Practical, easy-to-follow tips to help you lose fat faster with your elliptical
By combining both strength training and cardio, the elliptical is one of the best sports for losing fat fast. Cardio preparing permits you to consume calories during and after actual work. Strength training, on the other hand, leads to muscle gain, which increases the basic metabolism, and therefore the calories burned at rest! Here are some practical tips to help you use your elliptical in the best possible way and thus optimize your weight loss!
Is the elliptical trainer effective for losing weight quickly?
The elliptical has become a must in the gym and its affordable price allows today to have one at home (see our comparison of the best elliptical 2022). This success is largely due to its great effectiveness in losing fat and slimming while being gentle on the joints. In addition, it works about 80% of the muscles of the body and can thus refine its silhouette (buttocks, thighs, calves, arms) while strengthening the back muscles. Its movement reproduces that of walking, but without straining the joints, which makes it a pleasant and easy-to-use device.
A device that combines cardio-training and muscle building
The elliptical is an excellent device for losing fat and slimming for 2 essential reasons:
- It makes work the cardio: the cardiovascular work makes it possible to burn calories, thus to eliminate greases, during the effort. One hour of elitic cycling allows you to burn, depending on the effort and the person, between 500 and 800 kcal, which is more than the road bike! What’s more, that is not all: the use proceeds with a few hours after the meeting.
- It develops the muscles: the gain in muscle mass increases the basic metabolism, and therefore the energy expenditure at rest. Muscles consume energy even without doing anything. The more their volume grows, the more caloric expenditure increases at rest, even when sleeping! Hence the interest of weight training to lose fat. Rest assured, this machine will not turn you into a muscle man!
Can you lose local fat (buttocks, stomach, arms) with an elliptical?
If the elliptical is perfect for losing weight, be aware that it will not make you lose fat locally. The body consumes fat globally and not necessarily where we would like it to. Muscular work does, however, allow you to refine the limbs you are working on (without, however, “chasing away” the fat that surrounds them…). If your objective is to obtain a flat stomach or to lose a little bit of buttocks, you will have to be patient and associate an adapted diet with your activity.
Why use the elliptical to lose weight rather than another machine?
The interest of the elliptical is that it is very complete in terms of muscular work (80% of the muscles are solicited) and very effective in burning calories. It is without shock for the enunciations in opposition to running. It is one of the most incredible games to lose fat.
Moreover, its affordable price and its reasonable size allow you to have one at home and thus to be able to train whatever the time and the weather. All you have to do is put on some sneakers and off you go! The device is silent, so you can practice without disturbing the neighbors. But if your budget is limited or your apartment is a bit cramped, then there is always a way to do it in a gym.
Another advantage of the elliptical is that it allows you to do other activities at the same time, like listening to music or watching television or even following a virtual reality program with a Google Map display as if you were there! On the other hand, you need a certain motivation to do it and our advice n° 1 will help you on this point.
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How many hours of elliptical training do I need to do to lose 1 kg of fat?
1 kg of fat represents 9000 kcal. To lose 1 kg of fat on an elliptical, it is logical to spend 9000 kcal or 11 to 18 hours of activity, depending on the intensity of the effort.
In reality, it is not so simple because the caloric expenditure does not only burn lipids… A decent piece of the energy provided to the muscles comes from starches (muscle holds or sugars brought by the blood on the off chance that you have recently eaten or on the other hand on the off chance that you eat during the work). Thus, the fat eliminated represents only a part of the expenditure (20 to 70% depending on the intensity of the effort). This is explained in detail in Tip 2.
In practice, we can consider that about 40 to 50 g of fat are burned per hour of elliptical cycling, or 20 to 25 hours needed to lose 1 kg of fat. At a rate of 3 sessions per week of 30 minutes, you will need 13 to 16 weeks of effort, or 3 to 4 months.
But thanks to muscle gain, it will be a little less: considering 1 kg of muscle developed with training (~12-15 kcal of additional expenditure per day), it will only take 18 to 21 hours of effort, or 12 to 14 weeks. Roughly speaking, this represents about 0.8 g of fat burned per minute of elliptical training.
These figures are obviously given as a guide. It is in practice that you can really get an idea.
Be careful, the gain in muscle will counterbalance the loss of weight in fat. It is therefore normal, at the beginning, that your weight does not change much but that your waistline decreases!
Did you know that?
As an indication, 1 hour of elliptical training at moderate intensity will cause you to lose the equivalent of 50 g of fat. Count the minutes on your machine and multiply them by 0.8 to get the weight of fat burned. For example, 25 minutes of activity will cause you to lose about 20 grams of fat.
Tip #1: Most important of all: find the motivation!
We might tend to skip this tip. However, it is essential to help you persevere over time and keep your goal.
