Elliptical training can be especially convenient thanks to the ease with which this machine can be used. Of course, as long as you know how to correctly organize your workouts.
cardio and fat loss
First you have to establish a series of key ideas so that you can fully understand how and why you lose weight and lose fat thanks to training. Specifically, we want to disprove some of the most famous clichés and false myths that exist:
1. Fat doesn’t sweat
Fat loss does not occur directly after spending hours on the elliptical. You don’t have to end up drenched in sweat to have trained properly.
2. It is not enough to train
Continuing with the previous point, to lose fat, training is not enough , there will be another fundamental issue: food . The objective will be to reach the well-known caloric deficit. Do you know him?
To do this, you have to do the daily calculation of the calories ingested and the calories expended. And, if you want to lose weight and fat, the result will be slightly negative. Of course, you will have to prioritize your protein consumption so that losing weight does not mean losing muscle.
3. You have to have a program designed
If you are going to use the elliptical as your main tool, then the physical capacity that you will develop the most will be resistance . But this cannot be trained daily, not even in one way.
Ideally, leave 48 hours between each resistance training . In addition, you can have different options to design the training, as we will see later.
4. Not only cardio burns fat
In fact, it is advisable to combine it with some strength training . If you have a gym to do them, it will be perfect. And if you are training at home, you also have options for your routine to practice at home.
How to schedule your elliptical training?
Training without planning can be totally counterproductive, which is why we want to talk to you here about some of the most basic approaches out there. Although the ideal, as always, is for a professional to design a specific routine for you.
resistance training
As we already said, it has to be given every 48 hours. It consists of setting goals of time, speed or difficulty and increasing them little by little. It is generally an excellent cardiopulmonary exercise. Now, it can be developed in different ways.
Its main advantage lies in the ease that exists to adapt it to the person , regardless of their possibilities. Whatever your physical condition, you can practice it in a non-harmful way.
Ways to train cardio
Let’s see what three approaches exist.
1. Constant
Similar to going for a run . You start on the elliptical, increasing the intensity little by little until you see that you are not able to continue. This is a workout that you can do every other day. You will burn calories and improve your stamina.
2. With changes of rhythm
A good way not to get bored and to make training more interesting. It is widely used, for example, in spinning , and consists of regulating the intensity for different times. Here is an example of a routine for half an hour:
Five minutes of gentle heating .
Five minutes at higher intensity .
Two minute sprint .
Eight minutes back to a medium intensity.
Two minute sprint.
Two minutes more gently, like the warm-up.
Another two minutes of sprint.
Five minutes at medium intensity.
A very gentle minute to relax the body.
3. A HIIT workout
Finally, high-intensity workouts are well-suited for people who are short on time or who have a specific goal of burning fat . It has been shown that they can help you in many ways, now, how should you execute them?
In the case of the elliptical, the ideal is to do small sprint phases at great resistance during an interval that ranges from 30 seconds to a minute and a half. And, as a rest, two minutes at an easy pace. This training will be highly effective for weight loss.
In short, elliptical training can be as practical and less harmful than many others, such as going for a run. If you are looking for a sports center that provides you with the necessary material to achieve your physical goals, do not hesitate. We are at your disposal.
