Best Elliptical Workouts & Exercises

The elliptical provides a unique closed kinetic chain cardiovascular stimulus, meaning your feet never leave the pedals. This eliminates the ground reaction forces associated with running, making it ideal for rehabilitation or high-volume training without joint impact. Additionally, the push-pull action of the handles increases oxygen consumption compared to cycling since you are engaging the upper body musculature.

Because the elliptical is low impact, you can technically use it daily. However, for structural balance, aim for three to five sessions per week. To prevent the adaptive response where your body gets too efficient and burns fewer calories, alternate between long steady-state sessions in Zone 2 and high-resistance interval sprints throughout the week.

Yes, but intensity is the variable that matters. Leaning on the handles or using momentum drastically reduces calorie burn. To maximize fat loss, you must increase the resistance so that you are pushing through the stride rather than just spinning your legs. High-resistance intervals on an elliptical can burn calories at a rate comparable to running.

Stand tall with your chest up and avoid leaning forward, which shuts down the glutes and strains the lower back. Keep your heels flat on the pedals for as long as possible during the downstroke to engage the posterior chain. When using the handles, actively push and pull them rather than just holding on for balance.

The treadmill is a high-impact load-bearing exercise which builds bone density but stresses the joints. The elliptical is low-impact and non-load bearing. While the treadmill generally burns slightly more calories per minute due to the effort of propelling your body weight against gravity, the elliptical allows you to train longer and more frequently with less risk of injury.