Using an Elliptical Machine for Endurance Work

[Chefjeff]

Hi,

The fitness center at my apartment doesn't have much in the way of equipment. They do have a 300 lb Olympic weight set with a decent rack, so squats, etc. are not a problem.

I want to do some endurance work on my off-nights, and sometimes after lifting. The two choices are a really crappy treadmill or a fairly decent elliptical machine. I've been using the elliptical but wonder if it is kind of defeating the purpose of taking days off between work-outs. 30 minutes on the ellliptical and I really feel it in my quads. Will this affect recovery between lower body work-outs?

I would rather not use the treadmill. I was once a (poor) marathon runner, and had to stop that because my knees and kidneys couldn't take it. Even running on the treadmill a few times was difficult, but at least it didn't seem to affect my quads like the elliptical.

Thank you all in advance for your fine advice.

Jeff

[Aoife]

You may simply need to dial back the resistance and wait a bit if you're new to the elliptical. I can remember long ago it being the toughest thing… but it was also one of the more old-school elliptical machines… and now I can't say I feel it at all, ever, regardless of resistance level or program done. So simply taking the time to work up to 30 minutes may fix the issue.

if it's a real problem either back off and make your workout less intense and longer, or do elliptical after a lift. A lot of your capacity is gonna be based on the amount you're eating (less capacity when on a deficit, more when not) but it can be tweaked to make more fit in without killing ya.

Welcome