Elliptical cardio workout program

There are a couple of drawbacks to going HAM on this machine—and not just the awkwardness that happens when you can't get the machine and your body to flow together correctly. Impact is important because it places more stress on the ankles, knees, hips, and pelvis, as well as the bones connecting them, says Sperl. You're also moving in a single plane of motion on the elliptical, similar to running.

Quick refresher: A HIIT workout is made up of short periods of intense exercise followed by less-intense recovery periods. During your short work periods, you should be working out at an RPE of nine or ten.

Not ready to go that hard? Instead consider this elliptical workout for beginners. Warm-up: Just like with any other workout, a warmup is crucial—especially because you're about to exert an all-out effort.

That means you could but would probably rather not have a conversation , and you've probably started breaking a sweat. Follow your warm-up with a two- to five-minute recovery period to prime your body for the real workout.

Length: In terms of how long your HIIT workout should be, a minimum of 10 minutes not counting the warm-up! Intervals: When it comes to intervals, a good place to start is with a work to rest ratio of —i. Like warming up, a cool-down period is critical for your health, particularly in HIIT workouts. A cool-down period allows your heart and respiration rate to slow naturally, and gradually reduces your body temperature, so that you can feel good after a workout.

Cool down periods also help the body reduce lactic acid in the muscles, preventing soreness and muscle cramps. In most cases, a cool down period can take as little as 5 minutes. Continue gentle activities like walking at a reduced pace or gently stretching the body until you feel your body cool down and your breath slow to the normal rate.

As mentioned above, you should not start HIIT training until you are very familiar and comfortable working out on the elliptical. You should be able to easily perform moderate and intense elliptical cardio workouts before you progress to HIIT. Adjust any of these specific settings to your specific fitness level.

The goal is to challenge yourself to go as hard as you can for one minute at a time, but every individual person has a different threshold. This minute elliptical workout burns up to calories and engages your arms for more toning in your upper body and core, while using the backward motion on the elliptical to target glutes and hamstrings.

It's only 22 minutes long including warmup and cooldown , and features really short and effective intervals. Using quick intervals makes the workout intense and is great for burning calories. Beginner If you're new to the elliptical machine—or working out in general—try this beginning elliptical workout. It uses all the different features of the machine, which gives you an idea of what it can do: by pedaling forward you work your quads, and going backward targets the hamstrings and booty.

Focus on pushing the handles to work on your chest, and pulling the handles will work your upper back. A great way to challenge your core stability is to let go of the handles while keeping your pace steady. Shorter Intervals One way to push the interval envelope is to decrease the amount of rest time between your bouts of sprinting. By shortening your recovery time, you're pushing your anaerobic threshold and strengthening your cardiovascular system.

Try the workout below for your first HIIT training experience on your elliptical machine! Again I would recommend this workout for 2 weeks, 3 times a week before progressing to the Intermediate Level workouts. You may want to do the beginner workout plans for a bit longer - everyone is different and will progress at different speeds.

Some people find the beginner level is enough for a complete body workout - that's fine! So you've been doing the Beginner Workout Plans for a while and feel ready to progress to the next level! For the shorter one minute phases you should be really pushing yourself to the maximum level - especially when you reach the level 14 resistance level.

The lower intensity 2 minute phases are the recovery phases so make sure you catch your breath then! This 40 minute Advanced Plan not only gives you the benefits of HIIT training as explained above but incorporates 'reverse work' and 'no hands work'. On most ellipticals you can stride in reverse - this works on activating different muscle groups in particular emphasising the quads.

When you use an elliptical machine without using the hands, as in not holding the arm handles, you scults your thighs, super tighten your core remember to hold your core muscles tight! The reverse and no hands sections are on the lower resistance levels.

As with the intermediate plan you push yourself at the higher resistance levels. Please note this is an Advanced Workout Plan - you can build up to the full workout by starting off going forwards for each section and gradually adding in a reverse element, and a no hands element.

Then add in another next time or when you feel comfortable with the different movements. I'm busy researching and adding workout plans to this page all the time so do bookmark, add to your RSS feed and call back.

If you need help with a particular training schedule, or if you can share your favorite workout do contact me or complete the comment box below! Please share any story you have about your fitness journey and if the workouts have helped!

It would be great to see any photos of you too - working out on your elliptical, or before and after pics :.