How To Work An Elliptical? What You Need to Do

Getting on an elliptical for the first time can feel confusing. The machine moves your legs in a loop while your arms push and pull handles. To work an elliptical correctly you stand upright, hold the moving handles, and let your legs follow the oval path of the pedals. Your body should feel stable, not wobbly. Start at a low resistance and a slow pace until the motion feels natural.

How Do You Start Using an Elliptical Machine?

Stand on the floor next to the machine first. Look at the pedals. One pedal is usually lower than the other. Step onto the lower pedal first while holding a stationary handle. Then bring your other foot up onto the second pedal.

Once both feet are on the pedals, place your hands on the moving handles. Do not grab the stationary console or the heart rate sensors. You want your arms to move with your legs. Start pedaling forward. Most ellipticals only move forward, but some allow backward motion. Check the display or the side of the machine.

Set the resistance low. A level 1 or 2 is fine for the first few minutes. Let your body learn the rhythm. Your heels should stay flat on the pedals. If you find yourself rising onto your toes, slow down or lower the resistance.

What Is the Correct Posture on an Elliptical?

Stand tall. Do not lean forward onto the console. Your shoulders should be back and down, not hunched up by your ears. Look straight ahead, not down at your feet. Your core should feel engaged but not clenched tight.

A common mistake is gripping the handles too hard. Hold them lightly. Your arms should swing naturally as your legs move. If your knuckles turn white, you are holding on too tight. Let the machine do the work of moving your arms.

Your knees should track in line with your toes. Do not let them cave inward. If you feel knee pain, check that your feet are flat and your stride is smooth. Some ellipticals have a stride length adjustment. A stride that is too long or too short can cause discomfort. The American Council on Exercise recommends a stride length that allows your knees to stay slightly bent at the bottom of the pedal stroke.

How Long Should You Use an Elliptical for a Good Workout?

The answer depends on your goal. For general cardiovascular health, the World Health Organization recommends 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week. That breaks down to about 30 minutes, five days a week.

For weight loss, you may need more. A 155-pound person burns roughly 335 calories in 30 minutes on an elliptical at moderate effort, according to Harvard Medical School estimates. That number changes with body weight and intensity. If weight loss is your goal, aim for 45 to 60 minutes most days.

For building endurance, interval training works well. Alternate between one minute of high effort and two minutes of easy recovery. Repeat this cycle for 20 to 30 minutes. Research published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine found that interval training on an elliptical improved VO2 max more than steady-state exercise in a study of 40 adults.

How Does Working an Elliptical Compare to a Treadmill or Bike?

The elliptical offers a unique benefit: it works your upper body at the same time as your lower body. A treadmill only moves your legs. A bike works your legs but leaves your arms still. The elliptical’s moving handles engage your shoulders, back, and arms. This makes it a full-body option that is easier on your knees and hips than running.

One downside is that the elliptical does not build bone density the way weight-bearing exercise like walking or running does. The National Institutes of Health notes that weight-bearing activity helps prevent osteoporosis. If you only use an elliptical, consider adding some weight training or walking on other days.

What Resistance and Incline Settings Should You Use?

Resistance controls how hard it is to push the pedals. Higher resistance builds more muscle in your legs and glutes. Lower resistance allows faster movement for cardiovascular work. Start at a resistance that feels like walking up a gentle hill. You should be able to talk but not sing.

Incline changes the angle of the pedal path. A higher incline targets your glutes and hamstrings more. A flat incline works your quads more. Some studies suggest that a moderate incline of 4 to 6 on a 20-point scale activates the glutes significantly more than a flat setting.

Do not max out both resistance and incline at the same time unless you are experienced. That combination can strain your knees. Adjust one setting at a time and give your body a minute to adjust before changing again.

What Are Common Mistakes People Make on the Elliptical?

• Leaning on the console. This reduces calorie burn and can hurt your lower back. Stand tall.
• Using only the forward motion. Pedaling backward engages your hamstrings and glutes differently. Try both directions.
• Holding the stationary handles. You lose the upper body workout. Use the moving handles.
• Setting resistance too high. This forces you to push hard with every step, which can cause knee strain. Keep it moderate.
• Looking down at your phone or the display. This rounds your shoulders and strains your neck. Look forward.

One mistake that is less obvious is not using the full range of motion. People often take short, choppy steps. Let your legs extend fully at the bottom of each pedal stroke. A full stride works more muscle fibers and burns more calories.

How To Work An Elliptical for Different Fitness Goals

For fat burning, steady-state cardio at a moderate pace works. Keep your heart rate between 60 and 70 percent of your maximum. You can estimate your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220. A 40-year-old would aim for a heart rate around 108 to 126 beats per minute.

For building endurance, try longer sessions at a lower resistance. Aim for 45 to 60 minutes. Keep your pace steady. Your breathing should be deep but not gasping.

For muscle tone, use higher resistance and shorter sessions. A 20-minute session with resistance at 8 or 9 on a 20-point scale will challenge your legs and glutes. Combine this with intervals of backward pedaling to target different muscles.

For overall fitness, mix it up. Do two days of steady-state, two days of intervals, and one longer session per week. Your body adapts to repetition. Changing your routine keeps progress happening.

Does the Elliptical Actually Help With Weight Loss?

Yes, but with a caveat. The elliptical burns calories, and calorie deficit drives weight loss. A study in the Journal of Obesity found that people who did 45 minutes of moderate exercise on an elliptical five days a week lost an average of 3.5 pounds over 12 weeks without changing their diet. That is modest but real.

The problem is that people overestimate calories burned on the elliptical. The machine’s display often overstates calorie burn by 20 to 30 percent, according to a study from the University of California. Do not eat back all the calories the screen says you burned. Use the display number as a rough guide, not a fact.

Weight loss also depends on what you eat. Exercise alone rarely produces large weight loss without dietary changes. The National Weight Control Registry tracks people who have lost significant weight and kept it off. Nearly all of them combine exercise with calorie restriction.