We all love to do a good workout, especially in the comfort of our homes. For this, an elliptical machine is an apt piece of equipment, especially for individuals looking forward to cardio training.
The elliptical machine is one of the most affordable and full-body workout machines popular with those planning to set up a home gym for regular workouts.
Doing a moderate-intensity workout for 30 minutes on an elliptical leads to high er calorie-burning abilities, around 252 calories or more depending on the speed and intensity of the workout.
Without a doubt, individuals start seeing results in 3-4 weeks or 6-8 weeks based on the weight of the person and workout routines.
So, we are now sure that various factors affect the results of the workout and the duration taken for witnessing these results.
Below is a detailed description of these factors and the tricks that help us gain maximum benefits when using an elliptical.
Burning Calories on an Elliptical Machine
The calorie-burning abilities are directly proportional to the individual’s weight using the elliptical machine—the heavier you are, and the greater the calories burned.
Also, a person’s weight is a combination of both muscle mass and body fat. When the muscle mass is higher, once again, the calorie-burning abilities are better.
If the body weight is due to excessive body weight, the calorie-burning abilities are still higher as more weight is in action. Still, body weight doesn’t play a crucial role with elliptical machines as it plays on a treadmill or an elliptical.
But, the length and intensity of the workout are two factors that don’t rely upon any other factors, including weight.
For anyone, exercising for longer with higher intensity leads to better calorie-burning potential.
Some critical factors that help improve the workout intensity are higher speed levels, better resistance levels, and using High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) for rapid results.
It sounds easy, but in reality, not all individuals can work out at higher intensities or practice HIIT for an optimal workout.
For such people, doing moderate- or low-intensity workouts for a longer period can subsequently result in similar weight loss results.
The aim here is to keep moving continuously irrespective of the speed and resistance levels, stopping only when the desired number of calories are burned.
Still, it must also be accepted that it takes more than 30 minutes to burn optimal calories.
So, it’s evident that accelerated calorie-burning is possible as the muscles keep moving the pedals and the heart keeps pumping the required nutrients and blood all over the body.
When we make it much harder for the heart and the muscles, the better are the chances of burning calories.
The calorie numbers are displayed on the elliptical machine depending on the features available. While basic elliptical machines don’t come with a calorie counter, most high-end ellipticals have an in-built counter.
If the elliptical machine has the provision to set user weight details, the counter numbers are more accurate.
The main question here is whether or not we can see concrete results by using the elliptical machine for 30 minutes daily.
The main ideology behind burning higher calories is to set higher intensity levels within the set time limit.
So, an individual pedaling at top speed on the elliptical for 30 minutes gains better results compared to someone pedaling at an average pace for the same time.
Still, diet intake is yet another important factor that makes a difference here compared to intensity levels.
What Body Parts Do Elliptical Work?
The pedaling and arm motion involved while exercising on the elliptical machine is clear evidence that this equipment mainly provides a workout to both upper and lower bodies.
Some elliptical machine models provide a light workout for the upper body, while other models provide different lower-body workout possibilities.
Though the elliptical machine primarily targets the quadriceps, calves, and glutes, it doesn’t mean that you can spot reduce fat.
The logic behind fat loss is quite different—though burning calories helps reduce overall body fat percentage, the area of fat removal is completely dependent on several factors such as age, gender, genetics, and hormone balance.
So, working out on an elliptical is an appropriate way to burn calories, which chips off overall body fat, strengthening lower-body muscles and enhancing cardiovascular health.
Try to work out regularly and consistently on an elliptical machine to improve the chances of removing fat from every inch of the body.
Cardio
One of the primary advantages that instantly hit our minds is the elliptical machine’s positive effect on cardiovascular health besides increasing the chances to burn higher calories.
Generally, aerobic exercise imposes higher pressure on the hearts and lungs to work harder to provide oxygen and blood to the muscles.
We surely strengthen cardiovascular endurance levels with exercises such as the elliptical or any other cardio machine.
Besides these, cardiovascular exercises are a great means to improve mental health, speed up calorie burning, digestion, and many other processes in the body.
Lower Body
You can target your glutes, hip flexors, quads, hamstrings, and calves using ellipticals since they are so flexible.
With the same pulling and pushing principles as any other workout, the elliptical develops various leg muscles.
When you drag your leg backward on the pedals before pressing forward again, you’re strengthening your glutes and hamstrings. Your quadriceps are then worked as you push forward.
Your hip flexors will be strengthened as they respond to the motion of your legs, and your calves will be engaged to support the bottom half of your legs as a result of the continual movement.
Furthermore, the elliptical pedals are designed to distribute your body weight evenly across both legs.
Instead of your dominant leg being stronger and leaner than your less dominant leg, this will provide more equal outcomes in your legs.
The pedals’ shape also reduces the likelihood of developing poor posture when running. Your posture largely influences the impact of your workout on your body.
Core
Though there is some ab activation involved to maintain the right posture while using an elliptical machine, there isn’t much core activation.
Don’t expect much core strengthening unless you are a novice trainee who has a very weak core.
But, if the focus is on abs, it’s recommended to use the elliptical machine regularly.
