Comments on Cranky Fitness: Elliptical Trainers: Ur Doing It Wrong

Just found your blog while looking for info on ell...

2009-08-25T09:25:35.830-04:00

Just found your blog while looking for info on ellipticals, great fun here! None of that macho testosterone stuff, just fun and fitness. Question tho, does anyone else have a problem with their feet creeping forward during their workout? Mine "ooze" forward and end up sticking over the front, not painful just REALLY annoying. I think I have the stride set properly, and I don't bounce. TIA

LOVE this so much - it is a GGS high five link in ...

2009-06-20T11:11:37.885-04:00

LOVE this so much - it is a GGS high five link in our site-love ya cranky!

I have only one thing to say: When it comes to wo...

2009-06-18T22:41:57.817-04:00

I have only one thing to say:

When it comes to workouts, I prefer to FROLIC.

If that means bouncing, fine. If that means busting out into hysterical giggles with The Trainer while I'm doing deadlifts, so much the better.

Just protect your knees and lower back, and FROLIC.

Dammit.

I'm just back from an elliptical session and am pr...

2009-06-18T14:52:53.935-04:00

I'm just back from an elliptical session and am proud to report: no bouncing and I didn't use any hands! :-)

When I saw the title of this post in my inbox I wa...

2009-06-18T08:54:55.271-04:00

When I saw the title of this post in my inbox I was terrified. I was like 'nooooo that's my favorite machine! If I'm doing it wrong I don't want to knowwww!' One thing I might suggest is that if you're bouncing too much maybe up your resistance? It makes it so much more challenging if you try to maintain a certain pace and keep increasing your resistance and it seems pretty hard to bounce when ur working really hard to push the pedals around. great workout!

I have yet to fall in love with the elliptical... ...

2009-06-18T02:42:42.141-04:00

I have yet to fall in love with the elliptical... It's the thing I do if I want to work out for another 5 minutes...

I am very conscious of good form in gym. That way I get the maximum benefit from my workout and avoid possible injuries...

I have never tried the elliptical contraption, it ...

2009-06-17T23:47:53.248-04:00

I have never tried the elliptical contraption, it kind of looks scary to me. Now I know I've been missing out! I'll be having a go (but not boucing!) on it at my next gym visit. Thanks for all the tips everyone.

"(Though how the equipment breeders ever got the t...

2009-06-17T22:42:48.374-04:00

"(Though how the equipment breeders ever got the two machines to mate remains a mystery. Nordic-Tracks are notoriously chilly and unapproachable)." ... *SNORT* one of the funniest things i've read here. :)

i love proper form. i also hate ellipticals with arms - i always choose the non-armed elliptical and pump my own arms.

Just ran across your blog. I love it and is infor...

2009-06-17T22:15:59.280-04:00

Just ran across your blog. I love it and is informative and very interesting.

Fatbulous Nina :)

I love Cammy's suggestion of holding a book...I am...

2009-06-17T21:32:56.777-04:00

I love Cammy's suggestion of holding a book...I am going to try that.

Could someone explain to me why the elliptical is ...

2009-06-17T21:25:51.880-04:00

Could someone explain to me why the elliptical is the one machine I just can't master? My record is 15 minutes (I run or bike for more than that, daily) and after that I couldn't walk w/o pain for a couple of days, let alone do my runs. It's the hardest exercise I've tried (in terms of pain and in the effort it takes to move the pedals), and it's so frustrating and painful for me that I've just completely given up on the machine (after my 15 min experience). I don't think I lean or bounce, and arm things or not doesn't seem to matter much. It'd be great to be able to use it as that's mostly what's in hotels when I'm on travel and it is good cross-training or injury rehab. Any tips appreciated.

great post. we have an elliptical at home which I ...

2009-06-17T21:01:44.239-04:00

great post. we have an elliptical at home which I love. Never knew of some of these rules. Gonna try not using the handles sometimes to work my core.

This is so timely as I have just started using one...

2009-06-17T19:18:25.358-04:00

This is so timely as I have just started using one for the very first time and have noticed quite a few aches and pains that werem't there before. (We'll also be getting one of them new fangled talking machines this week too and can discard the tin cans and string.)

The no-bouncing rule seems discriminatory to those of us overly blessed by a whopping set of bodacious ta-tas. I too will pretend I didn't read this. Still, a terrific post filled with the best combination of info and laughs.

For some reason it never really occurred to me tha...

