Problems with the elliptical

nancy324

nancy324

Cathlete
I'm on my way to the gym, and would like to get to love the elliptical machine. Why is it so hard for me to get into my heart rate target zone? Any tips? I'm going to try it again to see if I can get it to work this time. But I usually wind up back on the treadmill where I have no problem getting into my target zone with a low level of perceived exertion.

Why doesn't the elliptical work for me? Thanks for any tips.

-Nancy
 
Why is it so hard for me to get into my
>heart rate target zone? Any tips? I'm going to try it again
>to see if I can get it to work this time. But I usually wind
>up back on the treadmill where I have no problem getting into
>my target zone with a low level of perceived exertion.
>
>Why doesn't the elliptical work for me? Thanks for any tips.
>

Hi,
I love the elliptical at the gym! I sweat buckets on that machine, people look at me like I'm trying to kill myself. ;-) I usually do the elliptical for 45-50 min.

Does your elliptical machine have different programs? At our gym, I always use the "Hill" setting on the elliptical. There are different types of hill settings though, I like "around the world", "interval" and "the cascades" best.

I workout on level 8-10 depending on which hill setting I'm doing.

I watch the rpm and always keep it above 70 rpm

Usually I have gone 4.5-5 miles in 45-50 on the elliptical.

I also usually bike for 25min. after the elliptical.

I just got Limewire so I'm having a blast burning CD's for my gym workouts. Hope dome of these tips help!
 
My problem is that my legs hit some kind of muscle failure long before my heart even knows I'm doing anything. Maybe my legs are just tired from the Cathe strength training.

What is Limewire?? Do tell!
 
>My problem is that my legs hit some kind of muscle failure
>long before my heart even knows I'm doing anything. Maybe my
>legs are just tired from the Cathe strength training.
>
>What is Limewire?? Do tell!

The elliptical is tough on the legs, I can really feel them burning the day after I've done a Cathe leg workout. The elliptical has really toned up my legs.

Limewire is peer to peer file sharing, like what Napster used to be. You have to pay a one time fee for Limewire pro and can download all the songs you want! I have never not found a song I was looking for, it beats having to buy a CD for just one song. It's great too because there are lots of techno remixes of songs I like that are great for cardio.

Hope someone can help you with your elliptical question!
 
I guess I'm just one of those who can't combine my cardio with toning. I've got to have my cardio straight up. <Sigh.> Guess I'm stuck with the treadmill forever. I would love to change off to something else once in awhile! :(
 
I think you might just have to train like you would anything else. Keep on trying, your legs will eventually catch up. I also use a lot of resistance on the elliptical, usually around 11, and I do use a hill program too. When I first started I could only do 10 minutes, but now I am just fine. I think this is the whole point of cross training. Your body gets used to a certain kind of workout. Push the envelope, don't give up on the elliptical!
 
Hi Nancy,

I've read both of your posts. Don't give up on the elliptical trainer just yet. What level are your starting with? What program are you using...Manual, Hills, Cross Trainer..etc? And how long do you usually go before you experience leg fatigue? I would suggest to you that you start on an at maybe level 5, on Manual setting, and try to go as fast as you can, but keep in mind every machine is different so you may have to lower or increase this level to get in your target range. Also, maybe try doing 10 to 15 minutes each time and then go to the treadmill and just increase the amount of time you do the elliptical every time you work out.

Nancy, it's not you, trust me. Everyone needs to start slowly and increase. You'll be up to 45 minutes in no time I'm sure. I think you just need to play with the settings on the trainer to find what works for you. Let us know how you make out.:)

P.S. You're such a cutie!!
 
Nancy,

Have you ever thought of doing HIIT on the Elliptical, it would greatly shorten your workout time and get you in your target zone for sure??
When you talk about muscle failure it makes me think of high resistance training..is your resistance set on moderate to high level on the Elliptical??

Lime wire rocks BTW!!! Love it!!!

:)
 
Nancy--I've had the same problem w/the elliptical. I'll be on there for 20 minutes & while I might be sweating, my heartrate is still pretty much at normal. The only thing that helped was increasing the incline to like 10.

Does your gym have an arc trainer? It's pretty much the same principle but way more intense. I can't even explain why, they seem so similar, but that one definitely gets my heart rate up. Also I second the stairmaster or step mill. Unfortunately my club doesn't have a stairmaster (which I miss desperately), but the step mill is a pretty intense, low impact workout.
 
I think the StepMill is the one I call the Stairway to H*ll... It always seemed to be a great torture device. It does do the job, though, and I've never had problems with heart rate on that one!
 
Stairmaster is the same thing. My heart and lungs are saying "are we at the gym yet, or are we still in bed?" and my legs are saying "okay, we're done now. time to go home".

I have the same problem cycling with my DH. I feel like I'm pedaling a tractor, and I look down and my heartrate is 113 or something.

I think my legs are exhausted from all the Cathe squats, plies and lunges. So the only way I can get a real cardio workout is to "walk" (okay, it's more like dancing when I do it) on the treadmill. I can get the incline up to 18 and my legs still don't get tired. The only problem is the boredom factor. I would love to have something new to do! But I'm not really willing to give up my Cathe leg workouts, so I may be stuck. :(
 
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