What should i set my elliptical to

Lower limb joint angular position and muscle activity during elliptical exercise in healthy young men. Journal of Applied Biomechanics. National Osteoporosis Foundation. Robinson J. Overtraining: 9 signs of overtraining to look out for. American Council on Exercise. Published Jun 21, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Eston R. Use of ratings of perceived exertion in sports. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance. Department of Health and Human Services.

Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition. Published Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellFit. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. These choices will be signaled globally to our partners and will not affect browsing data. We and our partners process data to: Actively scan device characteristics for identification. I Accept Show Purposes. Keep the resistance or ramps low. You should feel you're working, but you should be able to carry on a conversation.

This is your baseline pace. Today, most fitness devices use magnetic resistors: they make no noise and therefore do not generate wear. This is the case for all devices designed by NordicTrack. A lot of factors go into choosing a resistance level for your elliptical.

Contrary to what you might think, your weight is not as important as it seems. This means that the primary factor for determining the proper resistance level is your physical condition. A lightweight athlete in good shape can handle more resistance than a heavier but less in shape user. A second important thing to consider is the type of exercise that you want to do. With an elliptical, you can work the calves, thighs, glutes, arms and shoulders, and many other muscles.

But you can also concentrate your exercise on certain muscles. The resistance level is then adapted accordingly. Conversely, if you use both your legs and arms, a level of resistance that is too low will make the exercise too easy. Finally, the last factor influencing the choice of resistance is the intensity of your exercise.

To work on your cardio , the intensity should be relatively small, but with prolonged effort. On the contrary, a muscle building workout should be done over shorter but more intense sessions. Why do you think that might be? For me, I like to do a healthy ratio: for every three minutes pedaling forward, I will pedal backward for one minute. Do what now? Get off the machine to get the most out of it? Incorporate cross-circuit training into your exercise program.

Do workouts centered on your time pedaling the machine as an active recovery interval. So, for example, you get off the machine for 60 seconds to do push-ups, squats, lunges, burpees, etc. These types of workouts are highly effective and can burn a ton of calories; any time you can incorporate strength into your program, the better your results will be. An added benefit is cross circuit training can be a huge time saver.

Maybe you only have minutes, total. A cross circuit workout will likely be more intense, but a great option if you are short on time and want to get your full workout in. It connects via Bluetooth and has a very easy setup process.

You just follow along with the video and prompts! Set your pause time for 5-minutes. Request a free consultation here. Please note, comments must be approved before they are published. Be the first to know about special offers, product releases, fitness trends, contests, promotions, and more!

Seriously, ask us anything about fitness equipment! Contact Us contact livefit. Contact us. Black Friday Sales. Training for a new Personal Record? A steady state aerobic program would condition you for that. Do you just want to get moving? Why should you use incline on your elliptical? Why are there arms on elliptical?

Bottom line: If you are just holding on for the ride, your upper body is only a passenger. Should you change the resistance on your elliptical? Bottom line: Make sure your resistance is appropriate for your target, comfort and expectations while still making sure to challenge yourself. Should you pedal backwards on an elliptical? Related Articles. Easy Ways to Avoid Workout Injuries.