What Muscles Does an Elliptical Work?

Ever been to the gym for a cardio workout and all the best ellipticals have been taken? There is a good reason why this cardio machine is popular. 

The elliptical machine is favored by gym goers and runners alike because it simulates running in a low-impact fashion and it burns a ton of calories. This is one of a few reasons why it’s a good cross-trainer for runners. Low-impact workouts on this exercise equipment can be helpful because you can recover faster between workouts, and you have the potential to unlock great mental and cardiovascular benefits to keep your mind and body healthy.

Being a certified personal trainer, I often get the questions, “What muscles does an elliptical work?” and, “Will it burn my belly fat?” Here, I will seek to answer those questions, so you can get the absolute most out of your elliptical workouts.

Key Muscles an Elliptical Works

Before we get into the muscle groups worked during your elliptical training sessions, let’s identify three types of muscle contractions: Concentric, eccentric, and isometric.

• Concentric contractions are when the force generated by the working muscle overcomes the resistance and the muscle shortens. The triceps muscles shortening as you push away the elliptical handlebar is an example of a concentric contraction. 
• Eccentric contractions happen when the muscle lengthens while under tension due to an opposing force being greater than the force generated by the muscle. An example of an eccentric contraction seen in elliptical training would be the quadriceps lengthening when your knee bends during the elliptical motion.
• Isometric contractions happen when the muscles produce force, but there is no change in the length of the contracting muscles. Your anterior core remaining neutral and stable is an example of an isometric contraction.  

Got it? Good. Now, here are the muscles worked when using an elliptical. 

Lower-Body Muscles

The heart is the most important muscle, and raising the heart rate is the most important function of using the elliptical for cardio exercise. That said, there are several other muscles and functions trained when using this cardio machine. One major area where you can see engagement is in the lower body. Here are the muscle groups employed during a regular elliptical session:

Glutes (or butt, for short): The glutes are a group of three superficial hip muscles behind the pelvis: The gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, and gluteus minimus. The primary function of the glutes during an elliptical pedal stroke is the concentric contraction of the glute max, creating a hip extension and a little hip hyperextension.

Hamstrings: The hamstrings are often referred to as one singular muscle, but the hamstrings are a group of three muscles on the back of your thigh: Biceps femoris (long and short head), semitendinosus, and semimembranosus. 

The hamstrings are used eccentrically to push down the elliptical pedal to assist the glutes with hip extension, as well as concentrically (knee flexion) during the upward phase of the elliptical stroke.

Quadriceps (aka, the “quads”): The quads consist of four muscles on the front of the thigh, including the rectus femoris, vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, and vastus intermedius. When all four muscles work in tandem, they are the strongest muscle group in your body. 

During the elliptical stroke, the quads work concentrically along with the hips to give you downward power during the pedal stroke. Plus, the quads lengthen slightly during the eccentric on the upward phase of the elliptical stroke.

Calf Muscles: These are made up of two main muscles—the gastrocnemius and the soleus. The gastrocnemius is the larger and most visible of the two, and the soleus lies underneath it. The calf muscles assist the quads in the downward power of the elliptical stroke via plantar flexion (i.e., the foot moving down and away from the body).  

Upper-Body Muscles

Believe it or not, there is some upper-body action with the elliptical while pushing and pulling the handlebars. Here are the areas where you can expect to feel some engagement:

Triceps: The triceps brachii is Latin for the three-head muscle of the arm. They are three separate muscles (long, medial, and lateral head) with different origins, but they attach to the same place on the elbow and run along the back side of your arm. The triceps work concentrically when pushing the handlebar away from you and eccentrically when pulling the handlebar towards you.

RELATED: Best Tricep Workouts

Pectorals: The pectoral muscles of the chest (also known as the “pecs”) consist of the pectoralis major and minor, as well as the serratus anterior. These muscles work in tandem with the triceps brachii when pushing the elliptical handles away during the concentric portion of the movement; they move eccentrically when the handle is pulled back toward you.

Biceps: Working antagonistically to the triceps (or, shortening while the other muscle is lengthening and vice versa) is the biceps brachii. The biceps has two heads that start at the elbow and run along the front of the upper arm. Since it’s antagonistic to the triceps, the biceps will work opposite to the triceps, meaning they’ll work eccentrically while pushing and concentrically while pulling.

Rhomboids: Rhomboids, along with the trapezius, make up the upper back. The rhomboids originate from the cervical vertebra and run diagonally down and attach to the inside of the shoulder blades. Their functions during the elliptical are protraction (eccentric) and retraction (concentric) of the scapula when you’re pushing and pulling the elliptical handlebars.

Latissimis Dorsi (i.e, the “lats”): The lats of the upper back are big pulling muscles, primarily responsible for arm adduction (bringing the arm back toward the body) as well as internal shoulder rotation. While not as direct of a contributor as the rhomboids, the lats can also help support pulling the handlebars toward you.

Core Muscles

When you are doing elliptical workouts, you primarily work three abdominal muscles, in addition to the lower back:

Rectus Abdominis: This is what most people know as the “six-pack.” The RA runs vertically up the front of the torso and is responsible for spinal flexion and anti-extension. Basically, this keeps your body stable while you are moving.

Obliques: The obliques are two muscles: Internal and external. They are located beside the rectus abdominis running from the hips to the rib cage. They’re responsible for the rotation of the torso, as well as preventing the torso from rotating as you move.

Transverse Abdominals: The TA plays an important role in maintaining abdominal tension, which helps protect and stabilize your spine. All three muscles work together isometrically to keep you stable during training. They also allow for the smooth transfer of power between your lower and upper body.

