Does The Elliptical Work on Your Stomach? We Asked The Fitness Experts
Category: Fitness Machine & Workout Tips
So you are trying to get in shape or work out to get healthier and considering buying an elliptical machine specifically to get rid of some belly fat. The question you are yourself asking is: Does The Elliptical Work On Your Stomach? And is it worth investing in for this reason?
Most people have an aim when they decide to take up an exercise regime. This is rarely a simple ‘get fitter’ route, and is often more about targeting specific parts of the body, either to reduce their bulk, or create muscle instead.
Whether in a gym or in a home setting, the elliptical machine, or cross trainer, is one of the most popular types of gym equipment.
Along with the treadmill, you will see many elliptical machines in gyms, both small elliptical machines and large ellipticals. These are also available for purchase to be used at home, although they do come at quite a hefty price tag.
What Is An Elliptical Machine?
To cut out the jargon, an elliptical machine, or a cross trainer as it is more commonly known, is a machine which stands stationary and the person stands on it and uses their legs and arms to simulate the act of running, walking, or climbing.
The plus point of using an elliptical machine over actually carrying out these activities in the great outdoors is that it is designed to put less pressure and impact on the joints. This makes and elliptical machine ideal for anyone who has joint problems, specifically the hips and knees.
But, if you want to target the stomach, i.e. to rid yourself of belly fat, will an elliptical machine actually help?
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Can The Elliptical Machine Help You Get Rid of Belly Fat?
Anyone who wants to reduce the amount of belly fat they have may find benefits from using an elliptical machine. Depending upon the intensity of your workout, you’re actually burning a good number of calories on an elliptical machine, which gives you a cardiovascular boost. Within this, you’re actually also building muscle.
While an elliptical doesn’t specifically target the stomach and abdominal muscles, burning calories generally reduces the waistline to some degree anyway. You could argue that any exercise is good exercise, and that’s true, but if you want to really target your specific problem hot spots, you need to tailor your exercise routine carefully.
So, yes, your stomach muscles will benefit from good elliptical workouts, but it isn’t going to be the main area of benefit. That main elliptical machine benefits would be seen in areas around your legs, thighs, buttocks, and your arms.
Of course, the overall total of calories you burn during an elliptical machine workout session really depends on how hard you work, how long you spend on it, and your starting weight. An average is around the 300-400 calorie mark for a 30 minutes session.
How To Tailor Your Elliptical Workout Plans To Burn Stomach Fat
As we mentioned earlier, when you are on an elliptical machine, you are mostly using it for cardiovascular exercise, but it adds strength to muscles at the same time. Your core muscles get a good workout too, as well as the leg and arm muscles we mentioned earlier.
So here is a tip:
In order to target the stomach, don’t use the arms of the machine, because this will further isolate your core muscles and give them a greater workout. This will strengthen your abdominal muscles overall.
When you are not using the elliptical machine, you should also focus on a few other exercises which work to isolate the abdominal muscles, and to therefore give you a much greater chance of losing weight from this all-too-often problem area. These types of exercises could include crunches (either using an exercise ball or not), as well as planks.
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If you are mainly wanting to focus your entire attention on your stomach, then an elliptical machine alone will not 100% do the trick, but it will help to a large degree.
By following a healthy diet, using the other exercises we just mentioned (crunches and planks), and by giving yourself a good amount of time on the elliptical machine, you will find that you are not only burning calories and therefore reducing your fat levels, but you’re strengthening and toning the muscles in the stomach and abdominal area too.
So what is the final verdict? So does the elliptical work on your stomach?
If you are trying to cut belly fat or reduce weight in general, you will begin to see very advantages of using an elliptical over time – but it also won’t happen overnight. So does the elliptical work on your stomach? The answer is yes; but there isn’t a single exercise machine which is going to 100% rid you of belly fat and focus on the stomach, without other things added in too.
For this reason, the elliptical machine is an accessible, and easy-to-use option for most people. The other plus point is the lack of impact on the leg joints, helping to avoid exercise-related injuries.
You can also Shop Apple Fitness Store, Shop Garmin Fitness Tech Store, and the Shop Fitbit Store for more cool and in demand fitness wearable tech gadgets.
