Losing belly fat is more than just about an aesthetic, body-image issue. Belly fat is visceral body fat and this type of body fat raises people’s risks of serious health conditions like high cholesterol, heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. For a lot of people, losing belly fat is feeding two birds with one scone – you get to be healthy and look good at the same time. Exercise and the right diet play a big role in losing fat around those parts, but does elliptical burn belly fat effectively?

An elliptical machine can burn belly fat as long as you take the right approach to the whole matter. This means focusing on full-body workouts to burn a massive number of calories along with consuming healthy foods. The elliptical machine is guaranteed fitness equipment that delivers excellent cardio exercise so use the unit regularly and follow a healthier lifestyle to eliminate those flabs.

Want to take advantage of the elliptical’s capability to deliver intense cardio fitness? Keep reading and find out what’s best for this fitness goal.

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How Does Using an Elliptical Burn Fat?

A proper diet alone won’t cut it. While consuming a healthier, cleaner diet is recommended for an effective weight loss plan, you still have to sweat it out if you want to eliminate visceral fat. This means you need to perform exercises. Walking for at least a half-hour 6 days a week is sufficient for the body to prevent stomach fat.

In addition, you can eliminate belly fat by burning surplus calories. If you want to speed up your belly-fat removal plans, take advantage of the elliptical machine since the equipment plays a crucial role in intense cardio routines. Using an elliptical machine engages muscles throughout the body. Hence, you lose excess pounds since those muscles take in plenty of calories as they are engaged during a workout.

What’s more, you have to work hard. You have to exercise at a higher intensity so you will still burn calories following the workout and while your body is recovering. HIIT (high-intensity interval training) is something you need to consider if you want to efficiently shed pounds from your stomach.

Most elliptical machines include handles that move together with your lower body. Performing a full-body workout – using your arms, chest, and shoulders during the exercise, not only your legs – leads to more caloric burning. Another great tip for higher caloric burning is to do reverse strides. Performing reverse strides strengthens various muscle groups in the lower legs, thereby boosting caloric torching.

Is It Possible to Target the Belly Fat?

Many people who want to lose weight often find themselves asking ‘does elliptical burn belly fat?’ The answer lies in actually performing intense elliptical exercises along with a proper diet and other factors. By doing cardio exercises, you can pull off losing flab around the waist. However, if you want to spot-treat the belly, then that is not possible at all.

Losing belly fat is hard work and it can take a while because the stomach area hoards a high level of fat cells that are unfortunately resistant to a specific process that breaks down fat – lipolysis. Thus, there will be some weight loss involved when you do cardio and eat right but the stomach might be the last part of the body to manifest results.

Scientists have also debunked the myth that spot-treat weight loss routines are possible to achieve. This is due to caloric intake and expenditure. Constantly engaging your core during exercise will only give you muscle and will not specifically melt belly fat. We can also say the same about weight loss: you can lose weight using an effective weight loss program. However, you cannot select the exact areas where you want to shave off pounds.

So, what can you do to get rid of your love handles? Here are several tips.

1. Perform Aerobic Exercises

Does elliptical burn belly fat? Again, if you hit the elliptical hard, you can shed off fat from those parts. We cannot stress this one enough – cardio or aerobic exercises are a great way to burn excess calories. It is also one of the most effective exercise methods to get rid of belly fat.

Remember that the duration and frequency of your routine matter in the belly-fat elimination equation. According to the study conducted by Friedenreich et. al. in 2015, post-menopausal women who did aerobic exercises for 300 minutes a week lost plenty of fat compared to those who did exercises for 150 minutes every week.

2. Reduce Your Carb Intake

Decreasing your carb intake, particularly refined ones, can help prevent belly fat. According to a study published in the Mediators of Inflammation in 2014, swapping refined carbs with starchy, unprocessed ones might progress better metabolic health and minimise belly fat.

3. Limit Sugar Intake

Better steer clear of desserts, candies, and processed food items and beverages with added sugars if you want to get rid of belly fat.

