The elliptical machine offers a good cardiovascular workout that burns calories and conditions the heart muscle. Since working out on the elliptical machine encourages the body to pull energy from its fat stores, fat loss may occur on your legs; however, as a rule resistance training is more effective at toning your legs. The best way to tone your legs therefore remains a combination of cardiovascular exercise to burn fat and resistance exercise to tone the muscles in your legs.
Cardiovascular Exercise
The elliptical machine utilizes both your legs and your arms in a fluid simulation of cross country skiing to help you burn calories and lose fat. According to Jessica Matthews, M.S., the elliptical offers an alternative to running given that it places less stress on the weight bearing joints such as the knees and ankles. Working out at the higher levels on the elliptical increases your intensity; the higher the intensity, the more calories you burn and the more fat you will lose from your legs.
Strength Training
While the elliptical will help you lose fat from your legs, in order to tone your legs you will need to target the muscles underneath the fat. Resistance exercise builds muscle, and the more muscle tissue you have on your body, the higher your metabolic rate climbs. Therefore resistance exercise in addition to the elliptical not only helps tone your legs, but helps to burn additional fat at rest.
Squats & Lunges
Regular cardiovascular exercise on the elliptical machine helps to lose fat from your legs, however in order to tone your legs most effectively, perform targeted resistance exercises such as squats and lunges. These exercises utilize the large muscles of the legs including the quadriceps, hamstrings, adductors and abductors and give your legs tone while building strength.
Diet Considerations
When you exercise regularly on the elliptical to burn excess fat from your legs, what you eat is also an important consideration. Nancy Clark, M.S., states that regular consumption of high quality, low-fat protein such as turkey, chicken and eggs protects your muscles and helps you stay satiated. Working out on the elliptical will help you burn fat from your legs, and a combination of resistance exercises and protein will help you tone the muscles of your legs efficiently.
References
- American Council on Exercise: Trimming Off the Fat
- American Council on Exercise: What's the best piece of cardio equipment to use?; Jessica Matthews, M.S.; April 2010
- American Council on Exercise: Bodyweight Squat
- American Council on Exercise: Forward Lunge
- ACSM: Dieting Gone Awry: When Food is Foe; Nancy Clark, M.S., R.D., FACSM; Summer 2010
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