An elliptical workout gives you great cardio exercise when you add it to your daily routine, even for only a few minutes. It helps in toning your body; it also refreshes your mind, which improves your overall productivity related to fitness and your work.
Most individuals use an elliptical to lose weight. For them, it is important to know how many calories you can burn in a certain time and what other factors influence the calorie burn.
If you are one of them, look at the key factors below that decide your workout output.
- Your weight
- The resistance you choose
- Speed of your workout
If you are interested to know how much time it will take for an average person to burn 1000 calories, then I can say it would be anywhere between 60 minutes to 90 minutes.
Again, you need to consider the parameters mentioned above to better understand the time frame.
When you understand how each stipulation affects your workout, you can uncover the optimal plan that suits your body. Apart from letting you know what effect these listed elements have on your workout, we will also discuss the benefits of using an elliptical.
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Using an Elliptical to Burn 1000 Calories
The more time you spend on an exercise machine, the more calories it burns. However, there are a few limitations that you should follow when coming to time. Otherwise, you will end up overworking your body and causing damage to your muscles.
Effect of Weight on Your Calorie Burn
Your time limit depends on your stamina and your fitness level. It is a rough estimate that a person can burn 2.16 calories per pound in a 30-minute exercise.
This should serve as a baseline for your initial calculations to find an optimal timing to get the most out of your exercise without straining your body.
For instance, a person of 150 pounds can burn approximately 325 calories when they exercise for 30 minutes. It implies that, by spending nearly 90 minutes, that person can achieve the goal of burning 1000 calories a day.
So, as already mentioned, the time frame should be adjusted depending on your weight. This measure is not completely accurate as the calorie burn also depends on the resistance you are using and the speed with which you are exercising.
Now that you understand that no single factor can provide you with an accurate measure of how many calories you can burn in a certain time, let us know more about each factor for a precise measure of the calories you spend while you exercise.
Check out the below comparison of various weights and the number of calories burned for a 30 minutes session:
| Weight | Calories Burned |
| 100 lbs | 216 |
| 150 lbs | 324 |
| 200 lbs | 432 |
| 250 lbs | 540 |
| 300 lbs | 648 |
Effect of Resistance Setting on Your Calorie Burn
When the resistance setting is high, you can burn more calories in a certain time frame than when the setting is low. It means that you must work out for a lesser time when the resistance settings are set at higher levels.
The higher the resistance, the lower the time, and the lower the resistance, the more time you need to reach the same caloric goal.
Effect of Speed on Your Calorie Burn
Ellipticals give you back the exact speed proportional to the energy you put in. Unlike other machines such as the treadmill, where you can set a certain speed, the elliptical depends on the push you give while pedaling it.
Since the speed is directly proportional to the energy you spend, the greater the speed more is the calorie burn. A person working slow requires more time to spend the same energy as a person working at a high speed.
Which Is Better, an Elliptical or a Treadmill?
The most found exercise machines in a home gym are an elliptical and a treadmill. Both work differently and have specific functions with their advantages and disadvantages.
Treadmills offer higher calorie burn than ellipticals, but you need to consider the impact that running has on your knees. An elliptical offers a low-impact workout even though it outputs less calorie burn than treadmills.
Based on your need, each piece of equipment has a higher preference. If you are planning to race, then working on a treadmill will help you achieve better form for your sport. On the other hand, if you need to save your knees from impact, an elliptical is the ideal machine.
Elliptical vs. Walking, Which Is Better?
When comparing walking, running, and elliptical training, the calorie burn order is running, elliptical training, and walking.
As per an article published in New York Times, ellipticals can burn more calories than walking in one hour.
So, if you are in a fix between choosing walking or an elliptical, you got your answer. Ellipticals not only offer the advantage of higher calorie burn but also cardio exercise with low impact, which is another good reason to choose an elliptical over walking.
What Are the Benefits of an Elliptical?
First of all, my favorite reason for using an elliptical is it offers a fun workout and is suitable for all ages meaning a complete family can use it easily.
There are many but let us see a few important points among them are listed below:
- Ellipticals are safer than treadmills, as the operation speed lies in the hands of the user
- Targeting specific parts of your body for strength and toning is possible
- Improves your balance and posture that, reflects in your daily life as well
- Burns calories quickly in a brief time
- Strengthens your abdominal muscles and lower body, such as quadriceps and calves
- Melts off the excessive weight and slims down your body
- Moving handles offer workout to arms also
- Increases your stamina with a consistent workout
- Offers minimal impact workout, which is also suitable for physical recovery
- Reduces anxiety, stress and improves your mood
Gain Optimal Output from Your Workouts
You need not do the same kind of workout every day using an elliptical. There are several variations you can try which can eliminate the boredom and monotony of exercising.
Try not to hold the handlebars while you work out to improve your core strength and balance.
To target your calves, try increasing the resistance and incline, which will also strengthen them. For nurturing muscle growth, all you need to do is pedal backward. The advanced models are equipped with preset programs.
Try using them for added advantage and a change from your daily routine. You can also use them to target a specific muscle or a certain goal without the need to fiddle with too many settings.
Summary
Even people who do not like jogging, walking, or running find ellipticals interesting. They offer a great cardio workout for both your upper and lower body. You can tone, strengthen, and slim your body using this machine.
Achieving a good posture, improving your stamina, low-impact workout, and having full control over the speed are mentioned worthy advantages of ellipticals. Finally, you can easily achieve your goal of burning 1000 calories a day using an elliptical as you train consistently.
