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Elliptical Workouts for Beginners – Start Slow and Safe

Elliptical trainer is a wonderful way to start out on your journey towards fitness. It is particularly good for anyone who has had an injury, has just had a baby, or those who tend to get achy knees. Perfect and highly suitable for anyone.

The action of an elliptical trainer is almost like a combination of running with that of cycling. It combines weight bearing (like running), with the fully supported action of a bicycle – so no jarring or hard impact on the joints. However, not all knows how to properly use the equipment, hence we have listed down some recommended elliptical workouts for beginners that you should try to make a full use of your machine.

How to Start Elliptical Training

elliptical workouts for beginners

Don’t be fooled into thinking that elliptical training is an easy workout since it caters to most users of different age groups and different fitness levels. It is an excellent cardiovascular and fat burning workout equipment, but it involves great amount of weight bearing, making it great for bone strengthening, and ensure the retention of bone density. 

On top of that, users have to grip the handles, and control with the arms. These have added an upper body aspect to the workout. Changing your grip on the handles will dictate which muscles are working the mostt. Hence, in order to achieve better result and not injured yourself while working out on the elliptical, some basic knowledge is still mandatory.


Elliptical Workout for Beginners

If you’re just starting out, this is the perfect beginners’ workout to get you going.

Start off with a twenty-minute workout, broken up into segments, gradually you can lengthen the period when your stamina and fitness level has improved.

Always remember that you should start off with a warm up before every workout sessions.

  • Warm up  for the first five minutes, at a comfortable resistance and pace, enough to increase the heart and respiration rates. Ensure to involve the arms for a fuller workout.

  • Increase resistance and push hard for the next three minutes, you should feel that you’re working, but still be able to speak. This is your baseline.

  • Increase resistance again but keep working at the same pace for two minutes – no stopping!

  • Drop back down to your baseline resistance and maintain your pace for another three minutes.

  • Increase your resistance above baseline and keep your pace for the next two minutes.

  • Drop resistance to a comfortable level and cool down for five minutes.


Elliptical Trainer vs Treadmill

Both offer an amazing cardiovascular workout. While the treadmill involves the use of a natural movement – walking or running, the elliptical trainer may feel a bit “odd” in the beginning. However, the elliptical trainer is great for those who are battling with old knee injuries, or with lower back issues. 

The elliptical trainer also offers a full body workout, if you choose to use the handles; as opposed to the treadmill, which only offers a lower body workout.

Calories Burn Comparison

So, which burns more calories? The treadmill wins on this count, but only by a breath. The elliptical trainer offers an excellent cardiovascular workout, with an incredible calorie burn of around 780 calories per hour, as opposed to about 805 per hour on the treadmill.  

Given how much easier it is on the joints, it is a great contender.


Is the Elliptical Good for Losing Weight?

Yes, without a doubt! With an excellent calorie burn, a full body workout with reduced impact, and minimal stress on the joints, the elliptical trainer offers the full package.

A strenuous workout on this clever invention will ensure that you have an excellent cardio, resistance and weight bearing workout, without the jarring that goes with pounding the pavement (or treadmill).

Final Verdict

From this, we can conclude that the elliptical trainer offers a fantastic workout – lower body only, or full body – the choice is yours. It torches calories at a phenomenal rate and is great for those who have a lumbar spine, hip or knee issues. 

Other than that, it also offers a safe, low- to no-impact workout, which – only with the doctor’s approval – is even safe for expectant moms. For those who just staring out, it is recommended to start gentle with elliptical workouts for beginners and you will gradually see improvement over time.

Next time when you visit the gym, don’t forget to give it a whirl. You may just get hooked! Or even better, consider getting yourself an elliptical trainer for your home so you can workout anytime from the comfort of your home.

    Elle Lori

    Hi, Elle here. I am a simple girl that loves gymnastics, cooking, fitness and of course, pampering myself with a good massage after a hard day at work. As a creative copywriter, I combine my passion mentioned above to develop reviews and content to help my readers get what they want.