Eliptical or Tread...or maybe even bike?!?

[ArnoldsProtege]

i was jw, im trying to lose weight, and i find that i burn most calories when im on the eliptical machine. also, i like the movement and the low impact it has on my portly body lol. but i just cant help but wonder if possibly my weightloss is being held back by my repititious use of the eliptical. i mean, i try and use the treadmill and bike on my cardio days, but i just dont get the same results... is it bad to use the eliptical machine for my fat loss 80 percent of my training? i mean, im still BURNING calories from fat right? any recomendations would be appreciated.thanks.

 

[JayBee]

you can use the eliptical all you want man, they are great and your knees will love you for it. the only way to loose body fat lies in a calorie deficit. make sure you count your calories and your burning more than you eat. also, every five days or so eat more food (refeed). that way you dont go into starvation mode. focus on your diet to loose weight. it doesnt matter what kind of cardio you do - do whatever burns the most calroes.

 

[CowPimp]

There's nothing wrong with the elliptical. It's great you've found something you can stick with; that is the really important part.

 

[Akkers]

Eliptical is fine like CowPimp said. When it comes to your situation though, cardio is cardio. Whether it be a few wind sprints, a 30 minute walk in the park or on a resistance bike, just do it. Good luck!

 

[007]

I love the eliptical machine. easy on my knees and ankles.

 

[GFR]

It depends on the person. I'm 6'1 38, and 235 right now and I run 3 days a week with no problems to my joints. But if your extremely heavy or have bad knees, ankles, back ect, you might want to do elliptical or biking.
Nothing IMO burns more calories or is better for cardiovascular conditioning than running.

 

[The Monkey Man]

Why don't you use a circuit of all machines to keep from getting bored?

10 min steps
10 min tread
10 min rower
10 min bike
10 min elip - w/hndls
10 min versa climb

mix and match

 

[Sam40]

Bicycling will burn up to 600 calories per hour. Only a few other aerobic exercises, can compete with it. Cross country skiing, and swimming being two. But you can't ride lazy, you have to maintain a 15 MPH average, this means you must be able to hit 20 on flats. If you can do this, I guarantee it will take weight off you. The secret is being able to maintain a high RPM 120 +.

 

[ArnoldsProtege]

thanks alot everyone. im about 220 right now, but i was 250ish before and i was playing football, so i think i mighta hurt my left knee. i do the hill plus exercise on the eliptical and i burn roughly 500-550 calories in 30 minutes! thats better results than ive ever acheived. i mean, the boredness isnt the problem, its just ive heard that to avoid hitting a plateau you need to mix things up constantly. also, would it be bad if i was going 5-6 times a week for cardio? im also eating right and avoiding unhealthy foods. and adivce is appreciated.