Here's Exactly What to Do on an Elliptical, According to an Actual Trainer

Photo credit: claire brodsky
Photo credit: claire brodsky

If you walk into a gym, chances are you’ll find an elliptical machine. Even in the smallest, most bare-bones gyms, the cardio staple always has its spot in the corner. And for good reason: It's a super-easy way to squeeze in a tough workout. What's not to love?

ICYMI: An elliptical is a cardio machine, meaning it primarily works your cardiovascular system—aka, your heart and lungs. Obvi, we all need to regularly challenge these guys via aerobic exercise so they can do their jobs more efficiently and you can stay healthy over the long haul. Yay. For. Fitness.

Actually, *pushes glasses up* adults should get 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity, or a combination of the two, each week to stay healthy, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. The guidelines also generally recommend moving more and sitting less to keep the cardiovascular system in tip-top shape and fend off chronic diseases.

Cardiovascular exercise is also a real mood booster. Research shows that it just helps us feel good—pretty much immediately after a sweat sesh—and may be beneficial for people with depression and anxiety.

With all that in mind, the biggest perk of sweating on the elliptical is that it’s a low-impact exercise. While running (and walking, to some extent) puts pressure on your joints as your feet hit the ground step after step, using the elliptical takes that out of the equation. The gliding motion keeps the joints—knees, ankles, and even hips—safe from the impact, so you can get your sweat on without a care in the world.

How long do you need to work out on the elliptical?

The answer depends on how much time you have to spare at the gym. Seriously. There’s really no one set amount of time you need to do an elliptical workout (or any other type, really) to reap the benefits. All physical activity is good, even if it’s in short bursts when you’ve just got a lil sliver of time to get it in.

If you’re hopping on the machine to just get in a sweat and crank up those feel-good endorphins, then just go with what you feel. You may only need something short and sweet to work out some nervous energy and feel refreshed after, or maybe the day calls for a longer, 30+ minute sweat sesh. You’ll have to figure out what’s best for you—but the bottom line is that you don’t need to toil away on the elliptical for hours for it to be “worth it.”

Same goes if you’re in it for the physical health benefits: Those minutes of activity don’t need to happen all at once to count. The time you put in throughout the week adds up, so whether 15 minutes or 30 minutes at a time is your thing, you’re doing something good for your body and brain.

TLDR: Don’t stress about the time. If you only have 15 minutes for an elliptical workout, go for it! Any movement is good and most definitely counts.

What's the best way to work out on the elliptical?

TBH, you really can just hop on and start moving. Put your feet into the designated foot spots, and then hold onto the handles. As you glide your legs forward and back, pull the handles to assist. Once you're up there, be mindful of your form: Stand up straight (it's fine to lean your torso forward slightly, as long as your spine remains straight) and keep your core muscles engaged throughout. If you want to focus more on your lower body, just grip the handles lightly for stability, but don’t go all Hulk on them.

To change up the intensity, play with the incline and resistance settings. You’ll feel the difference in how hard you have to work—and how out of breath you get—as these settings change.

Ready to hop on and work up a sweat? Try these four elliptical workouts for whatever your gym vibe.

If you just want a good sweat, fast

Photo credit: claire brodsky
Photo credit: claire brodsky

What it is: This HIIT-style elliptical routine alternates between short intervals of high-intensity work and longer intervals of low-to-moderate intensity recovery. The recovery is there so that you can catch your breath and get ready to push hard again for the next 30-second interval. This workout follows a 1:2 work to rest ratio, which is pretty intense. If it's too intense, switch to a 1:3 ratio. So, 30-second work intervals and 1.5-minute recovery intervals. No shame.

To figure out what low, moderate, and high intensity mean for you, take some time to familiarize yourself with the machine. The “work” portion of this HIIT workout should be really hard. Like, can-barely-catch-your-breath and dying-to-take-a-break hard. A higher incline will help get you there, but cranking up the resistance is what makes it the most challenging. The “recovery” portion should feel easy, like you could have a conversation with someone as you move and still feel okay.

How to do it: Start with a 5-minute warm-up at moderate intensity before moving into the 15-minute workout. End with a 5-minute cooldown with 0 resistance at an easy pace.

If you get bored easily

Photo credit: claire brodsky
Photo credit: claire brodsky

What it is: Hill intervals may not be fun, but they sure keep things interesting! If you’re looking to shake up your workout, try this interval elliptical workout that will have you jumping around on resistance and incline to mimic climbing two hills, so that your body and brain won’t know what to expect.

How to do it: Start with a 5-minute warm-up at moderate intensity followed by 20 minutes of hill-climbing intervals. End with a 5-minute cooldown with 0 resistance at an easy pace.

If you wanna build some upper-body strength: 20-Minute Upper-Body Push

Photo credit: claire brodsky
Photo credit: claire brodsky

What it is: You’ll want to up the resistance to a level that’s challenging for your arms yet doesn't require much work from your legs to push the machine. That might mean using less resistance than you're used to.

How to do it: Start with a 5-minute warm-up at moderate intensity followed by 20 minutes of upper-body focused work. End with a 5-minute cooldown with 0 resistance at an easy pace.

If you’ve got 30+ minutes to spare:

Photo credit: claire brodsky
Photo credit: claire brodsky

What it is: This workout alternates between sprints (low resistance, moving as quickly as you can) and hill climbs (gradually higher resistance and slower movements).

To make this workout longer, add on a few more 1-minute intervals of low resistance and 2-minute intervals of high resistance. Or, you can up the minutes to 2 and 4 (instead of 1 and 2) for a longer workout. Either way!

How to do it: Start with a 5-minute warm-up at moderate intensity followed by 30 minutes of alternating between sprints and hills. End with a 5-minute cooldown with 0 resistance at an easy pace.

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