Is the Elliptical Making you Fat? (v2)

Have you ever set a goal, put in the work and after several weeks realized that not only are you not getting anywhere but you seem to be going backwards?!? It’s the actual worst. Not only have I done it myself (in my past life!), but I’ve seen it time and time again. People making huge weight loss goals, doing endless amounts of cardio and gaining weight.

So what’s up with that? You’re working out, but going backwards? Is the elliptical making you fat?

The short answer is no. It’s not really the elliptical that’s making people fat, it’s what they’re doing on the elliptical… or rather, what they’re not doing.

If I had a nickel for every time throughout the day I looked over at the elliptical machines in my gym and saw someone staring blankly ahead at the TV monitor mindlessly going through their workout, I would quickly become a very, very, affluent personal trainer.

Now, this is where I probably need to back up for a moment and clarify that this is not just an elliptical problem. This is also a treadmill, stationary bike, stair stepper and yes (gasp) even a strength training problem.

I’m also not saying there’s not a time or place for every type of movement (any movement is better than no movement!). The problem with what most people are doing on the elliptical is that they’re just “phoning it in.” Add to that what happens after this phoned-in workout has occurred, and you’ve started creating what can potentially turn into a major problem.

Phoning it in. Have you heard this term before? We used to use in in the theatre world for when your body was physically there, you were going through the motions and saying your lines, but you weren’t really putting anything behind any of it. You were “phoning it in”. What I mean when I use it in the fitness world is that these people are physically at the gym, they are going through the motions of a workout, but they aren’t putting in any effort. Effort, my friend, is the key word here. 

View fullsize

Now, if this is your off-day, rest, or active recovery workout, than by all means if you need to, phone it in. Put on your favorite HGTV, Real Housewives, or Golden Girls episode and just move your body. However, if this is NOT your rest day… what are you doing?!?! For real, though. You found the time in your busy schedule to work out, you put in the effort to pull on your Lulus and put your hair up in a ponytail, and you even made it to the gym. So why aren’t you putting in the effort so you can get the results you’re after? I mean, you’re here, right? Do the work.  

This leads me to the second (and possibly worse) problem with this workout… the post-workout food. Before I was in the fitness industry, I knew a girl who went to the gym 7 days a week for an hour to two hours at a time but never seemed to make any progress. I know that she went that long, because she would talk about her workouts and her need for extra calories because of those workouts. But what I never understood was why she wasn’t achieving the results she wanted. I mean, how is it possible to exercise for 60-120 minutes a day every day (that’s 420-840 minutes a week!) and not see ANY results?!? It seemed impossible. That is until I saw her at the gym one day. She was talking on the phone while she loped along on the elliptical. It was at that moment that I realized her idea of a workout and my idea of a workout were not the same. Add to that the extra calories consumed to “refuel” after the workout, and it’s no wonder she was getting nowhere fast.

So, Erin, what should I do?

FOCUS: During your Workout

Don’t just show up, pay attention to what you’re doing. Move your body with purpose. Getting started it’s really as simple as that. There is no “right” or “wrong” way to work out, you just need to put in some effort. There are so many ways to get a great workout that don’t involve mindlessly moving. 

For example, just increasing the incline on the treadmill from 1.5% to 2.5% can make a huge different in the amount of work you’ll put in over 20 minutes. True story, one of my clients DOUBLED her calorie burn (as shown by using a chest strap heart rate monitor) by pushing just a little harder and doing just that. If it’s THAT big of a difference, just imagine what 40 minutes, or an hour would do!

In general, when it comes to cardio, my favorite way to stay focused is through interval workouts. While cardio isn’t my personal favorite, it’s easy to mix things up with intervals from just changing up the speed, incline, or resistance to a full-out Tabata. (Need some inspiration? Download my FREE Tabata Inspiration Cheat Sheet) Not only that, but intervals workouts can be done on your favorite cardio machine, with just your body weight, or you can get out on the floor and add some extra “oomph” to your workout by picking up something heavy. 

Speaking of picking up something heavy… lift weights! Lifting weights not only will help you burn body fat, but it will also help build lean muscle mass which provides the double whammy of adding metabolic potential (so you burn more calories!) and sculpting sexy muscles (because let’s be honest- strong is sexy).

It’s important to note that if you haven’t lifted heavy before, I would highly recommend you get yourself a personal trainer.  Even 4 sessions with a good trainer can help you learn what to do, how to do it correctly, and how to get the most benefit out of the time you spend in the gym. No matter where you are in your fitness journey you can ALWAYS learn something that will help you improve and change up your workouts. That’s why I recommend working with a professional, even for just a short period of time. Even the greatest athletes have coaches to help them get better, so why wouldn’t you invest a couple hours in yourself if you are serious about your goals? As a fitness professional I make it a point to train with another trainer at least for a few sessions every year, because I need a change and an outside perspective as well. (This is where I remind you that phoning in your strength training workout isn’t going to cut it either. Bonus! A good trainer won’t let you get away with that).

FOCUS: Post-Workout

In addition, keep in mind that just because you worked out you don’t “earn” extra food. We aren’t dogs. I hate to put it like that, but sometimes tough love is in order. Yes, we do need to eat and eat well to fuel ourselves appropriately for life. But if we are constantly rewarding ourselves with food after our workouts we’re not going to achieve the same results as if we fueled more appropriately no matter how hard the workout was.

I’ll be going more in depth about nutrition in some upcoming posts, but it’s important to remember that you probably didn’t burn as many calories as you think you did. And that number the elliptical is telling you? I’m 97.8% certain it’s not right. In fact, the likelihood is low that you even “burned” off a cheeseburger, so why are you rewarding yourself with one? (Side note: You can get a closer estimated “burn” number when you use a heart rate monitoring system, ideally with a chest strap, but even then calories can be skewed.)

In addition, it’s important to keep in mind what else you’ve been doing the rest of the day. If, like many people, you have a sedentary job (aka you sit most of the day) moving your body for 60 minutes isn’t going to “make up” for being stationary the rest of day. What this means is that you probably don’t need to carb-load or go through a refueling regimen if you are doing “normal” daily workouts (if you are an athlete or preparing for some kind of competition your nutrition should and will be different. But you should know that, and know that I’m not talking about you). So stop eating more just because you made it to the gym and you’ll start seeing results much faster.

Moral of the story? Stop phoning it in. Grab a trainer or a workout buddy and try something new. Put some effort in and if you’re that person who only mindlessly moves on the treadmill, push yourself harder than you have been in the past. After all, you made it to the gym, you made a commitment to yourself, and your time are worth it.  

Bonus Resources

13 Reasons Why You’re Not Seeing Results
Drink Water, Lose Weight, Look Younger
Tabata Inspiration Cheat Sheet
6 Cardio Workouts Under 30 Minutes

 This is a follow up post to my previous article, 13 Reasons Why You’re Not Seeing Results. Over the next several weeks (months!) I’m going to be doing a deep dive into each of these reasons to help you achieve your goals and live your healthiest and happiest life! As always, feel free to leave me a comment if there’s something else you’d like me to talk about!