Lower Back: The abdominal muscles can’t stabilize your body without the support from your lower back muscles; namely, the erector spinae and quadratus lumborum (QL). The erector muscles run along your spine and are responsible for maintaining proper posture as well as moving the lower back through flexion, extension, and rotation. The QL muscles connect the pelvis to the ribs and spine and help support your trunk and torso.

Will an Elliptical Machine Burn Belly Fat?

The elliptical workout is like most other forms of aerobic exercise: You’ll achieve a calorie burn, and this can help you burn body fat. It goes without saying, though, that you need to be in a caloric deficit and eat an adequate amount of protein for your weight for this to occur. If you combine elliptical HIIT workouts, resistance training, and a caloric deficit, this is where the real weight loss magic starts to blossom.

When it comes to burning calories on an elliptical machine, this is determined by your intensity, body weight, and workout duration. When all things are equal, a heavier person can burn more calories than a lighter person. 

A Harvard Health study¹ determined the calories burnt for a moderate-intensity 30-minute session on the elliptical for a 125-, 155-, and 185-pound person. According to the data, those people would burn 270, 324 and 378 calories, respectively, over the course of their workouts.

So, yes, you can “burn belly fat” on the elliptical when combined with weight training and a calorie-controlled diet. However, you won’t spot-reduce fat on the belly so much as reap the benefits of burning calories in a workout, which is part of the equation to losing fat.

Does an Elliptical Build Muscle?

Although the elliptical machine can provide a full-body workout and uses the major muscle groups of the lower body, triceps, and upper back, the elliptical is not the most ideal way to build muscle. This activity is primarily endurance training to improve your cardiovascular health, whether through high- or low-intensity exercise. 

Elliptical workouts, depending on the intensity, use slow-twitch muscle fibers, which are meant for muscular endurance. This makes the exercise modality better for fat-burning rather than muscle-building. Fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are engaged with resistance training and other high-intensity activities, can be better for supporting strength gains.

That said, by improving your aerobic and muscular endurance, you can improve your recovery between resistance training sessions, as well as between sets of strength training exercises. This helps set the table for getting stronger, which can help you build muscle and strength.

Training Technique and Muscle Engagement

How you use your elliptical can make an impact on which muscles are engaged and how much they’re engaged during training. Here’s a few ways to help add variety and intensity to your elliptical workouts.

Using the Elliptical Handles

One of the easiest ways to add an extra challenge to your elliptical workouts is to use your machine’s handlebars. Many elliptical machines have static handles to grip along with the moving handlebars, but leaning on the static handlebars can help keep the workout to the lower body. In contrast, pushing and pulling the handlebars during your workouts can turn your elliptical workout into a full-body session.

Forward Stride Vs Reverse Stride

Most ellipticals allow you to move with a forward or reverse stride, or moving the legs in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction. A normal forward stride is great, but will primarily engage muscles like the quads and calves, along with some glute activation. 

To work the posterior chain more, try a reverse stride; this backward motion can help target the glutes, hamstrings, and hip flexors more. It can also relieve stress on your knees if you feel that you’re placing a bit too much pressure on them. Vary your training with both strides to get the most engagement from your muscles.

Resistance and Incline

If your elliptical machine has resistance and/or incline settings, you can adjust these toggles for different levels and types of muscle engagement. Increasing the resistance levels of an elliptical will simply engage your muscles more, as you’ll have to work harder to pedal.

Working from an incline, however, will adjust which muscles are being called upon to work. A higher incline typically helps engage your posterior chain more—including your hamstrings, glutes, and hip flexors.

RELATED: Posterior Chain Exercises

How To Get the Most Out of Your Elliptical

Looking for some tips? Here are a few ways to get the most out of your machine, maximize muscle activation, and unlock those all-too-enticing elliptical benefits throughout your cardio workout:

• Push through the heels: Pedaling on your toes can place unnecessary stress onto your knees while also minimizing the use of your glutes and hamstrings. Instead, drive through the heels to ensure your foot is flat, engaging all of your leg muscles during your workout. 
• Stand up straight: During long or intense workouts, you’ll have the urge to lean forward on the static handles; don’t give in. Maintain an upright posture to help engage the core muscles while exercising.
• Use the arm handles: To create a full-body workout involving your arms and upper back, push and pull with the moving handlebars while pedaling with the legs.
• Listen to music instead of television: I know, you don’t want to miss your favorite reality show, but studies show² that listening to music can have a profound effect on your exercise performance, as well as reduce your perceived exertion.
• Incorporate HIIT workouts: If you’re in a rush, try high-intensity elliptical interval workouts. These workouts alternate between short bursts of high-intensity sprints and periods of lower-intensity exercise, allowing you to get a killer workout in a relatively short time.
• Vary your workouts: As best as you can, add some variety to your cardio workouts. Use a HIIT workout one day, and then pedal for a longer, low-intensity workout the next. Alternate between forward and reverse strides.

What Muscles Does an Elliptical Work?: FAQs

References

1. Calories burned in 30 minutes of leisure and routine activities. Harvard Health. (2021, March 8). https://www.health.harvard.edu/diet-and-weight-loss/calories-burned-in-30-minutes-for-people-of-three-different-weights
2. Terry, P. C., Karageorghis, C. I., Curran, M. L., Martin, O. V., & Parsons-Smith, R. L. (2020). Effects of music in exercise and sport: A meta-analytic review. Psychological bulletin, 146(2), 91–117. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000216