Running on the street VS elliptical ???

[ime2006]

Just wondering

Spend same amount of time on both.
which is more efficient ??


Update:
I just wanna burn more FAT................I should just run longer and have heart rate at 160 avg right ???

[n3wb]

Neither is "more efficient"...It depends on how hard you are working...That said, it is much easier to slack off using the eliptical...if you set the resistance and incline on your elliptical to the point where you feel like you are working as hard as you would be if you were running, you will probably burn about the same number of calories....

In the end, running is the best for weight loss, but running is not the best exercise for everyone and there are many reasons to not do it. The elliptical can be very effective as long as you do it right and for enough time.

The real answer is that different things work for different people.

[jello24]

In terms of convenience, nothing beats running an elliptical at home. That said, you don't go running for the convenience of it.

I found last summer that running around my area was harder on me than running on my elliptical at home, probably because of the impact of pavement and such. It actually pushed me to stick with my elliptical full time.

Set the right resistance on your elliptical and you're golden.

[SizzleChest]

if you have a heart rate monitor, get your heart rate up to a decent working level (130-150 beats per minute) and see how long you can keep it up for each exercise.

[ime2006]

Update:
I just wanna burn more FAT................I should just run longer and have heart rate at 160 avg right ???

[hamsup]

You heart rate depends on your age, size, body type, etc..... Personally i stay around the 140-150 BPM range when doing cardio.

I may be wrong but if your purpose is to just burn fat.. you may want to lower your heart rate and prolong the period of cardio.

do you want to burn fat?? or look better? a complete program will probably do you best. Add in some weights... muscles burn fat.

[ime2006]

Originally Posted by hamsup

You heart rate depends on your age, size, body type, etc..... Personally i stay around the 140-150 BPM range when doing cardio.

I may be wrong but if your purpose is to just burn fat.. you may want to lower your heart rate and prolong the period of cardio.

do you want to burn fat?? or look better? a complete program will probably do you best. Add in some weights... muscles burn fat.

yea, i m doing weights too.
I am focusing on upper body more, Arm, Shoulder, Chest, back, and abs.
I have very strong leg already......
But its just the belly fat, I really would like to minimize it.

I wanna be looking cut. Not bulky.

Like Brad Pitt in "Snatch"

[SizzleChest]

Originally Posted by ime2006

Update:
I just wanna burn more FAT................I should just run longer and have heart rate at 160 avg right ???

good luck trying to stay at 160. you'll hit the wall in less than 10 minutes.

Originally Posted by hamsup

I may be wrong but if your purpose is to just burn fat.. you may want to lower your heart rate and prolong the period of cardio.

correct. throw in some interval training as well.

[racerman88]

I'll use the elliptical when my knees are a little sore.

[ajei]

Originally Posted by jello24

In terms of convenience, nothing beats running an elliptical at home. That said, you don't go running for the convenience of it.

I found last summer that running around my area was harder on me than running on my elliptical at home, probably because of the impact of pavement and such. It actually pushed me to stick with my elliptical full time.

Set the right resistance on your elliptical and you're golden.

^this...
i usually run on elliptical daily cuz its convenient... and doing street running may be hard on your joints after awhile (depends on the person tho)...i like the elliptical cuz its got a bunch of programs i can gauge myself with over time....
If its not too hard, try some sprints x interval training (like 20 second sprint, 10 second walk...do it like 8 times non stop)<< works best outdoors w/ a slight incline....twice a week, and you'll burn fat off in no time.

[sonick]

Originally Posted by ime2006

yea, i m doing weights too.
I am focusing on upper body more, Arm, Shoulder, Chest, back, and abs.
I have very strong leg already......
But its just the belly fat, I really would like to minimize it.

I wanna be looking cut. Not bulky.

Like Brad Pitt in "Snatch"

Belly fat is cut in the kitchen, not in the gym.

[ime2006]

Originally Posted by sonick

Belly fat is cut in the kitchen, not in the gym.

I eat very very lean.......

High protein, low carbs, not much of fat.

Mostly Oatmeal and protein shake in the morning, the rest pretty much like, chicken breast, tuna water boiled, baby spinach, lean steak, and protein shake before bed.

[see.lai]

Personally, If you want to lose fat, then I'd suggest you doing exercises that include an olympic barbell such as squats, deadlifts, bench, rows, cleans etc.. Squats and deadlifts are the best for losing fat, in my opinion. They tend to burn more fat than normal cardio.

Like one of the above posters said, cutting belly fat is best done in the kitchen. You have to be dedicated and motivated. You can't just go to the gym and maybe do a few sets and then talk to a couple buddies. You have to go hard if you want the results.

Cardio may work for some people, or heavy lifting may be right for you. It's all on your preference. In case you get bored, you should mix up your routines. When I first started out, I did p90x for a month and it got me into the habit of eating healthy and going to the gym.

Also, note that even if you are eating lean meats, you also have to make sure you're not exceeding your limit of calories.

I hope I helped at least a bit..

