Ah, cardio. Some of us love it; some of us have to drag ourselves through the entire workout. Whether you’re a cardio lover who loves having different machine choices, or a beginner who wants to find something that works for them, there are lots of ways to spice up your cardio. Here’s some important information: cardio is far more than just running and sprinting on a treadmill, or lacing up those sneakers for some pavement pounding outside. You can try an exercise bike, rollerblading, cross-country skiing, you name it — with cardio, you won’t run out of interesting options to get that heart muscle pumping!
When it comes to cardio machines, some of our favorites are elliptical trainers. They’re an incredible way for people of all fitness levels to get aerobic exercise. Among many of the benefits, elliptical machines provide a great full body, low impact workout that burns lots of calories in a short amount of time. You’ve probably poked around these machines, tried various settings, or even wondered, “What does level mean on an elliptical?” so it’s time to take a minute and learn about each option to maximize your elliptical workout. Just because they’re lower impact, doesn’t mean they’re any less of a workout. Regardless of what advertisements or fitness models tell you, we’re here to make the case that ellipticals are for everyone!
Researchers who studied the differences between treadmills, stationary bikes and ellipticals found that ellipticals provided greater quadriceps activity and greater quadriceps/hamstrings coactivation than either of the other machines. The results of that study basically mean that an elliptical is one of the best cardio-based thigh workouts around! Pretty sweet research, right? That’s just one of the many awesome effects of an elliptical workout! In addition to your thighs, they also put more pressure to perform on your chest and arms better than most cardio machines, since you’re pulling the handles toward you and pushing them out.
Before you start your workout, here’s your first order of business: No matter which program you choose, always enter your weight and age. Do this before you’ve even grabbed the handles! Most elliptical machines will tell you how many calories you’re burning. If you’re content to work out with counting calories, you don’t have to pay attention to that number, but if burning calories is one of your goals, entering your weight and age helps the machine give you more accurate information.
Next, we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention proper form, which includes three key muscle groups: your upper body, lower body and core muscles. Remember, proper form is key to avoiding injury, no matter what kind of workout you’re doing. For your upper body, make sure your hands are gripping the handlebars at or below your shoulders. If your arms are too high, it can cause strain in your neck. Maintaining an upright posture by engaging your core muscles is also important. This will prevent back strain and help you maintain your desired speed, especially on those inclines. You never want your movements on an elliptical to be hunched forward. And lastly, your lower body is mainly about the position of your feet. While the motion can feel like you’re taking a step, you don’t want to actually lift your foot up, as if you were taking a real step. Ideally your feet will be flush with the pedals at all times, which means you’re supporting yourself equally from your heels and your toes, and keeping your feet flat on the pedals. As with most exercises, you can push slightly more from your heels, but make sure your toes aren’t lifting off the pedals. As long as your feet are in the right position, your calves, glutes, hamstrings and quads will follow! Not only is proper form key to avoiding injury, it’s also key to getting a great, effective workout!
Elliptical exercise can be whatever you want it to be. You can use an elliptical for a recovery day and move at a walking pace, or you can blast calories and feel your lungs burning for an hour. Ellipticals are also a great option for interval training sessions. Since your entire body is in charge of setting the speed, it’s very easy to adjust your movement for your working intervals and rest periods (as opposed to treadmills, when you have to wait for them to speed up or slow down). Pro tip: high-intensity interval training (HIIT) is great for building your stamina! (If you’re not sure how to get started with HIIT, check out our handy guide to building your own HIIT workout) And lastly, for runners who wouldn’t dream of doing anything else, elliptical exercise is a great lower-impact addition to any training plan. It’s perfect for those recovery periods after a multiple mile run, when you still want to move. Or, if you’re a beginner runner, an elliptical workout can help you build up your stamina and mileage.
Now that you’ve got the basics down, let’s talk about all the different settings you can find on an elliptical machine. Ellipticals have a lot of built-in functionality that most beginners don’t even know about! These different settings can help you make the most out of your elliptical session, based on your own health goals. Let’s check them out – and remember, if you have questions, you can always ask a friendly personal trainer.
