Growing older brings many unwanted changes to our bodies that can feel impossible to beat. We may begin to feel unmotivated, tired, and even gain visible body fat in places we don’t want it, such as our legs.
Thankfully, there’s a way to get around these problems—exercise! Now, hear us out, we know workouts can be tiring at the best of times. Yet, they don’t have to be, especially with an elliptical machine!
You may think that an elliptical calls for long and tedious workouts, but that needn’t be the case. They work just as effectively with short, sharp intense bursts of exercise. Achieving visible results is entirely dependent on how you use the machine and how you do your workouts.
So if you’re looking for a way to slim your legs without causing strain or spending hours of endless workouts, an exercise routine on an elliptical machine may be exactly what you need.
Here’s how to work out on the elliptical to slim your legs.
Getting Started
An elliptical machine is a non-impact exercise machine that is great for working your entire body. It will keep the muscles of your upper and lower body moving all at once, resulting in a higher amount of calories burned.
When you begin to lose weight, you can then start to tone up your legs and focus on slimming them down.
Aside from this, using an elliptical machine is also very convenient as you can have longer and harder workouts without the pain or muscle ache that you would get from long cardio or weight lifting sessions.
That said, don’t make the mistake of thinking that you can learn working out on the elliptical with your eyes closed. It might take you a few sessions in the gym to know how to use the machine correctly and use it to your advantage.
Once you master all that, you’ll see results in no time at all!
How to Work Out on the Elliptical to Slim Legs
To get a good leg slimming workout on the elliptical, you need to do a few things—from making sure your feet remain in an appropriate position to varying your workout.
Correct Form & Technique
In any workout, the fundamental rule is to first know the proper form and then the correct way of doing the exercise. It’s the same when using an elliptical—foot positioning, posture, and how you pedal are crucial.
Foot Position
Foot positioning is an important part of achieving an effective workout on an elliptical machine ( read more on the side effects of elliptical machines ). It’s important to remember the following pointers:
- Keep your feet centered on each pedal for balance and stability.
- Avoid rocking onto your toes or heels as this could cause unnecessary muscle strain.
- Pressing onto the pedal more with your toes will force your quads to work harder.
- Putting more pressure on your heels will work out your hamstrings and glutes more. Make sure that you place your heels low on the foot pads and stand with your back straight.
- Pedaling backward will also directly target the your hams and glute muscles.
Posture
Whichever muscle you choose to engage more, always remember to keep your back straight at all times. Leaning on the machine will make your workout easier and burn fewer calories.
One more thing about posture. By staying upright with your shoulders pulled back and down and your chest out, you’re not placing unnecessary stress on your legs.
Did you know that you can also use the moving handlebars to your advantage? Yes, they’re not only there for you to hold onto when you’re out of balance. Pushing and pulling them as you pedal can also increase the intensity of your workout.
Related Post: Elliptical vs Walking
Pedaling
Pedal fast to see results. It’s a simple formula—the faster and more consistently you pedal, the more toned your legs will become. So regularly use your elliptical machine to get those slim, well-toned legs.
Set the resistance on a higher level to make your leg muscles work harder and so you’ll burn more calories, too.
High-Intensity Interval Training
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is a great way to preserve lean mass and burn excess belly fat. This type of exercise is usually far more enjoyable in comparison to generic cardio because it is short and never boring. You will also need fewer days per week to do HIIT.
The HIIT technique applies to most types exercises, including workouts carried out using an elliptical machine. For this reason, HIIT is perfect to use with any cardio machine that allows you to adjust both resistance and speed levels.
Since HIIT requires alternate days with rest days in between, you’re less likely to injure yourself or overtrain, which is a plus if you’re serious about trying to slim your legs but you have a busy schedule.
You can start at a low resistance and a high speed for 30 seconds, then change to a higher resistance and a lower speed for the same time interval.
If you want an effective HIIT workout, make sure you alternate between low and high intensity on the elliptical for about 10-15 minutes.
Not only will this increase your heart rate and metabolism, but it will also result in a greater amount of fat loss.
Slimming your legs will be so much easier to attain if you are consistent with your exercise. And you know what? Doing it via HIIT always comes with a bonus—you keep burning calories long after your workout!
Keep Things Interesting
Elliptical bikes typically come with several pre-set programs to keep your training interesting. Imagine repeating your workouts every single day. Not only will you be bored to death, but your body will also begin to adapt and be more efficient. So why is that bad?
When your body is more efficient, it will use (or burn) less fat since it’s already familiar with your workout. Essentially, it becomes like muscle memory. You burn energy at a similar rate, but you also burn fewer calories, have a reduced metabolic rate, and you may even reach a plateau in your fitness journey.
So, what do you do? The secret is to keep your body guessing! That’s why HIIT works, and so does varying you’re workouts!
This means that you must keep your workouts varied at all times.
Feel free to use a combination of all preset programs on your elliptical. You could even try experimenting with different programs, including cross-trainer, interval, and hill climb, along with many other exercise types.
Related Post: How to Build Muscle on an Elliptical
Patience & Consistency
The elliptical trainer provides you the chance to get in an entire body workout while also helping with toning and losing fat.
However, it isn’t a miracle cure. This means using an elliptical machine will not immediately slim or tone your legs or remove belly fat.
Much like learning a new skill, it will take a combination of hard work and time to get your body looking the way you want.
You can work out using the elliptical machine most days of the week while staying active or doing other exercises for the rest of the week.
To get the most visible results, it’s a good idea to incorporate a bit of strength training into your elliptical workouts. These sessions are usually intense but short to avoid overwhelming your body. It’s also a good idea to use the elliptical after you lift weights so that you burn stored fats instead of glycogen.
Conclusion
The elliptical is a great machine to use if you want slimmer legs. It gives you a full-body workout but also allows you to target your upper or lower body muscles if you want that type of workout.
By observing proper posture, positioning, and pedaling techniques, you will be closer to your health and fitness goals. More importantly, correct execution and use of the elliptical machine will reduce risks of injury, accidents, or overtraining.
Remember that it’s one thing to work out and another to enjoy doing it! Have fun getting fit!
Written by Alisha Wishart – TheHealthPot.com
Certified Personal Trainer (CPT), Writer and Contributor
Alisha, is a Mother, Wife and Certified Personal Trainer (CPT). She understands how demanding everyday life can be and takes great pride in working with individuals and groups to help them achieve their desired fitness goals. Read more about Alisha here.