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What Should I Set My Elliptical Machine To?

Mar 28, 2011 | By Shannon Marks
What Should I Set My Elliptical Machine To?
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An elliptical trainer is a fitness machine that simulates a variety of cardiovascular activities, including running and stair stepping. Using an elliptical machine every day could burn a significant number of calories and improve your endurance and heart health. While reaping any health benefits just requires you to use the machine about 30 minutes a day, utilizing some of the machine's features will add diversity to your workout and can target and strengthen certain muscle groups.

Heart Health

Using an elliptical machine can improve heart health and even lower blood pressure. To receive the benefits of a cardio workout, you should increase your heart rate and exercise at a pace that is equal to 50 to 85 percent of your target heart rate. Your maximum heart rate is about 220 minus your age. For the first few weeks, aim for the lowest end of your target heart rate -- 50 percent -- and gradually build up to 75 percent of your target zone. By six months of regular exercise, you should be able to work out at 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. In order to track your heart rate while exercising, choose a heart healthy preprogrammed workout and keep an eye on your heart rate monitor. If you don't have preprogrammed workouts, set your elliptical to a speed that increases your heart rate, but allows you to have a conversation at the same time. Exercise at this constant speed for 20 minutes at first. As you improve, you will be able to increase your speed gradually without stressing your heart. You know your speed is too high if your breathing is heavy and you can't hold a conversation.

Burn Fat

To burn fat you need to burn calories. One pound of fat is equivalent to 3,500 calories. By burning 500 calories a day, or creating a 500-calorie deficit through a combination of exercise and dieting, you could lose 1 lb. a week. A 125 lb. person can burn 270 calories after 30 minutes of exercising on an elliptical trainer. By burning 270 calories a day and decreasing your calorie intake by 250 calories, you can drop at least 1 lb. a week. Choose a calorie burning preprogrammed workout and track the calorie counter in order to reach your calorie goal. By increasing the resistance on your machine, you can burn more calories in a shorter amount of time. If you don't have a preprogrammed fat burning workout, set the speed of the elliptical fast enough that your breathing is fast, but you can still hold a conversation. Increase the resistance so that you feel straining in your legs and arms, but not so high that you stress your muscles to fatigue.

Endurance

Using a high intensity interval training programmed workout on an elliptical trainer can improve your endurance, burn calories, lower your blood pressure and just add diversity to your work out. An interval training program works by exercising for three to five minutes at highly intensity followed by a suitable recovery period of at least the same amount of time at a moderately intense pace. Interval training can improve your oxygen intake, aerobic speed and power. A 2010 study published by "Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports" found that adults could improve their exercise performance by 2 to 4 percent after one month of interval training. Many ellipticals come with preprogrammed interval training workouts and, when you become advanced enough, many machines will allow you to design your own interval workout. To interval train without a program, jog on the elliptical at a speed that is comfortable enough to have a conversation at for five minutes. For the next three minutes, spike up the speed a few notches, enough to breathe hard, but not so quick that you're too out of breath. Then return back to your first speed setting. Repeat this pattern for 20 minutes. As you become accustomed to interval training, gradually increase your running intensity to five minutes, followed by a five minute period of moderate jogging. After this program loses its challenge, increase your workout time to 30 minutes. The trick is to constantly keep yourself challenged.

Other Features

One of the benefits of using an elliptical trainer over a treadmill is that many ellipticals come with rotating poles that give your arms and upper body a workout while you're working your legs and heart at the same time. Many machines also run in reverse, which can be activated manually or by choosing a preprogrammed fat burning or cardio workout function. Pedaling backwards on an elliptical accesses the rectus femoris muscles, part of your quadriceps at the front of the upper leg. Increasing the incline on the machine and pedaling in either direction works out the gluteus maximus muscles in the buttocks.

References

Article reviewed by David Fisher Last updated on: Mar 28, 2011

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