How Long Should You Be on the Elliptical?

If you are looking for ways to lose weight faster, then you might have heard that riding an elliptical makes it easier than any other machine. Now if you are new to using ellipticals you might be quite overwhelmed to wonder how long should I be on the elliptical to get the fastest results.

Elliptical workouts can help with losing weight in approximately 30 to 60 days. If high-intensity interval workouts are performed every 5 days a week then approximately in 30 days almost 10 kilograms can be shredded. However, if you are doing low-intensity workouts every week on the elliptical then it will take around 60 days to have noticeable weight loss.

Losing weight is faster using the elliptical if it is coupled with a number of other things like good diet and HIIT exercise. Following all the right approaches to elliptical workouts can accelerate weight loss. This article incorporates all information pertaining to elliptical workouts to help you enhance your weight loss.   


What Factors Accelerate and Delay Weight Loss on Elliptical?

Losing weight on the elliptical is quite faster than riding on any other workout machine. However, depending on the intensity of your workout, your calorie intake, and your approaches to using the elliptical; the time to lose weight on the elliptical varies.

Below I have talked about some factors that influence the rate at which you can lose weight by regular elliptical exercises.

The intensity of Your Workout 

Depending on whether you choose to do high intensity or low-intensity workout on the elliptical your time for losing weight will vary.

If you perform High-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts regularly then you will be able to lose almost 10 kilograms in 30 days. However, if you do not prefer heavy cardio then doing Low-intensity steady state (LISS) workouts will be toning your body in around 60 days. 

High-intensity workouts help you to burn your calories even when you are not working out. Therefore, high-intensity workouts on the elliptical should be your preference if you have the goal set for shedding 9 to 10 kilograms in 30 days. 

The fitness instructors also suggest that doing a 20 minutes high-intensity workout on the elliptical is a better choice to see some fast results in the weight loss journey. High-intensity workouts increase your heart rate. And increased heart rate works as a catalyst to burn calories faster.

The more intense workout you will perform the more your heart rate will be increased. And it will cause your body to use more of your body fat to restore the energy you lose during the high-intensity workout. Therefore, a high-intensity workout on an elliptical will take approximately 30 days to lose weight and even tone the body.

Performing low-intensity workouts on the elliptical takes a comparatively longer time to lose weight than high-intensity workouts. But, low-intensity workouts on an elliptical still can give you faster weight loss results than any other workout machines.

If you run 30 minutes on the elliptical every 5 days a week then you will notice your legs and arms will get even-toned in approximately 60 days. And you will lose some weight as well in these 60 days.

So, if you dread heavy cardio and your aim is to lose a significant number of calories in less than three months then perform low-intensity workouts on the elliptical regularly.

To plan out how many calories you will be burning in your elliptical workout sessions you can check out this Elliptical Calorie Calculator. This should help you plan out a proper work out session depending on your current body state and goals.

Calorie Intake

Losing weight on the elliptical gets accelerated if your elliptical workouts are coupled with proper calorie intake. If you consume processed food in less quantity and start taking thermic foods regularly then your elliptical workouts will provide faster results.

Taking thermic foods, in other words, foods with high fiber, plant-based, and animal protein increases your metabolism. When your metabolism is increased it will really give a boost in your efforts on the elliptical.

High metabolism will help you burn more calories during workouts and rest. So, if you add thermic foods like beans, tofu, lentils, and seafood to your meal you will be able to accelerate your weight loss with your elliptical workouts.

Approaches to Riding an Elliptical 

You need to incorporate some useful approaches while you ride the Elliptical machine so that you do not delay losing weight. To see the faster results on the elliptical you need to adapt these approaches described below.

While you push and pull through the elliptical stride, you need to use your resistance as much as possible. With increased resistance, while working out on elliptical you will be able to tone your body and cut some calories faster than you can do with zero resistance.

While working out if you lean your body towards the elliptical armrests then it will reduce the calorie burning while you work out. And that will prevent you from losing weight faster. To get a faster result, you need to stand up straight while you push and pull through the elliptical stride. It will cause you to use up a lot of your energy and your body will burn more fat to restore your energy. 

If you put too much pressure while riding your elliptical machine you will most probably delay your weight loss. Putting too much pressure on your toes will cause you to lose your stamina. Also, it might numb your feet.

With low stamina and numb feet, you won’t be able to maintain a pace with your elliptical workouts. And it will delay your weight loss. To avoid facing these issues, go easy on your toes by using your heels to sit back while working out. 

Only working your lower half won’t accelerate your weight loss. Therefore, you should work your upper body once a week with the help of moving handles of the elliptical machine. And working both your upper and lower half will accelerate your weight loss. 

What Are the Elliptical Workouts that Accelerate Weight Loss?

Almost all high-intensity interval training or HIIT workouts on elliptical accelerate weight loss. Below here are two of the most common HIIT workouts that you can consider doing to accelerate your weight loss:


Front to Back

With the help of this exercise, you will be able to tone down your lower half of the body. Because while performing this workout you work your lower half muscles and core.  

In this workout, you need to set the incline at nine. And then you need to pull and pull through the elliptical stride by moving your legs counterclockwise and clockwise. You need to do this exercise every 5 days a week for 20 minutes.


Backward Running 

This 20-minute workout requires working both your upper and lower half of your body. If you need to tone your whole body at the same time then this workout should be your preference. 

To perform this workout, you need to push and pull the elliptical stride by forward and backward pedaling. While you pedal backward, do remember to use your upper body to increase resistance and balance. This workout will burn up to 300 calories in 20 minutes. 


Elliptical workouts help to cut weight faster than the other workout machines. But cutting weight on the elliptical is not only about chalking out how long should I be on the elliptical to get fast results. It is also about maintaining a good diet and planning out proper approaches to workouts. Only then elliptical workouts can accelerate your weight loss.

I hope you are able to greatly accelerate your weight loss with what you have learned in this article. Thank you so much for reading. And, I wish you all the best on your weight loss journey.

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