Fitness specialists agree that the elliptical benefits for weight loss are significant: an intense elliptical workout of about 30 minutes usually helps you burn down 250-400 calories per session. The elliptical equipment should be, however, used it to its maximum potential for long-term results. To keep those pounds away from you, build muscle and strengthen your joints, you have to give it 110%. Today we will look at the elliptical workouts from a pros-and-cons perspective and see if they are really worth the trouble.
Elliptical Workouts Pros
- Because your feet never leave the pedals, the elliptical workouts are friendlier with your knees, joints, and back. In a “Pros and cons of elliptical vs. treadmill” contest, the elliptical wins simply because it does not put pressure on the most vulnerable parts of your body.
- Elliptical workouts make you work complex muscle systems: glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings and calves, pectorals, triceps, and biceps.
- You can adjust the incline or the resistance of the elliptical machine, thus allowing more calories burn or some welcome resting time.
- 4. Specialists recommend elliptical workouts to beginners, as the machine supports your body weight; moreover, they are low-impact exercises, perfect to make you get the hang of it, lose weight with minimal effort or engage in cardio exercises for better health and mood.
- Elliptical machines allow you to monitor your progress and your parameters, such as time, speed, and calories burnt.
Elliptical Workouts Cons
- If you do not choose the right elliptical machine for you (and they are quite one-size-fits-all), you risk injuring your knees, as not all people have the same stride length.
- You can cheat an elliptical better than you can cheat a treadmill: you control the speed on an elliptical; therefore, you can be tempted to slack off and achieve poor results in time.
- If you do not use the elliptical workout at its full potential (resistance, incline, etc.), you will achieve poor results in weight loss.
- While the elliptical workouts are good for plenty of muscle groups, bodybuilders usually choose weights and pull-up bars for significant results.
- Elliptical workouts are repetitive and can get boring (just like treadmills), and you can feel tempted to cut the exercise time, thus achieving results in a longer period.
In Conclusion
The first thing you need to realize before investing in an elliptical machine and engaging in regular elliptical workouts is your main goal. If you want to burn calories fast, build muscle, and strengthen your body for more intense exercises, you ought to look into other types of fitness methods.
On the other hand, if you want just to keep your body fit, tone your muscles, burn some calories but not lose tremendous amounts of weight, an elliptical machine might be what you need to stay in shape. Daily workouts in your living room, while watching TV or listening to music to wear off the stress of the day, are what doctors order regarding cardio and daily exercise.
Ultimately, the choice is yours depending on what you want to achieve, your body type, the effort you are willing to dedicate to the workouts, the right techniques you pick, and so on.
Image from depositphotos.com.
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