Elliptical machines provide a variety of non-impact workouts that work a variety of muscles. If the machine comes with arm levers, you can get a full-body workout. Depending on the intensity at which you work, you can create moderately intense fat-burning workouts, vigorously intense aerobic workouts, or high-intensity anaerobic workouts using sprint training.
The American Heart Association recommends regular cardio exercise, three to five times per week to maintain heart health, and sessions of 60 minutes or longer for weight loss and maintenance. An elliptical will help you do both.
Lower Body
The quadriceps are located on your upper leg toward the front and sides, and provide much of the effort during an elliptical workout, specifically during downward pushing of the legs. Located on the back of your lower leg, the calf muscle assists in upward pushing during resistance. For example, when you walk up stairs or a hill, your calves push you upward, while your quads brake you as you go down stairs or a hill. Raising your heels off the pedals of an elliptical will help you emphasize the calves during your workout. Your hamstrings, located on the back of your upper leg and buttocks, or glutes, work in tandem during running or lifting exercises.
Upper Body
Depending on whether or not your elliptical has arm levers, you can work your pectorals, or chest muscles, and lats, located on your back. Leaning forward with your elbows in will emphasize the pecs and biceps, while flaring your elbows out from your sides will work your lats and triceps, located on the back or your upper arms.
Core Muscles
You do not use your core muscles as the primary movers of the pedals and levers of an elliptical machine. To improve the benefit you get from an elliptical in your core area, hold isometric muscle contractions as you work. If the machine has arm levers, moving side to side while you operate them will emphasize your obliques. If you can hold a stride motionless for several seconds, you will call on abdominals to assist. During your workout, your hip flexors work in coordination with your hamstrings and glutes to move the pedals of the machine.
Cardiorespiratory
Using an elliptical works your cardiovascular system throughout your exercise routine. Fat-burning and aerobic exercise improves cardio and lung stamina, while anaerobic sprint training, with its frequent rest periods, improves your system's ability to recover in between bouts of intense physical activity. Changing the stride length and resistance setting on the machine will create more resistance or a higher intensity, depending on whether you want to build more muscle or increase cardio intensity.
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