in the chart by the number of strides, or steps, you take per minute. Watching that count ensures that I maintain my speed. To work my core, I like going hands-free on the elliptical, too. And finally, going backward on the elliptical is a great way to work the back of my legs, which could always use a little extra toning.

To check out the workout, just read more.

Time	Level*	Directions	SPM**
00:00-5:00	3	Warm-up
05:00-6:00	5
06:00-07:00	5	Backward
07:00-09:00	7	Forward/No Hands
09:00-11:00	10	Hands	135-145
11:00-13:00	6	Backward
13:00-15:00	8	Forward	145-155
15:00-17:00	6
17:00-19:00	8		145-155
19:00-21:00	6	Backward
21:00-22:00	6	Forward/No Hands
22:00-24:00	10	Hands	135-145
24:00-26:00	6
26:00-29:00	8	Backward
29:00-31:00	8	Forward	145-155
31:00-34:00	8	Forward/No Hands
34:00-35:00	5	Hands
35:00-40:00	3	Cool down

*Level = Amount of resistance
**SPM = Strides Per Minute

My elliptical is set at a 20 degree incline, so work at at that incline if you can.

Print a copy to take to the gym with you.

Source