If we think about why an elliptical is highly beneficial for developing abs, firstly, the elliptical machine helps in reducing overall body fat percentage. Secondly, when the ab muscles are sufficiently big, and the body fat percentage is low, it is possible to focus on the abs.
But, if bulky abs are the primary goal, it is better to combine specific ab exercises besides using the elliptical machine daily.
How Often Can We Make Use of the Elliptical Machine?
If you have joint pain, ellipticals are a fantastic alternative to running on a treadmill. Because this is a low-impact machine, you’ll be less likely to worsen an existing ailment or injure your joints in the first place.
It is okay to use the elliptical more frequently than traditional running because it is gentler on your body.
If you want to, you can utilize the elliptical every day. Adults should exercise for at least 150 minutes each week. Split down into 30 minutes each day, five days a week, to give the body time to rest and rejuvenate. You will be doing more harm than good to your body if you overwork it.
It is suggested that you exercise for at least 150 minutes every week to avoid weight gain. However, if you want to lose weight faster, you should aim for about 250 minutes of exercise each week (while maintaining a healthy diet, of course). In that scenario, working out for 45 minutes to an hour five days a week is advised.
Again, there’s nothing wrong with utilizing the elliptical more than five times a week as long as you’re not performing extended, high-intensity workouts every day.
If you want to use the elliptical every day, schedule two or three days a week with shorter and/or lower intensity workouts to give your body a chance to recover.
Your workouts will be more successful if you combine cardio and resistance training. Changing up your workouts keeps them from becoming monotonous, and adding muscle increases your resting calorie expenditure, meaning you burn more calories while sleeping!
How To Maximize Effectiveness of the Elliptical Machine Workout
Nutrition
Any workout, cycling, rowing, weightlifting, or other activities, reap maximum benefits only when we eat a well-balanced and nutritious diet.
Any physical activity needs energy to perform. Not all forms of energy are equal, and some are much better than others.
So, to provide the body with the best possible energy, focus predominantly on the macronutrients, micronutrients, and total calories consumed.
The meaning of a well-balanced diet differs based on the exercise goal set by individuals.
Depending on the requirements, the total number of calories consumed and the ratio of total fats, carbohydrates, and protein (macronutrients) vary slightly.
Try gaining at least 80% of the calories from whole foods, as consuming 100% whole foods is next to impossible for many.
For this, it is better to cook on our own and stay away from processed foods as much as possible,
The macronutrient ratio that’s commonly advised includes:
- 20-30% of the calories from fat
- 30-35% of the calories from protein
- 40-50% of the calories from carbs
Though there are various conceptions regarding the optimal macronutrient ratios, the general recommendations aim to get optimal levels of protein (0.6-0.8 grams per pound of body weight) and fats (not more than 30% of the total calories consumed) getting the rest from carbs.
The core principle behind weight loss is consuming fewer calories than we burn from exercising.
So, how to keep track of the calories? Get hold of a calorie tracker and calculate the Base Metabolic Rate (BMR) to monitor calorie intakes and calories burned daily.
One kilo of fat is 7700 calories, and when an individual consumes 550 calories lesser every day, it is possible to burn one kilo of fat in two weeks.
Well, this might sound too slow, and it’s here that exercises such as elliptical workouts come into action.
Using an elliptical machine daily helps increase the number of calories burned daily (we can burn up to 300 calories in 30 minutes).
So, simply by combing elliptical exercises and eating 250 calories lesser than required, it is possible to cut down calorie intake by around 500 calories daily.
By following this routine, we can expect to lose around 2-3 kilos (4.4-6.6 lbs) in 4-6 weeks.
Though such weight loss results might still sound slow for some individuals, losing around 4-5 kilos (8.8-11lbs) in 8-10 weeks is possible.
Don’t misjudge the numbers as reducing more than 500 calories daily might lead to debilitating consequences until specifically advised by a healthcare professional.
Go on a calorie deficit that can be followed for a long period. High-calorie deficits might sound alluring initially, but they are not practically easy to follow for long.
Protein Fact: There have always been controversies surrounding proteins—consuming more proteins to gain muscles.
Contrarily, strength training is the key to developing muscles. Proteins play a big role in growing muscles and repairing them, but consuming too much is dangerous as the excess nutrient is often converted and stored.
Too much protein consumption can, in fact, work against your goals and bring down the overall efficiency of the workout routine.
Try maintaining protein consumption at around 0.6-0.8 grams/pound of bodyweight.
Strength Training Exercises
While using ellipticals is one of the best options to strengthen our lower-body muscles, individuals focused on strengthening certain muscle groups must predominantly use strength training.
Try fitting strength training exercises and elliptical workouts (which promises faster calorie burning and better cardiovascular health)—this way, we can be sure of gaining better benefits compared to choosing either of them.
The ultimate aim is to lower body fat percentage and increase muscle mass to improve overall physique.
If the primary goal is weight loss, always make it a point to perform strength training exercises only after completing the elliptical routine.
Individuals interested in building more muscles must perform strength training before moving on to elliptical exercises.
Combine elliptical workouts with dumbbell exercises to add variety and break the monotony of the exercise routine.