One of the flaws of the elliptical is that it can be quite monotonous over time. Sessions can quickly become boring because of the repetitive movements and the fixed setting. Despite your best efforts, if there isn’t enough motivation to counteract this drawback, you may give up and put your elliptical in the basement. You need to turn your willpower into motivation and even determination.
To do this, you must identify the true source of your motivation, then define S.M.A.R.T. goals and use a few simple tricks to achieve them (reward yourself, visualize the goal, etc.).
Before you start, make sure you have defined your main goal. “I want to lose weight” is a vague goal. Be specific about your goal. For example, “I want to lose 10 pounds in 2 months,” “I want to lose a belt size by summer,” “I want to be able to wear that skirt or pair of pants again for Valentine’s Day,” etc.
You have identified your true motivation, defined your SMART goals and set up your action plan? Then you’re ready to get started!
Here are a few more helpful tips to make your elliptical sessions more motivating:
- Plan your sessions: do not organize your training according to your availability at the time. This is the best way to discourage yourself. Plan your sessions, if possible on the same days and at the same time each week, and stick to them. Planning, consistency and discipline are key to your success.
- Choose a good location for your elliptical: place your machine in front of a window so you can look out, or in front of your TV or use a tablet to view photos, watch a movie, or listen to music. It is known that rhythmic music makes you forget about fatigue and increases your physical capacity.
- Vary your exercises! To avoid monotony, explore the programs offered by your device, create your own exercises, change the rhythm. Or follow a coaching program for elliptical trainers. We also recommend our exercises for fat loss on an elliptical.
- Keep score! Keep track of the minutes of activity and convert them into grams of fat lost. See our tip #7 for that.
Tip #2: Warm up to open the small capillaries
Don’t start your elliptical session without a warm-up. This phase is necessary to prepare your body for the effort (heart, muscles, tendons, lungs), minimize the risk of injury and make your session easier and more effective. The heart must be prepared to be able to provide the required efforts, the tendons and muscles warmed up to avoid injuries.
If you start your effort cold, you risk not only injuring yourself (muscles, tendons, joints) but also finding the exercise difficult (heart rate does not increase, shortness of breath, pain in the legs). This could quickly discourage you. Indeed, when you are cold, the small blood capillaries are barely open. If the effort is too violent, the blood will flow into the large vessels only. The muscle, less well supplied, will therefore have more difficulty in making an effort. With the warm-up, all the small capillaries will be able to dilate and allow optimal use of the muscle.
Start your elliptical session with a 5 to 10 minute warm-up using the lowest possible resistance. If it feels easy (no shortness of breath, no pain), turn it up a notch after 5 minutes.
At the end of the session, allow 5 minutes to cool down (minimum resistance) to re-oxygenate the muscles involved and eliminate lactic acid.
Tip #3: Work at moderate intensity
Contrary to what you might think, to lose fat on an elliptical (or any other cardio sport), it is better to make moderate efforts. In fact, according to studies(1), the more intense the effort, the less fat is burned. At high intensity, many calories are burned but it is mainly carbohydrates that are consumed and not fat. Conversely, if you work at too low an intensity, the proportion of fat eliminated will be high (it can reach nearly 80%!) but the effort is less, the total number of calories will be low and the weight of fat burned will be minimal.
For optimal sessions, i.e. to lose as much fat as possible with your elliptical, work at moderate intensity, i.e. between 50 and 80% of your FCmax, depending on your physical condition:
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Tip #3: Work at moderate intensity
Contrary to what you might think, to lose fat on an elliptical (or any other cardio sport), it is better to make moderate efforts. In fact, according to studies, the more intense the effort, the less fat is burned. At high intensity, many calories are burned but it is mainly carbohydrates that are consumed and not fat. Conversely, if you work at too low an intensity, the proportion of fat eliminated will be high (it can reach nearly 80%!) but the effort is less, the total number of calories will be low and the weight of fat burned will be minimal.
For optimal sessions, i.e. to lose as much fat as possible with your elliptical, work at moderate intensity, i.e. between 50 and 80% of your FCmax, depending on your physical condition:
| Profile | Working heart rate (FCMax) |
| Obese | 50-55 % |
| Sedentary or not very athletic | 60-70 % |
| Trained athlete | 75-80 % |
Before starting, you must therefore determine your maximum heart rate (FCMax) and then determine your optimal heart rate by applying the percentage indicated above, according to your profile.
For example, a person who is not very athletic with a FCmax of 170 should work at a FC around :
170 x 60% to 170 x 70%, or 102 to 119 bpm.
The idea is to choose a median value and to work around this value.
These values are approximate and may not be well adapted to your case. To know that you are in the right work zone, you must be able to talk during the exercise without getting out of breath.
Once you have identified your work zone, note the target value on your machine. You will need to review this value regularly as it changes with your workout. You can use the touch sensors on your machine, if it has them, to measure your pulse during your workout. The ideal is to use a cardio watch (
In practice: After warming up, gradually adjust the resistance of your elliptical to increase your heart rate to the work zone. Stay in this zone throughout the workout. To avoid boredom, you can change the resistance or adjust your pace, or use a dedicated program, but try to stay in the higher work zone.
