Hello,

I am so excited, after waiting for so long, we are going to have our Elliptical trainer (the real thing not a bunch of plastic) I used to do it at the gym and I loved it.

I am not very good to understand how the body burns and take the fat to transform it, etc...

1- How to find out what target zone to keep my heart rate in to get the best results?
2- Can I workout everyday or should I really take a day off between?
3- anything else I should know / take care of?

Oh, I forgot;

My goal is to lose 10 kilos and/ or 2-3 dress sizes. And keep getting fit and healthy.

Thanks to help me out!

Nil

Your heart rate should be at 65% of max . Max heart rate is 200 less your age!
You will need some rest days , your body will know when, probably 1 day in the week.
Good luck & drink loads of water!

Here is a good link to calculate your your HR comes:

If you are in the lower zones then most probably every day, listen to your body. It is better to alternate the intensity is what I am working out otherwise the body adjusts quickly.

Make sure you drink enough water, lastly enjoy the burn

Thanks for the tips!

I am very excited! I love this machine, I love the pain of working out (seriously) and I heard the machine is very good for cardio & muscle.

I was thinking to do it early in the morning before eating. I found also that you can cut it in twice a day if you want, it won't affect the results, is that true?

For sure there is a benefit to twice a day, builds up stamina, & gives the heart a really good work out.

I know for 2 months before the ski season, I should aim to do 4 hours a day of work outs, it just never happens! Skiing hard all day, however much you eat you will loose weight!

I find exercising before eating suppresses my appetite, if you can do that then then it will definitely help.

Just with anything new the temptation is to over do it at first, it is only natural. I did the same last week on the rower and had been taking it reasonably sensible until I set up a new training schedule to 'Burn Baby', which was way above my ability. I felt that for a few days I can tell you

If you train at a lower HR Zone then yes you can have more than one session per day. Lower HR Zone = longer to burn same amount of calories at Higher HR Zone but you can train at a lower HR Zone for much longer and it is not so stressful, you just have to put in the time.

I am in a similar camp of needing to shed some weight still and I spend a little time once a week to think about how I feel, how the weight loss is going and now think if I want to change my training plan a bit.

Someone else summed it up quite well, 'You have to sweat it out' along with a good diet and most of us agree that is the other half of the equation.

Congrats, Nil, I share your love for this thing, it's a nice addiction, especially if you are able to mix it up with actual running outside.

I think we might be similar body types, I am 48kg now, and they calculated heart rate for me at 130-160, but never more. If it gets more, slow down, knock off some weight. 30min, every morning, before breakfast, before your kids wake up will do the trick. Leave one or two days for recovery and other physical activity, so you don't put your bod into a routine too fast.

I did it mild, 3-4 times a week, for a span on 2-3 years and I wasn't interested in the weight aspect, but overall physique, it worked really well, especially for after babe abs. You tone in no time. The awesome thing on elliptical is, that it is really kind to your muscles, no tears, it saves your joints, no stretches. But it does put a body into expected combat mode too fast, so changing the rut might be a good idea, after a few weeks.

Good song track, oiled machine, kids asleep, 6am, and you are good to go.

When I get into sport, I go back in shape very fast. My muscles come back fast too. This summer, we walked so much more than we did before and I see it in my legs.

The good thing with this elliptical is that I can ajust the positions of my workout in differents degrees for different muscles workout.

Exactly, it really is lovely. The flexibility is really practical. I tend to shoot for real life physical stuff, and then complement with elliptical, because you can adjust (angle, weight, pace..), only when life gets too packed I stick to a regimen on elliptical to make up for lack of time/routine outside. But when you start with a new attitude, it is nice to put yourself on a boot camp, since it is so motivating. So, regular schedule, and in the morning, will, as magic said so well, curb your appetite, it will fuel you since it will speed up your metabolism and boost your blood pressure, so you will be super happy. Endorphins. (basically, like doing something else in the morning, also unbeatable )

My very new best friend!



I am going to mesure different parts of the body (waist, knees, legs, arms, etc) and take my weight and see the progress every month.

I am still looking for some good tips that I may have missed.

Just make sure you have some resistance or there is no point.

I highly recommend HIIT for the elliptical. If you want to lose weight though, I would really encourage you to do heavy lifting. That and 2-3 20-minute sessions of HIIT each week and you'll see fab results.

But as with any weight loss, it's mostly based on what's in the kitchen.

What is HIIT?

How about some photos of you & your new best friend? Ideally every few weeks so we can see the difference.

Yeah, it will give many people some motivation to ... keep checking this thread.

You'll have to trust my word.

High intensity interval training.

As karih mentioned, it's interval training. Doing it at an insane intensity for a minute every 3 minutes or so. High speed at low-medium intensity for the rest of the time. Which should give your body time to recover all while keeping your heart pumping. If you do a half-hour workout, 10 of those minutes should be a fight to the death with the machine (don't overdo it at the beginning, gauge your limits). It's all I ever do on my exercise bike, really effective. Unless you're jogging, I don't see the point of normal steady cardio, really.

Edit: Post #1000, ohhhh crap.

Reading this thread and "Proper" Sunday Roast (Part Two) at the same time. Somehow they just do not seem compatible.

Will have to keep my eyes peeled for the next decent promo/aktion/whetever on a decent elliptical trainer. Do they take up much space when not in use? I.e. can they be made more 'compact'?

Not as much space as a treadmill, but more than an exercise bike. Nothing beats an exercise bike for space. A recumbent/sitting down one is also the best for your back. I've used ellipticals and a normal exercise bike and couldn't hack it after a while for the simple fact you have to focus as much on keeping your back straight. Just being able to sit down and focus on your kicking gets rid of a major annoyance for me.

Not to derail the thread, ellipticals are good since there's also arm movement, but I also found that to be a bit overrated. Most of the movement was generated by my legs and momentum. My arms didn't do as much as I would have liked. I have resigned myself to the fact that focusing on upper body (rowing machine, for example) or lower body (exercise bike) at a time is the best solution. For a mix of both, you've got swimming.