This workout burns as much as running—without the impact

Like other aerobic conditioning workouts, an elliptical machine allows for repetitive movements of the arms and/or legs to increase energy demand of the muscles and cardiovascular system, says Alexander Rothstein, CSCS, ACSM-EP, an exercise physiologist and instructor for the Exercise Science program at New York Institute of Technology. Another cool perk is that anyone can use and benefit from an elliptical machine since they engage a variety of muscles while limiting overall stress on the body, he says.

Meet the experts: Alexander Rothstein, CSCS, ACSM-EP, is an exercise physiologist and instructor for the Exercise Science program at New York Institute of Technology. Grace Horan, ACSM-EP, is an exercise physiologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery. Cara D’Orazio, CPT, is a certified personal trainer, group fitness instructor, and founder of C.G.M Fitness, Inc.

Sounds good, right? Ahead, fitness experts weigh in on everything you need to know about the benefits of an elliptical—plus, the potential downsides and how the machine compares to running and cycling.

What is an elliptical machine?

An elliptical is a low-impact, stationary exercise machine designed to simulate running, walking, or cross-country skiing without the high-impact stress on joints, says Cara D’Orazio, CPT, a certified personal trainer, group fitness instructor, and founder of C.G.M Fitness, Inc. It works by using foot pedals and handlebars to provide a fluid motion, engaging the legs, arms, and core muscles, by utilising a combination of gears, pulleys, and flywheels to create resistance.

The machine is often known for its low-impact benefits, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. ‘The feet and hands maintain contact with the machine at all times, moving in a circular motion, and as you continuously push against the force of the cross trainer, the cardiovascular system must work to supply oxygen and nutrients to the working muscles,’ says Horan. In turn, this can lead to positive cardiovascular outcomes when done at a sufficient intensity, frequency, and duration, she explains.

So that begs the question: how often should you use an elliptical? The duration, frequency, and intensity will vary based on your current ability and goals, but if the elliptical is used as your primary form of cardiovascular exercise, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends moderate-intensity exercise for 30 to 60 minutes on five or more days per week, says Horan. Alternatively, you can do vigorous intensity exercise for 20 to 60 minutes three days a week, she adds.

If you’re a beginner or completely new to exercise, D’Orazio also recommends starting with shorter sessions between 10 to 15 minutes. From there, you can gradually increase the duration and frequency once you build endurance.

As for using a cross trainer, it’s relatively straightforward, but D’Orazio recommends the following tips to maximise safety and efficiency:

1. Stand upright with your feet on the pedals, toes facing forward. Keep your weight over your legs and avoid leaning into the arm handles.
2. Hold the handlebars at or just below shoulder height with your arms relaxed.
3. Engage your core and start pushing and pulling the handles and pedals evenly in a forward motion. Your entire foot should maintain contact with the pedals and your knees should remain slightly bent.
4. Increase or decrease intensity as needed by hitting the up or down arrows on the dashboard.

The elliptical vs running vs cycling: how they compare

The cross trainer and running are both great forms of cardio, but the biggest difference between the two is impact, says Rothstein. The elliptical is lower impact compared to running, which is beneficial if you’re trying to decrease strain on the joints, but the higher impact of running recruits a great degree of lower-body muscles since more force is needed to propel yourself forward, he explains. The elliptical, on the other hand, does some of the propelling work for you since it’s a limited range of motion and momentum helps push and/or pull the pedals. However, perceived exertion, oxygen consumption, and caloric expenditure are known to be the same in both running and using an elliptical when the two are trained at similar intensities, says Horan.

As for cycling, an elliptical can be similar since your feet push against stationary pedals in both modalities, but the upper body involvement on the elliptical is unique, says D’Orazio. As a result, an elliptical may have a slight edge when it comes to caloric burn and heart rate since it recruits more muscles, she explains. That said, hills and uneven terrain come into play when you’re outdoor cycling, so the exact energy expenditure between the two modalities can be relatively comparative if the intensities are similar, adds Horan.

