Elliptical machines are a popular way for adults to fit in the 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise recommended five days per week by the American College of Sports Medicine. The machine simulates the movement of running or cross country skiing, without the associated impact on your joints. An elliptical workout can burn almost 300 calories in just 30 minutes for a 130-pound person. Slogging away at a steady rate is always an option for an elliptical workout. To make time fly and challenge your muscles in different ways, try an interval routine that includes constant changes in stride speed, height and resistance.
Step 1
Warm up for five to seven minutes at an easy pace, with a cross ramp height of 3 or 4 percent. Find a resistance level that feels easy to help increase blood flow and get your heart ready for exercise.
Step 2
Increase your resistance gradually over the course of the next three minutes. Find a resistance point that feels challenging. Use a perceived exertion scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being easy and 10 being all-out effort, to judge your effort. Aim for a 6 on this scale for this “base” point. Pedal at a brisk pace to keep your heart rate in an aerobic zone.
Step 3
Raise the resistance two to five points higher and maintain your stride speed for two minutes. Feel your heart rate rise and your effort near an 8 or 9 on your perceived exertion scale.
Step 4
Return to your base pace from step 2. Pedal there for two minutes.
Step 5
Repeat the high-resistance and base-pace intervals two more times. Push your resistance higher each time if you feel you have the energy.
Step 6
Use the cross ramp to perform a climb for the last five minutes of your workout. Increase the cross ramp height by two percent every minute for the five minutes. For example, if you perform your warm-up and intervals with the cross ramp set to 3, increase to 5 for the first minute, then to 7 for the next minute, and so on. Your fifth and final minute will be done at a cross ramp setting of 13. Changing the cross ramp height emphasizes different muscles of the legs during your workout.
Step 7
Cool down for three minutes to round out your 30-minute routine. Pedal at an easy pace and reduce your cross ramp to 3 or 4 percent.
Tips and Warnings
- For a longer workout, repeat the intervals and hill sequence. Make sure you stand upright when using the elliptical trainer. Avoid hanging off the console or slumping, as this can minimize the effectiveness of your workout, the American College of Sports Medicine cautions. Choose an elliptical with arm poles if you want to add upper-body work to your routine.
- Consult a doctor before beginning any new exercise regimen.
Things You'll Need
- Motorized elliptical machine
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