4. Avoid Trans Fats

If you want a trimmer stomach, it’s time to cut back on trans fats. Trans fats do not only contribute to weight gain; they also cause cardiovascular diseases. Check food product ingredients carefully when grocery shopping: trans fats are frequently listed as partially-hydrogenated fats.

5. Eat More Protein

Foods that are high in protein like lean meat, fish, and beans are recommended if you want to lose fat around your stomach. Lots of studies have shown that individuals who eat lots of protein usually have less belly fat compared to those whose diets are low in protein.

6. Increase Soluble Fibre Intake

Get rid of belly fat by incorporating more soluble fibre into your diet. Soluble fibre might help you shed pounds by improving fullness and decreasing caloric absorption.

7. Avoid Stress And Sleep Well

Stress leads to belly fat due to high cortisol levels, which is widely known as the stress hormone. A high cortisol rate increases the appetite and results in more fat stores in the stomach. Meanwhile, quality sleep does not only benefit your mental health, it also prevents weight gain.

3 Best Elliptical Workouts for Losing Weight

Does elliptical burn belly fat? You can if you perform these exercises.

1. 30-Minute HIIT Exercise

Steps

  • Choose ‘Short Interval Program on the machine. If it’s not available, select Manual mode and select the resistance. Choose low-to-moderate for the ramp or incline.
  • Warm up for 3 minutes. Follow the elliptical’s interval program (30 seconds-2 minutes). In manual mode, increase resistance for 1-2 minutes. Push and pull on the handles for higher RPMs.
  • Decrease intensity. Slow down RPMs for a recovery phase that is equivalent to the hard interval phase in length.
  • Reverse-stride during the third interval phase.
  • Repeat the steps until you reach a workout of 27 minutes in total time. Cool down 3-5 minutes.

2. Incline Challenge

Steps

  • Warm up first for 5 minutes by pedaling at a moderate pace. Increase incline and resistance slightly in the beginning.
  • Set timer for 5 minutes. Do some pedaling to increase RPM using low incline and moderate resistance.
  • Set timer for 5 minutes by doing low-momentum RPM pedaling using medium incline and a higher resistance rate.
  • Set timer for 5 minutes and perform fast momentum pedaling for higher RPMs using high incline and medium resistance.
  • Set timer for 5 minutes and do medium-momentum pedaling using low incline and high resistance.
  • To cool down, minimise incline and speed then pedal slowly for 5 minutes to lower RPMs. Stretch after the routine – focus on your quads, glutes, and hamstrings.

3. 60-Minute Ladder Routine

Steps

  • Set the elliptical to Manual mode.
  • Warm up for 5 minutes – allow hands to swing free.
  • For the first 5 minutes, select low ramp and low resistance.
  • For the second 5 minutes, choose medium ramp and medium resistance.
  • For the last 5 minutes, choose a high ramp and high resistance.
  • Once the 15-minute intervals are completed, walk easy for 2 minutes.
  • Get off the elliptical platform and perform 25 bodyweight squats.
  • Go back to the platform and do a second interval.
  • Stride for 2 minutes.
  • Get off the elliptical and perform 25 bodyweight lunge exercises.
  • Go back to the elliptical and perform the third interval.
  • Cooldown by striding easily for 5 minutes, allowing your arms to swing freely.
  • If you still have enough energy for another exercise, step away from the machine and perform 25 additional bodyweight squats.

Conclusion

The question ‘does elliptical burn belly fat” is easily answered through frequent, intense elliptical routines, a healthy diet, and quality rest and sleep. Fitness is a commitment, and if you want a trim body, you have to do the hard work.

1. What is the average lifespan of an elliptical cross trainer machine?

The average lifespan of an elliptical cross trainer is 10 years. Though if the machine is taken care of well, it can last up to 20 years.

2. What other types of fitness equipment are similar to the elliptical machine?

An elliptical machine is a low impact cardio machine. Other similar alternatives to an elliptical machine would be a recumbent exercise bike, walking treadmill, rowing machine, mini stepper and more.