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Sunny Health & Fitness SF-E905 Elliptical Machine Cross Trainer with 8 Level Resistance and Digital Monitor , Gray, White, 28 L x 17 W x 57 H
$149.99 in stock
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Sunny Health & Fitness Fully Assembled Magnetic Under Desk Elliptical Peddler – SF-E3872
$129.97 in stock
4 used from $55.76
Body Rider Elliptical Machine and Stationary Bike with Seat and Easy Computer, Dual Trainer 2-in-1 Cardio Exercise Machine, Home Gym, Workout Equipment BRD2000, Black & grey, One Size
$157.30 in stock
Niceday Under Desk Elliptical, Fully Assembled, Quiet Seated Elliptical, with 8 Adjustable Resistance&Bluetooth Foot Pedal Exerciser, Under Desk Bike Pedal Exerciser, Exerciser for Seniors
$161.49 in stock
Under Desk Elliptical, Electric Seated Leg Foot Pedal Exerciser with Remote and LCD Monitor, Home & Office Under Desk Cycle, Portable Rehab Exercise Equipment for Seniors, Adults, and Teens
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LifePro Vibration Plate Exercise Machine - Whole Body Workout Vibration Fitness Platform w/ Loop Bands - Home Training Equipment - Remote, Balance Straps, Videos & Manual
$159.79 in stock
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Under Desk Elliptical Machine, Mini Compact Elliptical Machine with Non-Slip Pedal, Display Monitor and Remote Control, Elliptical Pedal Exerciser for Seniors Adults and Teens
Stamina InMotion E1000 Compact Strider - Seated Elliptical with Smart Workout App - Foot Pedal Exerciser for Home Workout - Up to 250 lbs Weight Capacity - Silver
$148.95 in stock
6 used from $119.99
Cubii JR2, Under Desk Elliptical, Under Desk Bike Pedal Exerciser, Seated Elliptical, Work from Home Fitness, Mini Elliptical Machines for Home Use, Cubii Exerciser for Seniors, Desk Exercise, Aqua
DeskCycle Ellipse Under Desk Elliptical Machine, Compact Mini Seated Elliptical Desk Exercise Equipment, Desk Cycle Pedal Exerciser, Black
$249.00 in stock
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Body Power Patented 2-in-1 Elliptical Machine & Stair Stepper Trainer with Curve-Crank Technology, Exercise Equipment Home Gym, HIIT Training Machine, 1 Year Warranty BST800
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YYFITT Under Desk Elliptical Machine for Home Office, Seated Pedal Exerciser with Silent Magnetic Resistance, 2-in-1 Elliptical Trainer with Big Display and Oversized Pedals
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LifePro Under Desk Elliptical - Under Desk Pedal Exerciser to Strengthen Muscles and Build Cardiovascular Fitness - Stationary Desk Exercise Equipment with LCD Monitor for Leg Recovery and Therapy
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ORBITREK MX - Motorized Under Desk Elliptical Machine | Mini Cycle Exercise Bike | Compact Foot Pedal Fitness Trainer | Compact Elliptical Exerciser for Seniors | Portable Home Gym | (Orbitrek MX)
$219.99 in stock
Sunny Health & Fitness Mini Stepper with Resistance Bands, Black
$54.90 in stock
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As Seen On TV BluTiger Seated Elliptical Machine - Burn Calories While Working, Reading & Watching TV - Large Pedals - Digital Display - Easily Assembles in Minutes - All Fitness Levels
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1 used from $159.99
DeskCycle Under Desk Bike Pedal Exerciser - Desk Exercise Equipment with Magnetic Resistance - Leg Exerciser While Sitting for Office Workout or Home Fitness
Stamina InMotion Compact Strider with Cords - Smart Workout App, No Subscription Required - Adjustable Tension - Integrated Fitness Monitor
$132.49 in stock
9 used from $115.86
Marcy Magnetic Elliptical Trainer Cardio Workout Machine with Transport Wheels NS-40501E
1 used from $132.69
LegActivator - The Seated Leg Exerciser & Physiotherapy Machine for Seniors that Improves your Health and Blood Circulation while Sitting in the Comfort of your Home or Office
$249.00 in stock
PERLECARE Under Desk Elliptical Portable Elliptical Machine, Desk Bike Pedal Exerciser with Adjustable Resistance & LCD Monitor, Non-Slip Quiet Elliptical Suitable for Gym Office Home - Model PCPE01
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Sunny Health and Fitness Magnetic Under Desk Mini Bike Pedal Exerciser
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5 used from $80.04
ANCHEER Under Desk Electric Mini Elliptical Machine, Remote Control Portable Exercise Elliptical Trainer with Large Pedal, LCD Monitor Compact Trainer for Home & Office Gym
$219.00 in stock
Under Desk Elliptical Machine, Mini Elliptical Machine, Elliptical Pedal Machine, Under Desk Pedal Exerciser, Compact Elliptical Machine Trainer with Non-Slip Pedal for Home Office Workout, Black
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Bluefin Fitness CURV 2.0 Elliptical Cross Trainer | Home Gym | Exercise Step Machine | Air Walker | Compact | Kinomap | Live Video Streaming | Video Coaching & Training | Black & Grey Silver
Sunny Health & Fitness Pink Under Desk Elliptical Machine - P2030
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Hausse Portable Exercise Pedal Bike for Legs and Arms, Mini Exercise Peddler with LCD Display
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Vaunn Medical Under Desk Bike Pedal Exerciser with Electronic Display for Legs and Arms Workout (Fully Assembled Folding Exercise Pedaler, no Tools Required)
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ANCHEER Seated Elliptical Machines for Home Use, Office, Under Desk Cycle, Indoor Mini Pedal Exerciser, Under Desk Elliptical Machine with Built in Display Monitor, Remote Control, for Seniors, Adults
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Sunny Health & Fitness Portable Stand Up Elliptical - SF-E3908
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Bionic Body Magnetic Tension Under-Desk Elliptical Mini Stepper Trainer with Resistance Tubes NS-1009, One Size
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Leasbar Under Desk Elliptical Exercise Machine Mini Exercise Bike Cycle for Home Office Workout Exercise Equipment Pedal Exerciser Adjustable Resistance with Monitor 30dB Ultra Quiet
LifePro Under Desk Elliptical - Under Desk Bike Pedal Exerciser - Perfect Desk Exercise Equipment - for Seniors Adults and Teens - Foot Pedal Exerciser and Desk Workout (Rove Elliptical Machine)
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LifePro Under Desk Elliptical Machine - Seated Under Desk Elliptical - 16 Levels Resistance Mini Elliptical Low Impact Under Desk Exercise Equipment w/Yoga Resistance Bands (Flexstride Pro Blue)
Uten Folding Pedal Exerciser, Under Desk Bike Pedal Exerciser, Mini Under Desk Exercise Bike Foot Hand Cycle Portable, Arm and Leg Exercise Peddler Machine with LCD Monitor, Leg Exercise Equipment
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