Ellipticals are great for getting a low-impact workout that’s not weight-bearing. But, if you’re looking to amp up your cardio and you prefer intense workouts, you’ve probably been staying away from this machine. With ellipticals, you can adjust the resistance and incline to maximize your workout. Here’s how to create an elliptical HIIT workout.
Warmup
Your warmup should be between eight to 12 minutes with a gradual increase in intensity. Your intensity level should be one in which you are breaking a sweat and can have a conversation. After the warmup, do a two to five minute recovery period to get your body ready for the workout.
Length
Your workout should be at least 10 minutes (not including the warmup) and it can be broken up into intervals as long as four minutes or as short as five to 10 seconds.
Intervals
Start with a work to rest ratio of 1:1, so if you do 30 seconds of work, do 30 seconds of rest. Depending on your fitness level, you may need to increase or decrease the ratio with more work and less rest or vice versa.
Recovery
Don’t forget the recovery periods! Make sure you take down the intensity during the rest periods so your heart rate can decrease and you can get back to high intensity.