While doing total-body strength training is the best, focusing on specific body parts on each day of the week is also not wrong.
But, it is better to exercise for all body parts at least twice a week. Focusing more on total-body training is advantageous for an overall better physique and reduces the risk of major muscle imbalances.
Focusing on the Stretches
Don’t simply begin to use an elliptical or strength train but always be wary of starting and ending the exercise session with some stretches.
Starting to work out before doing any warmup for the muscles puts the body at a high risk of injuries.
Warm up with stretches to prepare the muscles for the ensuing intense workout routines.
Some of the optimal pre-workout stretches include:
The Pike Stretch: Keep the body in a stand-at-ease position with the legs shoulder-width apart and try to reach to the toes with the hand.
Keep walking the hands forward while maintaining the leg position without bending the knees.
In other words, you are doing the ‘downward dog’ yoga strength. Maintain the same position for 30 seconds to stretch the calves and the hamstrings.
Trunk Rotations: lie down on the back, bend the knees, and place the feet flat on the floor.
Keep the arms in a straight position on the slides. Rotate the legs to the left while squeezing the shoulder blades and keeping the neck flat against the floor.
Ensure that the right shoulder blade and the arm are flat on the floor while twisting.
Maintain this position for a couple of minutes, go back to the starting position, and rotate the legs to the right. The legs, core, and shoulders experience a good stretch.
Lunges: Instead of holding on to a pose, perform lunges to experience dynamic stretching.
Before starting any cardiovascular workout, perform a set or two of lunges to stretch the leg muscles and the back—this way, there is optimal blood flow to the legs for endurance exercises.
Some of the best post-workout stretches are:
Chest Stretch: keep the feet slightly wider than the shoulder width. Keep the arms raised at the backside of the head, pointing the elbows to the sides.
As the elbows are pressed backward, bring the shoulder blades together.
Seated Glute Stretch: This stretch is done by sitting on a chair with one foot flat on the ground.
The other leg must be in a position such that the ankle is right over the knee of the foot that’s flat on the ground.
Try bending forward slowly while maintaining a straight back until you feel the pull in the glute muscles and the hips.
Maintain this posture for around 30-60 seconds and switch to the other leg repeating the same procedure.
Cat-Cow Stretch: Place the hands and knees on the floor, maintaining a straight spine and staying relaxed.
Inhale deeply, press the chest forward, position the back in the shape of a bowl.
Exhale as the shoulders are relaxed, move the spine up, and press the hips forward as though the back is now shaped like a hill.
Relax the shoulders and switch between these two positions for a minute.
How Can You Use an Elliptical Trainer to Get Faster Results?
You should know that you can increase the outcomes because you’re excited to observe how the elliptical trainer works. It is important to consider a few factors to maximize the elliptical trainer’s usage and get faster results.
First and foremost, it is critical that you attend your classes regularly. Start with three sessions per week and eventually advance to four or five.
For best outcomes, your elliptical trainer sessions should be long enough. For the elliptical trainer to have a long-term effect on your body, you must use it for at least 30 minutes.
In the long term, you may make your workouts 45 minutes, an hour, or even an hour and a half-length.
It’s important to note that you should spend at least 10 minutes warming up at a slower speed at the start of each exercise. A method of getting your body ready to burn fat.
It is preferable to walk slowly yet for extended periods of time to get rapid effects. Moving too quickly will not aid fat reduction and may lead you to fatigue more quickly.
Similarly, the consistency of the sessions is more essential than the intensity of the sessions. Finally, drink plenty of water when exercising to aid with excretion.
How Can I Lose Weight Faster?
It is recommended that an individual workout frequently and on high-quality equipment to notice faster benefits using an elliptical trainer (there are now foldable and silent elliptical trainers available).
Start with three sessions per week and work your way up to four or five.
The sessions should last at least an hour. An elliptical workout must be completed for at least 30 minutes to have a lasting effect on the body.
However, an elliptical trainer exercise should last 45 minutes or perhaps an hour to be truly successful.
Here are a few suggestions:
- Before beginning any exercise, you should always warm up for at least 10 minutes at a slower pace to prepare the body.
- Increase the resistance level or slightly accelerate the tempo to work the cardio. Going too quickly is not a good idea. This does not stimulate fat reduction and may cause a person to become more tired. It is advisable to move slower and for a longer period of time.
- The consistency of training is more essential than the intensity of the workout.
- Drink lots of water to aid with excretion.
- Use your elliptical machine to perform HIIT activities at least once a week.
Last Thoughts
Finally, how long does it take for an elliptical trainer to produce results? It’s critical to remember that each person is unique, and as a result, the outcomes will vary. For starters, it is dependent on the aims and motives of each individual.
The number of sessions each week and their duration, intensity, and frequency should all be considered. Furthermore, because everyone’s metabolism is different, the consequences will appear sooner or later.
It is important to have a well-balanced and appropriate diet. Sessions of training are crucial.
A diverse diet, on the other hand, helps you to see benefits more rapidly. Finally, establishing an exact calendar for the impacts of any sport on the body is impossible. This will be a long-term project. Results will come as a consequence of your patience and effort.