Elliptical trainers can be your best friends in the battle of the bulge, but when you don’t really know how to maximize your workout, you may be spending a lot of energy and seeing very little result.
Even though your time on the elliptical can burn about 773 calories an hour, many new users don’t achieve anywhere near this number because they’re not using the equipment as well as they could.
Don’t worry, though, you’re not the only person who isn’t entirely sure how to use an elliptical for fat loss! Here are some tips for the next time you’re at the gym or plowing through a workout on your home machine.
Increase the resistance.
Beginning exercisers make this mistake frequently — they believe that they need to start with no resistance in order to build up to greater things. Unfortunately, with the way the elliptical works, you’ve got to have some resistance to burn fat.
If you can hear the machine purring, you probably need more resistance. Turn up the difficulty until you can feel a little strain in your muscles in just one or two strides.
Reverse gears.
Going forward is one thing, but going in reverse works a whole different set of muscles (namely the hamstrings and glutes) — and can help fight your body’s propensity for developing exercise fatigue.
Interval train by going forward for a few minutes, then going backward. You’ll work more muscles and bust more fat.
Grab the handles.
You should honestly never touch the fixed handles if you want a fat-busting workout, but if your machine has handles that move back and forth as you pedal, hold on to them for dear life.
Using the handles works the upper body as well as the lower, creating more opportunities for burning fat.
It’s not a race.
Going too fast on an elliptical can actually be counter-productive. When you slam the pedals down, you can increase your momentum to a point where the machine itself can carry most of the load.
Take it slow and steady — if the workout doesn’t make your legs feel like Jell-o, you’re doing it wrong. Crank up the resistance and watch the fat melt away.
Vary your workout.
No matter how much you mix it up on the elliptical, you can’t be a one trick pony and hope to lose lots of fat — eventually you’re going to plateau.
Getting off the elliptical can be as beneficial as being on it — try mixing in some basic strength training once or twice a week and see how much faster your body transforms.
If you’ve been thinking about adding a piece of equipment like an elliptical to your home gym, we’ve got some useful Proform elliptical reviews on our site to help make that decision a little easier.
When you’re not sure what type of equipment is right, you should also take a peek at at least one Proform treadmill review.
Here’s an elliptical workout which will help you build endurance and burn fat.
Having one of these machines in your home will give you the freedom to exercise when and how it’s convenient for you. Plus, you’ll never have to wait for or wipe down another sweaty gym machine again!
Which is your favorite cardio machine? Elliptical or Treadmill?
23 Replies to "Cardio 101: How to Use the Elliptical for Fat Loss"
Deborah
Twitter: deborahbrooks14
June 2, 2015 (7:44 am)
Varying the speed and distance are very helpful for me otherwise I get in a too easy rhythm .
Dapinder June 2, 2015 (12:31 pm)
This post is super helpful! I have an elliptical at home, and have been wanted to jump-start my summer workout routine with it – will keep your tips in mind! 🙂
Julia
Twitter: lordstillloves
June 2, 2015 (2:52 pm)
While I am home for the summer, I have been utilizing our at-home elliptical machine and I love it! Increasing the resistance has been my goal recently, but my goodness it is difficult! Love the sweat it produces though.
Diatta
Twitter: DSTPRL
June 2, 2015 (9:49 pm)
Looks are deceiving. It’s a challenging piece of equipment.
Wendy June 2, 2015 (7:18 pm)
I’m not a fan of the elliptical. I’ve tried it a few times for cross training, and it just didn’t do it for me. I do like my treadmill–it’s an old ProForm that I’ve had for almost 18 years! My husband replaced the belt, and it chugs along…
Diatta
Twitter: DSTPRL
June 2, 2015 (9:15 pm)
Wendy we had to breakdown and get a new treadmill. It died after eleven years. Sniff sniff. I do own an elliptical and its a good cardio option for those with bad knees.
Linz
Twitter: itzlinz
June 2, 2015 (9:46 pm)
i really like the elliptical but i can’t read on it – so if i want to read, i do the stairs
Julie
Twitter: juliewunder
June 3, 2015 (6:50 am)
I actually love the elliptical. It’s easy to coast on, so you have to push it. The resistance is my favorite way to up it as well.
Nicole (Nicole's Lifestyle Lounge)
Twitter: labelsbynicole
June 3, 2015 (2:23 pm)
This was great info.Now I’m armed to maximize my next elliptical session.
Diatta
Twitter: DSTPRL
June 3, 2015 (3:08 pm)
Yes chile don’t underestimate the power of the elliptical.
Tamieka
Twitter: Fit_MamaMeeks
June 3, 2015 (4:37 pm)
No cardio machines for me as I work out at home so running is my cardio. The treadmill and i never got along-I would probably end up on somebodies youtube video actually-lol!!
Laura July 10, 2016 (1:30 pm)
I haven’t used the elliptical lately since giving up my gym membership, but these tips are great on any cardio tool- mixing it up is always better than steady state!
Diatta
Twitter: DSTPRL
July 10, 2016 (1:44 pm)
Absolutely!! The name of the game is change things up.
GiGi Eats
Twitter: dubagee
July 10, 2016 (9:37 pm)
My elliptical trainer is seriously my best best best friend!!!!! I am going to have to buy one when I move into a house with my fiance!
o
Amber Vesey
Twitter: eandebyamber
July 17, 2016 (8:14 am)
I go in phases with the elliptical – at times, it was all I used, but now I am back to doing sprintervals outside or on the treadmill! love that you said “hold on for dear life”
o
Diatta
Twitter: DSTPRL
July 17, 2016 (9:57 am)
Lol
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Michael January 24, 2020 (1:30 am)
Thank you for this post. I’ve been trying out a lot of new equipment lately. These are Elliptical, Vertical Climber Machine and Rowing Machine training. Using variety has benefited me. I don’t have a favorite equipment because I love variety.
Varun Sharma May 13, 2020 (3:32 am)
Awesome!! Thanks for such a nice post.
Varun Sharma May 13, 2020 (3:37 am)
Thanks for your great tips.
Varun sharma May 27, 2020 (1:17 am)
I have been utilizing our at-home elliptical machine and I love it
Donald Abbate October 16, 2020 (11:30 am)
Thank you for the video. This is really helpful. I was so impatient to get the result. But it’s not a race. Thanks again for reminding me that. It is important to maintain fitness during pandemic 😀
saki komai February 6, 2021 (4:16 pm)
Thank you for sharing your post.