Elliptical trainers have recently gained popularity as versatile fitness machines that offer various benefits for individuals seeking effective, low-impact workouts. Compared to traditional exercise forms, such as treadmill running and outdoor walking, elliptical training provides unique advantages of cross-training that cater to a wide range of fitness goals and preferences. Unlike treadmill running, the benefits of elliptical trainers are that they offer a smooth and fluid motion that minimises strain on the body. This low-impact nature makes elliptical training particularly appealing for individuals with arthritis, joint issues, or those recovering from injuries.
Additionally, the elliptical cross trainer for weight loss engages the body’s upper and lower muscles, providing a comprehensive full-body workout that can enhance muscle tone, cardiovascular health, and overall endurance. Comparatively, while walking offers a low-impact option for exercise, it lacks the intensity and variety of resistance levels that elliptical training can offer, limiting its effectiveness for individuals seeking to maximise calorie burn and muscle engagement.
To incorporate an elliptical trainer into your regular workout routines, explore the elliptical trainer's benefits in this blog, along with the elliptical cross trainer's benefits for weight loss compared to treadmill and walking.
Table Of Contents
1. What Does 30 Minutes On The Elliptical Do? 6 Benefits Of Elliptical Trainer
2. Are Ellipticals Good For Losing Belly Fat?
3. Which Is Better For Weight Loss Walking Or Elliptical?
4. Is A Treadmill Or Elliptical Better For Belly Fat?
5. Does The Elliptical Slim Your Thighs?
6. Expert’s Advice
7. The Final Say
8. FAQs
9. References
What Does 30 Minutes On The Elliptical Do? 6 Benefits Of Elliptical Trainer
30 minutes to the elliptical machine offers many benefits, including cardiovascular health, calorie burning, muscle toning, joint-friendly exercise, mood enhancement, and improved endurance. Let’s explore how the benefits of elliptical trainer workout contribute significantly to your overall fitness:
1. Gives A Cardiovascular Boost
Engaging in a 30-minute elliptical session increases your heart rate, strengthening your heart muscle over time. This improved cardiovascular fitness enhances the efficiency of blood circulation throughout your body, reducing the chances of cardiovascular disease like heart attacks and strokes. Consistent elliptical training also helps to lower blood pressure and improve overall heart health.
2. Helps In Calorie Burning
Elliptical workouts are highly effective for burning calories due to cardiovascular exercise and muscle engagement. The exact calorie burn depends on weight, intensity level, and workout duration. On average, a 30-minute training session on the elliptical can burn 200 to 400 calories or more. When combined with a balanced diet, this calorie expenditure contributes to weight loss or weight management goals.
3. Supports Muscle Engagement
The elliptical machine gives full-body benefits that engage multiple muscle groups simultaneously. Your legs, glutes, hamstrings, arms, and core muscles are actively involved as you pedal or stride. This comprehensive muscle engagement burns calories during the workout and helps tone and strengthen these muscle groups over time. Regular elliptical training can increase muscle definition and improve overall muscular endurance.
4. Strengthens Joint Health
Unlike high-impact exercises like treadmill running or jumping, the elliptical machine offers a low-impact workout. The smooth, gliding motion reduces joint stress, making it the best option for individuals with joint pain, arthritis, or those recovering from injuries. By minimising joint strain, this cardio workout allows you to reap the benefits of an elliptical trainer without exacerbating existing joint issues.
5. Aids In Mood Enhancement
Exercise, including elliptical training, triggers the release of endorphins in the brain, neurotransmitters known as "feel-good" hormones. These endorphins help to alleviate stress, depression and anxiety while inculcating feelings of happiness and well-being. After just 30 minutes on the elliptical, you'll likely experience a mood and mental clarity boost, making it an excellent stress reliever and mood enhancer.
6. Improves Your Endurance
Consistent elliptical training gradually improves your endurance and stamina by challenging your cardiovascular system and muscular endurance. As your fitness level increases, you'll find that everyday activities become easier to perform, and you'll experience less fatigue during physical exertion. This improved endurance enhances your overall fitness level and translates to better performance in other sports or activities, allowing you to push yourself further.
Also Read: 20 Best Stretch Exercises After A Workout For Full-Body Recovery!
Are Ellipticals Good For Losing Belly Fat?