Some elliptical machines include heart rate-based fat loss programs: the machine automatically adjusts the resistance based on your heart rate to stay within a target work zone. This is a great feature for eliminating the need to monitor your heart rate while exercising.
Tip #4: Include fractional training
According to recent studies, splits can help you lose 3 times more fat than a classic cardio workout. By combining split sessions with your moderate-intensity workout, you will be even more effective at eliminating fat.
Be careful, the split or high intensity workout (HIIT) requires a good physical condition. Only do it if you already do endurance sports regularly. Ask your doctor for advice.
In practice: include 2 to 3 sets of splits in your sessions. For example 3 minutes where you work in 3 series of 20 seconds at high intensity followed by 40 seconds at low intensity.
Tip #5: Take a break from your session
According to a 2007 study, lipolysis, the process by which the body mobilizes fat, is significantly higher if you take a break from moderate-intensity workouts.
Rather than doing a continuous workout, cut your elliptical session with a 10-15 minute break. For example, if you plan to work out for 40 minutes, work for 20 minutes and then rest for 10 minutes. Then resume your session for 20 minutes.
Tip #6: Exercise at least 30 minutes per session and at least 3 times per week
If you want to lose fat effectively on your elliptical, your sessions should last at least 30 minutes. Indeed, at the beginning of the session, other energy channels are brought into play. Lipolysis (use of fat as energy) is involved from the start but in small proportion. It increases gradually over time to become optimal after only 2h30 to 3h of effort.
To optimize fat elimination, work for at least 30 minutes. Longer sessions are better than shorter ones. For example, it is better to train 2 times 40 minutes during the week rather than 4 times 20 minutes.
To optimize lipolysis, we advise you to stay active right after your session. Go for a walk, do some gardening, cleaning, shopping!
Try to do at least 3 sessions per week: this will not only allow you to burn a lot of fat but also to progress. Your sessions will seem easier and easier. You can then increase the resistance of your machine and lose even more weight without it seeming more difficult! In addition, lipolysis becomes more efficient with training: for the same amount of effort, you will burn more fat in proportion to the calories expended and therefore lose weight more quickly. It’s a virtuous circle!
Tip #7: Track your progress and keep score!
To stay motivated, keep track of your progress by noting in a notebook, for each session, the date, the data of your session (duration, kilocalories expended, distance, average heart rate), your weight, your body fat measured with an impedance meter, your feelings, etc.
Test your physical condition and record the results in your logbook.
To track your fat loss, keep track of the number of minutes you exercise in a chart. Do not count the warm-up time. Count 1 point per minute of activity including cool down time.
To estimate the amount of weight lost in fat on the elliptical, multiply your points by 0.8.
For example: you accumulated 4 hours of activity on your elliptical last month. You have therefore lost approximately :
4h x 60 min = 240 points. Or 240 x 0.8 = 192 g of fat burned
Record these points in a table and plot this number on a graph that you will stick on your machine to motivate you! Add to the graph the total fat burned and the goal you want to reach. Here is an example below.
Be careful, these figures are indicative and only correspond to the fat loss linked to the activity. The actual fat loss will of course depend on what you do on the side (diet, other activities, etc.). Also note that your weight may not follow the same rhythm since, at first, you will gain some muscle and muscle is heavier than fat.
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Tip #8: Take care of your diet and manage blood sugar spikes
The elliptical is an ideal sport for losing weight. But for this activity to be really effective, you must combine it with a healthy, varied and balanced diet. The idea is not to eat less but to eat better.
Respect the balance between carbohydrates, lipids and proteins by combining proteins (meat, fish, eggs, cheese), vegetables and starchy foods (bread, pasta, rice, legumes, cereals, potatoes). Limit the consumption of fats, especially saturated fats (cold cuts, pastries, sauces, fatty meats, whole milk, etc.). Avoid ready-made meals, refined carbohydrates, products that are too salty or too fatty. Give preference to fruits and vegetables. And drink water!
Avoid throwing yourself on sweets after your session. You will quickly make up for the kilocalories lost, even if they will not necessarily be stored as fat (it is first the muscle reserves that will be recharged). As an indication, a 30-minute elliptical session allows you to spend the equivalent of 50 to 80 g of dry cookies. Eat a piece of fruit if you are hungry and drink water.
Tip #9: Hydrate before, during and after your session
The elliptical, like most ergometers, makes you sweat a lot because of the lack of air movement during exercise. To compensate for these losses, you should drink water regularly throughout the session, for example a sip every 5 minutes, but also before and after the session.
Good hydration is indeed necessary to activate the process of eliminating fats, eliminating toxins and avoiding tendonitis. It also promotes drainage, which helps to eliminate cellulite.
