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Exercise & Nutrition

help getting the most from my elliptical

19 years ago

hello, well i did it...i bought a good used elliptical that the owner literally never stepped on. i thought she must be exaggerating and must have used it a little, at least, but when i went to check the machine out, i knew it was true. she was a riot and told the funniest story about all her research, putting it together and then looking at it EVERY DAY for a year before she knew she would "NEVER, EVER use the damn thing!" now i am curious if anyone knows of a site or other resourse for finding out how to begin and progress with this machine in order to use it safely and get the best workout. i realize i should start slowly, etc etc but is there more that i should know? the manual gave great set-up/technical info, but that's not what i need now. thanks, folks!

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Comments (4)

salena
19 years ago
I would aim for a 30 minute workout. Yes, start at a pace that you can do for 30 minutes. After that is easy raise the difficulty number. After that is easy continue to raise the number. Also you can raise the incline intermitently for a sprint of sorts. Just keep making it more difficult. 30 minutes is a great daily exercise. turn on the TV or radio. Good luck, salena
dazyjune
18 years ago
I'd start out going slow (speedwise), it's really easy to go fast at first... Then you wear yourself out and don't get anywhere! Then have to stop after a few minutes. Good Luck it's a great workout 30 min is good 45 even better for weight loss. Break it up if you need to!
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dazyjune
18 years ago
I forgot to mention...starting out on the easiest setting also makes it too easy to go too fast. My sister accidentally hit the 6 and found it was the right pace for her to start and not go too fast, but to maintain an easy pace for 30-45 minutes.
devorah
18 years ago
All of this, of course, depends on your age and condition. Hopefully your elliptical includes a heart monitor. That will tell you better than anything we can say what you should be doing. Figure out your target heart rate and go from there. I have to go very, very slowly because I have a really rapid heart beat. I hit 130+ within two minutes of starting, but that's unusual and not likely to be your problem. I don't think I could do a 30 minute session either. I do circuit training now at the gym so I don't overstress one area of muscles.

My neighbor got an elliptical and uses it first thing in the morning before she showers for work. She is very strong and has been able to quickly advance in both speed and level of difficulty. Her only problem is that she finds herself slowing down when she gets really buried in her Sudoku puzzle

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