Manual Setting
This setting on elliptical trainers is what you make it. It’s probably the one you’re most familiar with, because it’s the default setting for the machine. If you’re the type to jump on your elliptical, grab the handles and start moving at your own pace, this is the setting for you! It’s as simple as pushing the quick start button and jumping into action. The only difference is that if you hit “manual,” it will allow you to put your body weight and age into the settings (remember, this is key for getting accurate results!). After beginning, you can adjust the resistance and workout length to your liking. If you select manual, you have to take personal ownership over your effort to reach your calorie burning goals. This setting is a good choice if you’re just starting to use the elliptical, because you can get your balance and learn what feels good for your joints and knees.
Heart Rate Setting
This is a good setting for people who have a target heart rate to hit. After entering your weight and age, enter your target heart rate. As your workout progresses, the elliptical will then automatically adjust the resistance to keep you near your goal. If your heart rate is too high, the resistance lowers; if your heart rate is too low, the resistance will increase…much like on most treadmills. This is a great setting for people who like to let their mind relax when they’re exercising, since your elliptical does the focusing for you.
Interval Setting
This is a favorite fat burning option for many people. The resistance increases periodically (flipping through two levels that you can adjust) so that the heart rate is going up, and then coming down for a rest. This kind of elliptical training is a lot like high intensity interval training (HIIT). Fun fact: according to Harvard Medical School, the practice of interval training can increase your metabolic rate, which also increases the number of calories you burn, which in turn can decrease your body weight. Sounds like a good idea, doesn’t it? We’re big fans of HIIT, and we’re even bigger fans of ellipticals that track our interval plan for us!
Weight Loss Setting
This option on elliptical trainers is similar to the aforementioned interval option. The biggest difference is that the high resistance intervals last longer, requiring the extra effort needed, especially on those inclines—to help you become an elliptical fat burning machine. Of course, weight loss can’t happen with exercise alone – you also need a healthy diet – but this elliptical setting is a great start. It can also be pretty challenging, so if you’re feeling any knee, chest or joint pain, or breathing so heavily that your lungs hurt, switch back to the manual setting, or set your own shorter periods with the interval setting. As always, work out at your ability and energy level and make sure you’re listening to your body! In a few weeks, you’ll be crushing the weight loss setting in no time.
Variety Setting
If you want to try interval training but aren’t sure where to start, you might like the variety option! When you’re in the variety setting, the elliptical trainer will make changes on the fly by switching resistance levels up for you at random. It’s all the stress-free, cruise control freedom of the manual setting, without the mental effort of the interval setting! If you don’t have a workout plan but know that you want to get your sweat on, jump on the elliptical, grab the handles and give the variety setting a try! You might just try something new and find out how much you like it! Fun fact: If you’re stuck inside on a rainy day, this setting is a good way to mimic an unpredictable bike ride with hills and valleys.
Performance Setting
The performance option on elliptical trainers is beneficial for people making an effort toward specific results or endurance-based goals. It will shift to a higher incline or increase resistance periodically, getting more difficult as the workout progresses. Essentially, you’ll get the effects of running up a long hill and having to fight your way up despite losing energy… without the actual hill! For endurance athletes who want a break from the treadmill, bike, or strictly speed and strength training, this is a great option. It’s great for strengthening all the muscles involved with an elliptical workout: biceps, triceps, quads, calves, glutes and more! Get ready to be breathing hard – every stride you take is getting you closer to that goal. If you’re not sure how to use performance mode to best reach your goals, chat with a personal trainer for tips.
And there you have it!
Next time you visit your gym, we hope this refines your elliptical training and makes you an even bigger fan than before. You can try these different settings for a few weeks in whatever order you like and test out which is your favorite! This low impact, full body, high results machine is one of the best ways to safely get back into the fitness game, change your routine, add some cardio that feels less like work and more like fun, or simply give you one more reason to show your smiling face around our gyms. Our favorite part.
