How Much Tension Should You Use on Elliptical to Slim Legs & Tone?

An elliptical trainer can be very effective for improving your aerobic fitness and burning calories. It can even give your leg muscles a mild workout. What it won't do, though, is selectively slim or reduce fat from the legs. In fact, there is no such thing as the ability to shed fat from any one particular area of the body.

  1. The Myth of Spot Reduction

    • Genetics is the biggest factor in fat placement.

      While resistance exercises can help build muscle, they do nothing to remove fat. Selecting a higher resistance level on the elliptical in the hopes of shedding unwanted fat from one specific area of the body is futile. Instead, fat loss occurs fairly evenly over the entire body, with genetics playing a much bigger role in where fat stores accumulate or remain than exercise can.

    Aerobic Exercise and Diet are Key to Fat Loss

    • Exercising at a higher resistance level burns more calories per minute.

      While you don't have much control over where you lose fat, you can increase the overall amount of fat you lose through diet and exercise. Specifically, you will need to burn more calories than you take in, and the best type of exercise to help you do this is aerobic activity. In fact, for long-term weight management, it is recommended that you perform some aerobic activity for 60 minutes per day, most days of the week.
      Any activity you do that elevates your heart rate qualifies, so using an elliptical machine definitely counts. Increasing the resistance or incline on an elliptical machine will make your workout more intense, meaning you'll burn more calories and lose more fat everywhere, including your legs.

    Increasing the Resistance Can Also Tone Muscles

    • Aerobic activities tone muscles just a little.

      Increasing the resistance on the elliptical can also help tone muscles because the muscles have to work harder to drive the foot pedals and arm levers on the machine. So when you increase the resistance you are actually getting a double benefit -- working your muscles harder not only burns more calories, it also helps you achieve muscle tone. You don't need to worry about getting too big or bulky, though. Aerobic exercise will not grow muscle in the same way that serious weight lifting can.

    Best Exercises for Toning Leg Muscles

    • Squats and other strength exercises are best for toning muscles.

      Selecting a very high resistance level on the elliptical machine will give your legs a better workout. If you really want to sculpt those muscles, though, you'd be better off choosing a different mode of exercise. Doing strength training exercises like squats, heel raises and lunges is the best way to build muscle and tone your legs. If you want to get in an aerobic workout at the same time, then stair climbing or stationary cycling with high resistance are good options.