The elliptical is a great tool for weight management. With its low-impact cardio and all-over body movement, it leaves no part of your body untouched. An average person can burn around 345 calories in just 30 minutes of cross training on an elliptical.
Having an elliptical machine in the home is a great way to squeeze in those all-important workouts at any given moment. Many people use elliptical machines but aren’t really unlocking their true fat-burning potential. Here are a few tips to burn more calories on the elliptical.
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Engage More Muscles
- Many people focus heavily on the lower body when working out on the elliptical. However, the key to expending the maximum amount of energy is to engage more muscle groups. Use the handlebars to propel yourself faster. This motion will engage your biceps, triceps and chest muscles. If you’re struggling with coordination, try switching between intervals, focusing on pushing the arms and the legs. To engage the leg muscles further, try squatting down low while you continue your basic movement, which you should feel in your quadricep muscles.
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Step Up The Intensity
- On the easy-to-use elliptical machine, the intensity of your workout is entirely up to you. Upping the resistance and speed will increase the intensity. As a result, it’ll make your body naturally recruit more muscle fibres, and help you burn more body fat. Try vigorous interval training to raise your heart rate for short periods before allowing yourself to recover. The next step is to repeat this process for your entire workout. These heart rate spikes help burn more calories more efficiently, meaning you can significantly cut down your workout time and reap the same benefit!
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Hit Reverse
- Change up the motion every now and again to test your agility and alter the muscles being worked. As the movement of going backwards feels unnatural and is new to your body, you will burn more calories by doing it than going the natural way. Try and push past the uncomfortable barrier of going backwards and continue for an entire workout. If that’s too uncomfortable, you could even try intervals of going backwards to challenge your usual workout.
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Watch Your Heart Rate
- A cardio workout is a great way to burn calories and control weight, this means continually keeping the heart rate raised from anywhere between fifteen minutes to two hours. Ensure your workout is worthwhile by pushing your heart rate up to 75-85 percent of your maximum heart rate. You can either monitor your heart rate on your elliptical using the heart rate sensor or by using a fitness wearable that has this function. Even when you’re doing interval training, your heart should still be pumping in the lower end of the 75-85 percent target heart rate during the recovery sections to ensure you’re burning the optimum amount of calories for every minute you work out.
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- If you want more ways to burn calories, but can’t stand running then don’t worry. Here are five exercises you can do instead!
