Is a elliptical machine good cardio?

Hello all, I'm new here. I'm just wondering if an elliptical machine is good cardio. The problem with my machine is the battery died so you can't see any info on your progress or change the resistance on it. However, you can still get on it and use it.

I'd go outside and run but it's a bit to cold out and I'm out of shape. I wouldn't say I'm overweight I just have been inactive for some time and being a former smoker, running really kills me.

Answering my question or any other helpful tips or advice to get started would be appreciated.

[QUOTE=Forte81489;445334331]Hello all, I'm new here. I'm just wondering if an elliptical machine is good cardio. The problem with my machine is the battery died so you can't see any info on your progress or change the resistance on it. However, you can still get on it and use it.

I'd go outside and run but it's a bit to cold out and I'm out of shape. I wouldn't say I'm overweight I just have been inactive for some time and being a former smoker, running really kills me.

Answering my question or any other helpful tips or advice to get started would be appreciated.[/QUOTE]

Let me guess. You'd like to lose fat while gain muscle at the same time, and cut some fat just from the belly?

Join a gym. Make yourself feel guilty if you're paying for something you're not using. Start lifting regularly and using cardio only as supplemental exercise if you cannot vary what you are eating and still need to be in a deficit (if applicable).

[QUOTE=Forte81489;445334331]my machine is the battery died so you can't see any info on your progress [/QUOTE]

Check your progress with a measuring tape, scale and/or mirror.



Types of Cardio Exercise:
Any form of exercise can be considered cardio exercise if it raises the heart rate sufficiently and can be sustained for long periods of time.

The elliptical gets a bad wrap but I lost 20lbs from August to November 09 mostly from the Elliptical. Since I didn't want to go hungry, I ate 2000 calories and went into a deficit via elliptical for 40 minutes to an hour. My take is, if your going 80% of your maximum heart rate, your heart doesn't know whether you're running, sprinting, or biking.

[QUOTE=Forte81489;445334331]Hello all, I'm new here. I'm just wondering if an elliptical machine is good cardio. The problem with my machine is the battery died so you can't see any info on your progress or change the resistance on it. However, you can still get on it and use it.

I'd go outside and run but it's a bit to cold out and I'm out of shape. I wouldn't say I'm overweight I just have been inactive for some time and being a former smoker, running really kills me.

Answering my question or any other helpful tips or advice to get started would be appreciated.[/QUOTE]

Of course it's good cardio, I use it a lot more then I run because I get severe shin splints at times, and I don't really like running. Get a heart rate monitor if you want to, the calorie count on those things are usually wrong anyways.

I 2nd getting a HRM. It's no wonder I spent years NOT losing weight. Besides that I was doing everything else wrong haha, I went by the cal monitors on the cardio machines. They are HORRIBLE inaccurate.

[QUOTE=Forte81489;445334331]The problem with my machine is the battery died so you can't see any info on your progress or change the resistance on it. However, you can still get on it and use it.
[/QUOTE]

How about changing the battery? Elliptical can be great cardio but I doubt it's going to be very challenging if you can't increase the resistance. All you will be able to do is go faster, which at a certain point means getting out of control and becomes ridiculous.

I personally don't think the elliptical is a good form of cardio, but since so many people insists it works great then I guess it's better than nothing. IMO if you're sweating, you're breathing hard, your heart rate is up, and you feel like it's hard.... then you're getting a good workout. But it sounds like you can't even up the resistance, so what you'll be doing is moving along WITH The machine rather than making the machine move.

A lot of people don't like running because it's hard, but because it's hard it works you hard. Nobody can just pick up running and right away run 3 miles at a 7 min/mile pace. You gradually build it up and it is painful and "hard" at first. IMO if you're not going to workout right don't workout at all. You'll just be wasting a lot of time and see no results.

do you breathe hard, yes? then yes! haha

I use an eliptical 9 out of 10 times simply because I'm not that good of a runner but I can use the eliptical for sustained periods. As others have said....as long as you can keep your heart rate up then you should be good.