Depending on what you have access to, there is a myriad of equipment that can help you achieve your fitness goals, and the elliptical trainer is one of the most renowned ones. Designed to offer an effective cardiovascular and muscle endurance workout, this machine mimics multiple bodily movements.

Although similar to many other types of gym machinery, the elliptical trainer has a slight twist to it — it offers a low-impact, joint-friendly workout. Why and how should you use the elliptical trainer?

In this guide, we discuss the many benefits of this machine and how to implement it into your training routine for the best results.

Are Ellipticals Good For Losing Weight?

Ellipticals are a great tool for weight loss because they offer intense but low-impact cardiovascular exercise. This means that they are easier on your joints compared to other cardiovascular exercises like running. Ellipticals feature cushioned pedals and a gliding motion, which makes it feel like you're pushing the resistance through the air instead of making contact with the ground with every step.

This low-impact feature makes it easy for those who are overweight or have joint issues to train with high intensity, burn calories, and lose more weight. To burn even more calories using an elliptical, you can make the machine's settings more intense. Increasing the incline or resistance levels on the machine would require you to exert more force and task your muscles more during the workout, thereby burning more calories.

Again, ellipticals work multiple muscles at the same time, so you can burn even more calories by getting in a full-body workout. Most machines come with handles that move in tandem with the foot pedals, toning different upper and lower body muscle groups. Your core is also not left out, as you must use it to brace yourself as you pedal.

Can You Build Muscle With an Elliptical Trainer?

Ellipticals provide low to moderate resistance and strengthen multiple groups over time, including the glutes, hamstrings, and quads. If your machine has a handle, as most do, it can also strengthen your shoulders, arms, and back.

However, if your primary goal for working out is to build muscle, an elliptical trainer may not be the most effective way to achieve it, as it won't provide enough resistance or intensity to instigate muscle growth.

For optimal growth, it is best to pair elliptical workouts with primary resistance training and weight-lifting exercises. In such cases, the elliptical could be the cardiovascular aspect of your training. The traditional elliptical is also a great way to improve muscle endurance, as it trains your muscles to perform moderately intense activity for a prolonged period of time.

What Are the Benefits of Elliptical Trainers?

There are many reasons to choose traditional ellipticals, both as a tool for muscle endurance and as an aerobic exercise. Here are some of them.

Ellipticals Offer a Low-Impact Workout

People who are recovering from a lower-body injury or have joint issues have a hard time choosing an exercise that does not burden their joints and bones too much. With other cardiovascular exercises like walking and jogging, the legs repeatedly hit the ground. Depending on the intensity or speed you use, this impact may cause pain and discomfort, especially if you have joint issues.

Ellipticals mimic natural movements like running and walking but remove the part where your feet forcefully hit the ground and impact the joints. Much like running, the elliptical enhances muscular endurance while offering a robust cardio workout.

You Can Customize Your Experience

The best ellipticals are highly versatile and cater to users with various fitness experiences and goals. With these machines, you have multiple options to customize and personalize the workout experience. Endurance training, fat burning, interval training, and muscle strengthening are all workout goals you can set an elliptical to focus on.

For example, increasing the incline and resistance on an elliptical may simulate climbing a hill, which targets the quads, hamstrings, and glutes. Interval training programs would also target cardiovascular and weight loss goals. Additionally, you can adjust the machine's stride length based on your height.

You Get a Full-Body Workout in One Go

Most elliptical machines are equipped with hand grips that move in sync with the leg movements, allowing users to work the muscles in their upper and lower bodies simultaneously. This dual-action movement not only increases calorie burn but also improves muscle tone and enhances overall fitness.

To top it off, actively pulling and pushing the handles while pedaling enables users to engage the core muscles, enhancing general balance and stability.

What Are the Disadvantages of Elliptical?

There May Be Better Cardio Options

The elliptical machine requires the body to push against some form of resistance. Even though it is fundamentally used for cardiovascular exercise, it toes the line between a cardio and resistance training exercise.

So, while using the elliptical machine would definitely get your heart rate up like it's supposed to, it may also task your muscles too much and make it harder to recover from actual strength training. For example, if your quads, glutes, and hamstrings are sore after an intense leg day, using the elliptical machine for cardio may not be a great option. Doing this may not only task your muscles even more but also elongate recovery and limit muscle development.

Low Impact May Not Be Functional

Elliptical machines have a great use case for people with joint issues or those recovering from an injury. However, they may not be the best option for people whose joints can handle the impact. In our everyday lives, we face situations that require us to walk, jump, and run. For these, we need strong joints that can take a hit.

It's okay to use ellipticals if you don't have any bone or joint issues, but it's also expedient to include other machines like treadmills, which may be more functional.

Your Workout May Feel Monotonous at Some Point

Let's face it: Using elliptical machines for prolonged periods can be boring, and this can cause demotivation. Also, unless you use an outdoor gym, your elliptical machine is likely indoors, and the psychological benefits of this type of cardio pales when compared to outdoor activities like running, cycling, walking, or hiking.

The lack of fresh air, changing scenery, and natural terrain variation add to the monotony of indoor cardio workouts. Working out at home or a gym can be convenient, and this would foster consistency. However, it would be beneficial to your overall mental health to engage in outdoor cardiovascular activities from time to time.

How Often Should You Use Elliptical Machines For Results?

The American Heart Association suggests that adults get 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity per week. Depending on your preferred intensity and fitness level, you can space these minutes out throughout the week. Three to four times per week of moderate-intensity cardiovascular activity is a great option.

To get your aerobic activity minutes in, you could also train with a fitness class. In addition to helping you stay consistent, this also has psychological benefits, as group classes have been shown to improve mental health and vitality. So, participating in group aerobic exercises like the iFit experience three to four times weekly benefits both mental and physical health.

Final Thoughts

It is easy to get carried away while using the elliptical machine — many people actually forget that they are working out and just swing mindlessly. To make your workout more effective, it is essential to exercise mindfully, ensuring that you push through your heels and engage your quads, hamstrings, and glutes.

Additionally, if you're new to the elliptical, you should not set the resistance or incline levels too high. Depending on your fitness journey, it's best to start slow and progress as you learn the know-how.

Finally, working out with an elliptical machine strengthens multiple muscles and can be very fun. However, it should not replace more strength-specific and muscle-building exercises, as these are also beneficial for strength gain and fat loss.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you lose belly fat on an elliptical?

Losing fat in a particular body part is not feasible, as fat loss occurs throughout the entire body. However, using an elliptical machine would burn calories, thereby enabling you to be in a calorie deficit, which is important for fat loss, including in the belly. For best results, combine using the elliptical machine with strength training and a healthy diet.

What will 30 minutes a day on the elliptical do?

The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise for optimal heart health. Accordingly, 30 minutes a day on the elliptical is more than enough. However, it is expedient to pair your elliptical machine exercise with a strength training program.

Is a treadmill better than an elliptical?

Both a treadmill and an elliptical are viable options for cardiovascular exercise, and the "better" exercise would depend on one's fitness goals and preferences. However, ellipticals provide low-impact workouts that are more suited to individuals with bone or joint issues who need low-impact exercise options. They are also a good option for people who are recovering from lower-body exercises. Treadmills, on the other hand, offer high-impact, calorie-burning exercises like walking and running.

This article has been reviewed by our editorial board and has been approved for publication in accordance with our editorial policy.

Main image credit: Jonathan Borba

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