2009-06-17T18:34:02.574-04:00

For some reason it never really occurred to me that I could get good arm muscles going from the elliptical ... that'll help me get some good Michelle Obama arms by the end of the summer. ;)

You are so right about the elliptical being popula...

2009-06-17T17:38:05.323-04:00

You are so right about the elliptical being popular. It's moved my favorite, the stair master, into the corner recesses of the fitness center :-(

I'm sure this will help people get more out of this machine!

I don't like them because it takes too much adapting to the machine, rather than the other way around, but that's just me. I know you can get a good workout on them.

No bouncing?!?!? NOOOO! You've burst my bubble. No...

2009-06-17T17:25:03.876-04:00

No bouncing?!?!? NOOOO! You've burst my bubble. No wonder I love(d) the ellptical so much!

When I see "ARC" I think "Aspect Ratio Conversion....

2009-06-17T17:06:38.867-04:00

When I see "ARC" I think "Aspect Ratio Conversion." I'm pretty sure that's not what you meant.

Our gym doesn't have elliptical's anymore, now we ...

2009-06-17T17:03:47.091-04:00

Our gym doesn't have elliptical's anymore, now we have ARC's. I like them better actually. Although I start breathing really hard after 5 minutes. Ugh! Linda

I like the swinging arms, but the ellipticals at t...

2009-06-17T16:44:28.417-04:00

I like the swinging arms, but the ellipticals at the gym I used were designed WRONG. The arm going foward is on the same side as the leg stepping forward. When you walk/run, the arm going foward is OPPOSITE the leg going foward. It's really annoying. I can't believe that a machine with a mistake that huge actually made it to the market.

--annoyed elliptical user

Oooh, such a timely post--my elliptical trainer is...

2009-06-17T16:08:17.080-04:00

Oooh, such a timely post--my elliptical trainer is arriving on TUESDAY! Wahoo! I love them!!!

And I too, also bounce. I will forget I read not to. . .

OH, and I like the swinging arms things, because you can choose to use more of your upper body to get that part of your workout in, too!

Oh, I also go backwards but not always, and my arm...

2009-06-17T15:38:05.550-04:00

Oh, I also go backwards but not always, and my arms are unreal from pulling on those handles. They don't match the bottom half of my body. I'm like Ahnold and Dumbo mixed.

I'm a fan of the "don't hold onto the handles appr...

2009-06-17T15:37:07.275-04:00

I'm a fan of the "don't hold onto the handles approach," but the biggest problem I see with regard to ANY cardio equipment is the "what the hell, at least I'm doing something" approach, because that's not true.

If you're in decent shape and you're just sauntering along on ANY cardio apparatus, you're wasting your time. It doesn't count as cardio if your heart isn't pumping.

I see a lot of people at my facility killing time on the equipment and then complaining about lack of results. Don't be one of those people. You need to WORK; not kill yourself, but work if you want results.

I use an elliptical almost daily and I love it. I ...

2009-06-17T15:36:45.639-04:00

I use an elliptical almost daily and I love it. I sometimes go hands free and sometimes parts of me bounce depending on what I ate for lunch.

Seriously, I do just about anything the elliptical will allow me to do to get threw 40-50 minutes of exercise including changing after a few minutes of each program, going thru each program, increasing the levels, jumping off for a "C**nese firedrill" and jumping back on while the pedals are still moving.
Now, what was the question?

I love to go hands free on the elliptical (or cros...

2009-06-17T15:23:20.723-04:00

I love to go hands free on the elliptical (or cross trainer as we call it around here)! It's one of my favourite machines, although I always feel I'm burning fewer calories for the effort I put out compared to the treadmill... no idea why!

TA x

Oh good, I'm glad I'm not the only Bouncer! And I...

2009-06-17T15:16:24.913-04:00

Oh good, I'm glad I'm not the only Bouncer!

And I somehow remain convinced that more people would enjoy elliptical trainers if they skipped the arm thingies and adopted terrible form like mine and bounced up and down on them like pogo sticks! It's much more fun that way. (And perhaps I can secure some Group Discounts on knee replacements for Cranky Fitness readers).

Oh and by the way, for the regulars--I'm finally back from San Diego, though i'm terribly cranky and bleary from a red eye flight. Am way behind in blog visits, sorry! (But the condo looks good so far... no rattlesnakes or vampires!)

Now back to our regularly scheduled Fitness Equipment discussion...