How Long Should I Be Using A Cross Trainer For? - Our Guide!

If you are new to cross-training and looking to get into an exercise routine, or maybe looking to shed a few pounds, you might be wondering how long you should be using a cross-trainer to see optimal results. 

Ideally, you should be exercising on a cross-trainer for 30 minutes each day for a full-body workout and to keep up your cardiovascular health. This can change however depending on your fitness goals.

We've composed a short information guide below which will take you through how long you should be spending on a treadmill, types of workouts, an example of a short cross trainer workout as well as some tips for using an elliptical or cross-trainer.

Is 20 Minutes On A Cross Trainer Enough? 

If you are just starting with a cross-trainer cardio machine you might be wondering if 20 minutes are enough for a good workout and calorie burn. 

This entirely depends on the type of elliptical workouts you do during these 20 minutes, for example, following simplistic workouts at the same pace during this time might not make you work hard enough, but if you are doing HIIT workouts with varying intensities 20 minutes is more than enough for a good workout. 

Always remember that even a small twenty-minute workout is better than nothing at all!

Is 30 Minutes On A Cross Trainer Enough?

For a perfect full-body workout and good cardiovascular health, 30 minutes is a great place to start on a cross-trainer around five times a week, this equals the recommended amount of 150 minutes of cardio per week. 

The calorie burn during these 30 minutes will depend on the kind of workout you are doing, for example, a standard workout could burn between 150-300 calories depending on the resistance you are using if performing high-intensity interval training during this time the burn could be even higher.

How Often Should I Use A Cross Trainer For Weight Loss?

If you are planning to lose weight with elliptical trainer workouts you might be wondering how often you should be using one of these machines to achieve your weight loss goals. 

For people trying to lose weight, it's recommended you double the amount of recommended time to spend on a cross-trainer, so this would be 300 minutes a week which is equal to 60 minutes per day of cardio for people. If your goal is to lose belly fat with cross trainer, you can check this article and understand how a cross trainer is good for cutting belly fat.

What Types Of Workouts Should I Do On A Cross Trainer?

As we mentioned above, there are a few different types of workouts you can perform on a cross-trainer which can change the amount of time you have to spend on the cross trainer for a similar calorie burn. 

We've listed them down below to help you out.

• Distance & Time - Distance and time is a more classics workout structure you simply measure how long it takes you to travel a certain distance on the exercise machine and then improve each time you workout to improve your fitness strength.
• LISS - This is low-intensity cardio, it's easier than high-intensity workouts but does take up much more time, still you can burn hundreds of calories during these workouts.
• HIIT - HIIT workouts are not for the faint-hearted but allow you to have a awesome calorie burn in a short period when using the elliptical machine. This by working at a high intensity for a few minutes and then taking a few minutes rest.

Our Best Beginner Cross Trainer Workout

If you're looking for a quick 20-minute workout to do on your cross trainer but you're not sure where to start, we've got a great beginner's workout for you to try on your cross trainer down below.

• 5 minutes - RPE 4 - Keep the resistance low and use this time to warm up on your cross trainer. 
• 3 minutes - RPE 5 - Increase the resistance slightly so that you are working harder than your warm-up pace, this shouldn't be too hard nor too easy, use it as your baseline.
• 3 minutes - RPE 6 - Make your resistance slightly harder so that you become more out of breath. 
• 2 minutes - RPE 5 - Decrease the resistance back down to baseline and keep the resistance steady while you rest.
• 2 minutes - RPE 6 - Increase the variable resistance again and work hard!
• 5 minutes - RPE 4 - Take the resistance back down and use this as your cool down time.

Last Words 

Overall, the time you use your cross trainer will change according to your fitness goals, for general cardiovascular health, around 30 minutes per day five times a week is recommended, however, if you are trying to lose weight, you should try to increase this to 60 minutes a day five times a week. 

Time spent on your cross trainer can differ with the same calorie burn, for example, HIIT workouts are harder but burn the same amount of calories as LISS workouts in a shorter amount of time.