Gym Report - cardio

[susandennis]

30 minutes on the elliptical. I don't know why but 30 minutes on the elliptical is way harder for me than 30 minutes on the treadmill. But today, on the way over, I set myself for 30 minutes and I refuse to be dissuaded. Now I am tired and sweaty and my heels and ankles hurt but I am done and feeling virtuous.

Comments

[slinkr.livejournal.com]

The elliptical uses more muscles than the treadmill does, so using it at a roughly equivalent speed will be more of a workout.

[susandennis]

I did NOT know that!! How do I compare speeds? I need to ask Tija (the manager) and I will. Thank you!

[slinkr.livejournal.com]

Most elliptical machines let you configure incline and resistance, and then you control the speed by how quickly you can move with those settings. Best way to compare is probably based on your heart rate (either measured or estimated) - with a little trial and error, you can find settings that get you to about the same workout as the treadmill. But because you're using different muscles, you'll probably feel it in different places and it'll seem harder until you get used to it.

[susandennis]

Thank you! This is excellent stuff. It's clear I have not been asking enough questions and/or the right ones. I'm going to dig into this because I think at this stage the treadmill is kind of cheating.

[slinkr.livejournal.com]

It's only cheating if it's not giving you a good workout. I've found that alternating treadmill sessions and elliptical sessions on different gym visits works really well for me. A trainer I saw a few years ago said that the best way to get a workout on the treadmill if you're not really a runner is to set it for a fast walking pace and push the incline up as high as you can handle.