[Vangruver]

Originally Posted by ime2006

Just wondering

Spend same amount of time on both.
which is more efficient ??


Update:
I just wanna burn more FAT................I should just run longer and have heart rate at 160 avg right ???

You'll enjoy cycling more, as it also works your core more so than running will.

And if you combine the running with cycling, you'll notice improvements all around.

I can't run due to the shock on my joints, but i do walk a lot to supplement the different muscle groups used. And I walked with weights on my legs. No where near as effective but it helped a little bit.

[SizzleChest]

Originally Posted by Vangruver

You'll enjoy cycling more, as it also works your core more so than running will.

i disagree.

[yameen]

i don't know everyone's elliptical routine so i'm going to post mine here and can someone tell me if i'm doing okay? i only started going to the gym 2weeks ago and i'm a gym noob. I know i'm not healthy and so it finally hit me and now i'm exercising. i'm 5'9" and 194 lbs. i set my resistance on the elliptical to 8 and start off slow for the first 2-3minutes, then go to 10 and do faster cycles. i alternate back and forth for 30mins and on the machine it says i burn about 400 calories but i know it's not accurate. my heart rate is at a constant 160-170 and i sweat like a pig.

am i at risk of overexhausting myself or does this seem okay? any input is great! btw, i lost 5 lbs in 2 weeks ever since i hit the gym =). i'm lifting very light weight because i'm actually very weak. i get this look from some ppl but i don't care. i gotta start out somewhere.

[RayBot]

^^ Someone correct me, but having your heartrate at 160-170 for 30 minutes straight doesn't sound healthy.



As for ellipticals, i stopped using them altogether unless i am recovering from injury.

Good thing about ellipticals is that it is extremely low impact. However, your workout is only about 40% effecient considering your weight does most of the work on an elliptical. The moment your body weight pushes one of the footpods down, the other footpod is automatically lifted.....so really, the majority of your workout is compromised. But for starting levels, its a great way to start.

Running whether its on a treadmill or outdoors is full range motion. No cardio is supposed to be 'high-impact,' but if you are running and it feels like its high impact....you want to be questioning your motion as it could lead to injury. But in running, you are lifting your own body weight and projecting with each step unlike an elliptical.

But if your diet is pristine and you want to be losing belly fat.....well intervals have already been mentioned.
On top of that you want to look into a core routine....NOT to be confused with an 'AB' routine. So pretty much look for a routine that includes squats, kettlebells, planks, mountainclimbers....etc. Not the excercises that you are gonna find on the AbRipperX on P90x.

Once (sometimes twice) a week, i have been doing plyometrics at the gym. Its something you can do for a good hour with LOTS of breaks in between and it will still feel like you ran for an hour or two. Plus, plyometrics (as well as core) is very sports functional as well. Not to be rushed into right away as plyometrics is very high impact, especially if you don't have the strongest knees.

[yameen]

^ well it goes from 60-120 in the first 5-10mins, then it kind of plateau's at 160-170 in the last 20 mins.

[Alar]

Plyometrics should not be done by gym novices. Even the experienced need proper coaching. Once fatigue kicks in so does improper form.

Best weight training excercises for fat loss is compound movements. ie Olympic bar work...

and +1 for interval training. The body will be working at high intensity in shorter burts.

Also look into active rest.

A ton of cardio may work...but there are other ways. When I cut weight I don't do more than 20 minutes of running, bike, or eliptical/week. Just a muscle endurance program incorporating intervals with the such like rope undulations.

[SizzleChest]

Originally Posted by TG

^ well it goes from 60-120 in the first 5-10mins, then it kind of plateau's at 160-170 in the last 20 mins.

if you're able to hold your heart rate that high for that long, you are either young and/or in well above average condition.

[RayBot]

Originally Posted by SizzleChest

if you're able to hold your heart rate that high for that long, you are either young and/or in well above average condition.

Well whats better??
Holding a 155bpm for 20 minutes at high performance?? Or maintaining a 165bpm for 20 minutes a mid-level performance?

To my understanding, if you can hold a lower heartrate at a higher performance level, thats means ur in pretty good shape...right?

So wouldn't be maintaining 160bpm really pushing it?

[SizzleChest]

Originally Posted by RayBot

Well whats better??
Holding a 155bpm for 20 minutes at high performance?? Or maintaining a 165bpm for 20 minutes a mid-level performance?

To my understanding, if you can hold a lower heartrate at a higher performance level, thats means ur in pretty good shape...right?

So wouldn't be maintaining 160bpm really pushing it?

it's all dependant on the person

for someone who never runs and is out of shape, they might reach 160bpm running at 6.0mph for 5 minutes, but they won't be able to maintain that speed or heartrate for any length of time and will have to stop

for someone who does run and is in shape, they might reach the same heartrate at a much faster mph, but will be able to maintain that speed and heartrate because of their conditioning.

age also plays a factor. generally, the younger you are, the higher the heartrate you are able to achieve.