Elliptical trainers are versatile fitness machines that combine the features of both treadmills and exercise bikes. When you use an elliptical, your feet move along an oval or elliptical path, giving the machine its name. While spot reduction does not exist, elliptical trainers help reduce fat percentage from the whole body. Therefore, it also helps reduce belly fat. Let’s know how an elliptical trainer works:
1. Engagement Of Multiple Muscle Groups
Elliptical trainers engage the legs and core muscles, including the abdominal muscles. As you use the machine, your core muscles maintain stability and proper posture. While this can contribute to strengthening and toning your abdominal muscles, it's important to note that spot reduction is not possible.
2. Calorie Expenditure And Energy Deficit
Elliptical trainers are excellent tools for burning calories and increasing overall energy expenditure. Continently using the elliptical and maintaining a nutritious diet creates a calorie deficit essential for fat loss. When your body requires more energy than it's consuming, it taps into stored fat reserves for fuel, leading to fat loss throughout the body, including the belly area.
3. Improvements In Metabolic Rate And Insulin Sensitivity
Regular cardiovascular exercise, such as using an elliptical trainer, can improve metabolic rate and insulin sensitivity. These physiological changes are beneficial for fat loss and overall health. By challenging your cardiovascular system regularly, you're training your body to become more efficient at burning fat, which contributes to reducing belly fat over time.
Also Read: Top 10 Energy Boosting Foods And 5 Best Health Drinks To Fuel Up Your Workouts!
Which Is Better For Weight Loss, Walking Or Elliptical?
Note the comparison between walking and the benefits of an elliptical trainer for weight loss:
Consideration | Walking | Elliptical Training |
Impact on Joints | Walking is low-impact, making it gentle on joints suitable for treating joint issues or those recovering from injuries. | Elliptical training also offers low-impact exercise, reducing joint stress while providing a challenging workout. This makes it ideal for individuals with joint pain or arthritis. |
Calorie Burn | Walking can burn a moderate number of calories, with the exact amount depending on factors such as speed, duration, and terrain. It typically burns fewer calories than higher-intensity exercises. | Elliptical training often leads to a higher calorie burn compared to walking. This is because it simultaneously engages the upper and lower body muscles, increasing overall energy expenditure. |
Muscle Engagement | Walking every day helps strengthen muscles in the lower body, including the calves, quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. While it offers some benefits for muscle toning and endurance, it primarily targets the lower body. | Elliptical training engages a broader range of muscles, including those in the upper body, such as the arms, back and shoulders, in addition to the lower body muscles. |
Variety of Workouts | Walking offers limited variation in intensity and incline unless done on varied terrain or with additional equipment like a treadmill. While it can be enjoyable to explore different walking routes, the intensity may not vary significantly. | Elliptical trainers offer adjustable resistance levels, incline settings, and pre-programmed workouts, providing various workout options to suit different fitness levels and goals. |
Weight-Bearing Benefits | Walking provides weight-bearing exercise, which helps maintain bone density and joint health. It can contribute to bone strength and reduce the risk, particularl of osteoporosisy with resistance training. | The elliptical motion mimics the movement of walking or running, providing similar bone-strengthening benefits without excessive joint stress. |
Also Read: Revealing 8 Therapeutic Backwards Walking Benefits With Best Variations!
Is A Treadmill Or Elliptical Better For Belly Fat?
Walking and using the elliptical machine can help you lose weight, but they offer different benefits. Walking is gentle, accessible, and great for your heart and mind. The elliptical, on the other hand, is intense, efficient, and provides a full-body workout.
Consideration | Treadmill | Elliptical |
Calorie Burn | Allows for high-intensity interval training (HIIT), which can result in estimated calorie burn during and after workouts. | It provides a full-body workout, burning more calories due to engaging both upper and lower body muscles simultaneously. |
Muscle Engagement | Primarily engages lower body muscles, with minimal engagement of upper body muscles. | Engages upper and lower body muscles, including core muscles, leading to overall muscle toning and potentially reducing belly fat. |
Variety of Workouts | It offers versatility with options like walking, jogging, running, and incline variations in workout routines. | It provides various workout modes, such as forward and reverse motion, allowing for workout variety and reducing monotony. |
Space Requirements | Generally, it requires more floor space compared to elliptical machines. | It is typically more compact, making it suitable for smaller home gyms or spaces with limited room. |
Also Read: Try These 15 Best Stretch Exercises Before Workout For Full-Body Efficiency!
