The elliptical is a mainstay in the gym for good reason: it's easy on the joints and provides a great cardio and total-body workout. But the elliptical can also get pretty boring and repetitive. Instead of spending a mindless 30 minutes on the elliptical machine, maximize your time by doing one of these eight workouts. Whether you're a beginner, looking for a high-intensity interval workout, or Read more

Love it or hate it, a major plus to sweating it out on the elliptical is that you can work your body in a variety of ways using this machine. Pedaling forward works your quads while going backward targets the hamstrings and booty. Focus on pushing the handles gets your chest, and pulling them focuses the work in your upper back. And letting go of the handles while keeping your pace steady Read more

Reader FitFabCities has a boredom-busting workout for your next stint on the treadmill, elliptical, or bike. She shared it with us in our FitSugar Community. Since you've all had Winter weather for awhile, you might be getting a little bored with your usual indoor-cardio workout. Well, here’s a new printable workout that you can do on any cardio machine, and it’s sure to beat your boredom. Read more

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Prevention here on FitSugar! By Lisa Hoehn, Prevention As the weather drops, more and more people head straight to one machine in their gym — the elliptical trainer. According to a 2008 report from the International Health, Racquet, and Sportsclub Association, the number of users of elliptical trainers in health clubs grew sevenfold from Read more

It might still be the weekend, but it's time to jump-start your fitness life after days off cooking, cleaning, and feasting. Rev up your metabolism with this 45-minute elliptical workout. Use the versatility of the machine to tone your legs, backside, arms (love the moving handles), and back while getting your heart rate up to burn some calories. We've even thrown a few intervals in to make the Read more

If you have 30 minutes to spare and some calories to burn, try this elliptical workout. It's fun and fast moving, with speedy intervals to chew up calories and some backward action to work your backside. The cooldown even includes some hands-free time to challenge your core and help slow you down at the end. To check out the workout, keep reading. Read more

It may be a joint-friendly machine, but the elliptical can be a little monotonous. This workout is rather straightforward (that's a clue that there's no backward pedaling in the workout), but it's full of quick speed changes to beat cardio boredom. Plus, intervals are great for torching calories and boosting your metabolism. Check out the speed-play workout when you read more. Read more

Sometimes a gal just needs to spend some time on the elliptical. It's my go-to cardio when I am suffering from post-workout pain (oh DOMS, you catch up with me every time I take a break from strength training), or need to work out the kinks from a long run. I created this 35-minute workout and have been loving the challenge of maintaining my speed as the resistance increases every two to three Read more

I must admit, I am not a true fan of the elliptical. My husband, however, loves the machine, which is why we have one. Mostly, I use the elliptical when I need a cardio fix but want to give my joints a break. The workout is less pounding than running and more convenient than biking. Unfortunately, I find the machine boring. I keep my elliptical workouts fresh by playing with all the elements the Read more