Does The Elliptical Work on Your Stomach? We Asked The Fitness Experts
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
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?
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.
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.
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