Do you get the same benefit from going forward on an eliptical as you do going backwards? I ask because I find that I do not get as board if I switch direction every 2 segments (2 minutes 10 seconds). My workout is as follows:
total 1 hour
segments 2 minutes 10 seconds each
2 segments at intensity 4 forward 2 segments at intensity 4 backwards
2 segments at intensity 8 forward 2 segments at intensity 8 backwards
repeat untill the full hour
I find that I am burning around 700 calories per full hour workout and going almost 6 miles.
Is the change in direction and intensity a good idea when the intended outcome is weight loss??? I have not yet seen any results as far as weight loss goes but I have only recently 2 weeks been up to the full hour mark - I started at 20 minutes & have worked my way up. Overall I have been working out for a little over a month...
Any help anyone can provide will be greatly appreciated.

Hi Redjess

I'm doing the backward - forward thing, i've done it in the past and it does work out different muscle groups. If your going for an hour I would suggest doing 30 mins forward and 30 mins backward, just use one of the preprogrammed workouts on the eliptical.

Next I would say to increase your resistance on these, in a hour I usually go about 2.5 miles maybe 2.75, are you sure thats 6 miles and not 6 kilometers?? I always keep my resistances high that works the body out and gets your heart pumping. I've found the eliptical to be a huge help in weight loss, how often are you using it? daily or every other day??

I am sure on the miles vs km being in the US everything is based upon miles. I average 160-180 strides per minute with 180-200 strides per minute when I am sprinting. I am working out 6 days a week - however with the recent crowds at the gym I have a hard time getting a machine for a full hour( i do a minimum of 30 minutes)... I also do a fitness circuit everyother day. I tried the 30 minutes forward 30 minutes back but find that I like the constant change in direction to keep me focused... do you think this is a hinderance?

Heya Redjess

Ok yeah with the amount your working out you should see better results. I'm not sure on the number of strides, I measure by miles per hour, time on the machine and heart rate. Haha and yeah 6 miles in an hour sounds way, way too much, you gotta put some resistance on there, resistance is what gets the pounds off.

What is your heart rate when your on the eliptical? Thats the biggest indicator of how hard your working, I would try to aim for 70 - 80% of your max heart rate the entire time your on there, you can increase the resistance on the eliptical to get your heart rate up as well as pedalling faster.

I am scared of adding bulk so I just want to make sure that by adding more resistance that I will not make my now big thighs just as big but hard to boot. I will keep up the work, and add some more resistance --- I am doing 650-700 calorie burn per hour workout so I think that is good. I do try to keep my heart rate up around the 70-75% mark. Thanks for your help!