Does The Elliptical Slim Your Thighs?
Using an elliptical trainer can help slim your thighs, but it's not a guarantee on its own. Weight loss and body toning are complex processes influenced by diet, overall exercise routine, genetics, and individual body composition.
Elliptical training is a great cardio workout that engages the body’s multiple muscle groups, including the thighs, hamstrings, calves, and glutes. Regular use can help burn calories and tone muscles in the thighs. However, spot reduction, the idea that you can target fat loss with elliptical trainers in specific body areas, is a myth. When you lose weight through elliptical training combined with core strengthening exercises, you typically lose it from all over your body rather than just one area.
To slim your thighs effectively, it's important to combine cardiovascular exercises like the elliptical machine with strength training exercises targeting the thighs, such as lunges, squats, and leg presses. Maintaining a weekly balanced diet plan and overall healthy lifestyle will contribute to achieving your desired results.
Expert’s Advice
I recommend integrating the elliptical trainer into your fitness regimen for its health advantages. It is excellent equipment for burning calories and aiding weight loss efforts, making it especially beneficial for those aiming to manage their weight or enhance their body composition. Hydration should always be prioritised before and after starting the exercise.
Health Expert
Aditi Upadhyay
The Final Say
To sum up, the benefits of elliptical trainer support those aiming to enhance their fitness and well-being. Its gentle impact makes it suitable for anyone, regardless of age or fitness level, reducing the risk of joint strain and injuries while still providing an effective workout for your heart and muscles. Working multiple muscle groups simultaneously, like your legs, glutes, arms, and core, helps build strength, endurance, and muscle tone. Plus, it is great for burning calories, aiding weight loss, and improving mood and cardiovascular health with regular use.
FAQs
1. What are the elliptical stepper benefits?
Elliptical steppers offer a low-impact cardiovascular workout, reducing joint stress compared to running or jumping. They also provide a full-body workout, engaging muscles in the legs, arms, and core. An elliptical stepper can improve cardiovascular fitness, increase stamina, and help with weight management.
2. Are there any specific elliptical trainer benefits for runners?
Elliptical trainers offer runners a way to cross-train without the impact of running, which helps in injury prevention and recovery. They provide a similar cardiovascular workout to running while reducing joint stress. Elliptical training can help runners maintain cardiovascular fitness, build leg strength, and improve endurance without risking overuse injuries.
3. Can you explain the best elliptical trainer benefits for legs?
Elliptical trainers effectively strengthen and tone the leg muscles, including the calves, quadriceps, hamstrings, and glutes. The smooth, continuous motion of the elliptical targets these muscle groups without the high impact of activities like running or jumping, making it an ideal choice for leg workouts.
4. What is the significant difference between elliptical and cross trainers?
The "elliptical trainer" and "cross trainer" are often used interchangeably to refer to the same type of exercise equipment. However, some people may use "elliptical trainer" to specifically describe machines that simulate walking or running motion. In contrast, "cross trainer" may refer to machines that offer additional features such as adjustable resistance levels or upper body workout options.
5. Is an elliptical cross trainer good for weight loss?
Yes, elliptical cross trainers can effectively lose weight as part of your fitness routine, which includes regular cardiovascular exercise, strength training workouts, and a healthy diet. Elliptical training burns calories and helps create a caloric deficit for weight loss. Additionally, it is low-impact, which makes it suitable for treating joint issues or for those who are new to exercise.
6. What are the cross-trainer exercise benefits for body weight?
Cross trainers offer numerous benefits for individuals looking to manage or reduce body weight. They provide a full-body workout that simultaneously engages multiple muscle groups, helping burn calories and increase overall fitness. Additionally, cross-trainer workouts can be easily adjusted to accommodate various fitness levels, making them suitable for people of all body weights.
References
- What does A 30-minute Elliptical Workout do to your Body? (powermaxfitness.net)
- Elliptical Training Guide – Benefits, Drawbacks, Dos and Don’ts – Fitness Volt
- Burn Belly Fat With Elliptical Training - Elliptical.com
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