Benefits of elliptical workouts

1. Low-impact

‘Elliptical exercise is known to be low-impact on the joints, and could be a good alternative to something like walking or running for people with musculoskeletal issues,” says Horan. Your lower body muscles and joints can take a beating during high-impact cardio, but because your feet never come off the pedals of an elliptical, the machine eliminates the ground’s impact, she explains. Elliptical exercise also allows for weight to be shared between the stance leg and swing leg throughout each stride, further decreasing the ground’s forces on each limb, she adds.

2. Burns calories

If you’re looking to torch calories, elliptical exercise can be a useful cardio tool for weight loss, since it’s known to burn a similar number of calories compared to running or cycling at similar intensities, says Horan. ‘When paired with a healthy diet, burning calories through cardiovascular exercise will aid in maintaining a caloric deficit, which will lead to weight loss over an extended period of time’, she explains. Depending on your bodyweight, an elliptical can burn between 270 to 400 calories in 30 minutes, per research out of Harvard Health.

3. Full-body workout

An elliptical trains muscles of the upper and lower body, and the integrated nature includes some core training because energy is transferred from the upper and lower halves of the body and the right and left halves of the body which is the purpose of the core’, says Rothstein. So, an elliptical can offer a great full-body workout thanks to the large amount of muscle activation, he explains. Just note that an elliptical activates these muscles in an endurance capacity, instead of via strength or hypertrophy, so it won’t necessarily increase muscle size, he says.

4. Supports cardiovascular health

Cardiovascular exercise provided by an elliptical can increase aerobic capacity, also known as VO2max, which is linked to lower incidence of cardiovascular disease, metabolic disease such as diabetes, and some forms of cancer, says Horan. Plus, when you do aerobic exercise, your heart and lungs work extra hard to supply your muscles with oxygen and blood, which can help build cardiovascular stamina and endurance both during exercise and at rest, she says.

5. Versatile

The elliptical is exceptionally versatile since it can be used for a stand-alone cardio workout or as a warm-up, says Horan. After all, an elliptical can warm-up your upper and lower body prior to resistance training which is key for optimal performance and decreased risk of injury, she explains. The adjustable resistance and intensity is also great for catering to a diverse range of fitness goals and abilities, adds D’Orazio.

6. Supports injury recovery

If you’re coming off a running injury, studies found that using an elliptical is a great way to maintain your fitness. In fact, the same study found that oxygen consumption and heart rate were comparable between the treadmill, elliptical, and stepper, though an elliptical put less strain on muscles and joints which is key for healing an injury.

Downsides of the elliptical

Although an elliptical is generally safe, there are a few downsides. First, if your goal is to improve cycling or running performance, an elliptical likely won’t directly support your training since the movement pattern and muscle activation is different, says Rothstein.

An elliptical also isn’t the most functional form of exercise. ‘Elliptical training consists of mostly concentric muscle contractions, which means tension while the muscle is shortening, which is a possible drawback since many real-world activities include concentric, eccentric, and isometric contractions’, says Rothstein. ‘I wouldn’t define the elliptical as the most efficient form of cardio, but it’s a great option if you’re trying to include more of a whole-body workout with lower impact’.

And though an elliptical can be beneficial for people with joint issues, those who use one entirely over running miss out on the benefits that higher impact exercises have on increasing bone density, says Horan. ‘High-impact exercise such as running leads to a favourable internal environment for bone formation, which can increase bone density, and this can be beneficial for an aging population, especially women, who are known to have a higher incidence of osteoporosis after menopause,” she explains.

Finally, the low-impact nature of an elliptical has limited gains on muscle strength, so if your goal is to build and/or increase muscle size, it’s important to incorporate resistance training two to three days a week alongside use of an elliptical, adds D’Orazio.

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Andi Breitowich is a Chicago-based writer and graduate student at Northwestern Medill. She’s a mass consumer of social media and cares about women’s rights, holistic wellness, and non-stigmatizing reproductive care. As a former collegiate pole vaulter, she has a love for all things fitness and is currently obsessed with Peloton Tread workouts and hot yoga.