Elliptical Training: Timing, Benefits, and Drawbacks Before or After Your Workout

Is it better to do elliptical before or after workout?

The optimal timing for elliptical training—before or after your main workout—depends significantly on your primary fitness goals, the intensity and duration of your elliptical session, and the type of workout you're pairing it with.

Introduction

The elliptical machine is a popular choice for cardiovascular exercise due to its low-impact nature, which reduces stress on joints while offering a full-body workout. However, a common question arises regarding its placement within a broader fitness routine: should you hit the elliptical before or after your resistance training or other forms of exercise? Understanding the physiological implications of each approach is key to optimizing your training for specific outcomes.

Elliptical Before Your Main Workout: The Pros

Incorporating the elliptical before your primary workout can offer several advantages, particularly when used as a warm-up or when cardiovascular fitness is a co-equal priority.

• Effective Warm-up: A light to moderate session on the elliptical (5-15 minutes) can serve as an excellent dynamic warm-up. It increases heart rate, blood flow to working muscles, and core body temperature, preparing your cardiovascular system and musculoskeletal system for more intense activity.
• Cardiovascular Priming: For individuals prioritizing cardiovascular health or endurance, starting with the elliptical ensures that this component of fitness is addressed while energy levels are high.
• Low Impact Start: Its low-impact motion is gentle on joints, making it a suitable choice for warming up, especially for those with joint sensitivities or who are easing into exercise.
• Time Efficiency (If Cardio is Primary): If your main goal for the day is a significant cardio session, getting it done first can ensure it receives your full attention and energy.

Elliptical Before Your Main Workout: Potential Drawbacks

While beneficial as a warm-up, a prolonged or high-intensity elliptical session before other forms of exercise, particularly strength training, can have disadvantages.

• Fatigue and Glycogen Depletion: Performing a substantial cardio session beforehand can deplete muscle glycogen stores and induce central nervous system fatigue. This can compromise your strength, power, and overall performance during subsequent resistance training, potentially limiting your ability to lift heavier weights or perform high-intensity movements.
• Compromised Skill and Technique: Fatigue can impair neuromuscular coordination and focus, increasing the risk of poor form during complex exercises and potentially leading to injury.
• Reduced Strength and Hypertrophy Gains: Research suggests that performing cardio before strength training can interfere with strength adaptations and muscle growth, especially if the cardio is high-intensity or long-duration. This phenomenon is often referred to as the "interference effect."

Elliptical After Your Main Workout: The Benefits

Placing your elliptical session after your main workout, especially after strength training, often aligns better with goals focused on strength, power, or muscle hypertrophy.

• Preserves Strength and Power: By performing resistance training when fresh, you can lift heavier, perform more repetitions, and maintain better form, which is crucial for maximizing strength gains and muscle growth.
• Enhanced Cardiovascular Conditioning: Utilizing the elliptical post-strength training allows you to focus purely on your cardio, potentially burning additional calories and improving endurance without negatively impacting your strength performance.
• Active Recovery and Cool-down: A moderate-intensity elliptical session can aid in active recovery, helping to flush metabolic byproducts from muscles and gradually bring your heart rate down.
• Potentially Greater Fat Oxidation: Some theories suggest that performing cardio after resistance training, when glycogen stores may be partially depleted, could lead to a greater reliance on fat for fuel during the cardio session. While the overall caloric deficit remains the most important factor for fat loss, this timing might offer a slight metabolic advantage.

Elliptical After Your Main Workout: Potential Considerations

While generally more advantageous for strength-focused individuals, there are minor considerations when doing the elliptical post-workout.

• Reduced Motivation/Energy: After an intense strength session, your motivation and energy levels for another bout of exercise might be lower, potentially leading to a less intense or shorter cardio session than planned.
• Risk of Over-fatigue: If your combined workout volume is excessively high, adding significant cardio after strength training could contribute to over-fatigue or overtraining if not managed properly.

The Impact of Your Fitness Goals

Your primary fitness objective should dictate the timing of your elliptical training.

• Goal: Strength, Power, or Muscle Hypertrophy (Growth): Prioritize your resistance training. Perform your elliptical session after your strength workout, or limit pre-workout cardio to a brief, low-intensity warm-up (5-10 minutes).
• Goal: Endurance or Cardiovascular Fitness: If improving your cardiovascular endurance is your main priority, you might choose to do your elliptical session first, dedicating your peak energy to it. Alternatively, consider splitting your workouts into separate sessions (e.g., cardio in the morning, strength in the evening).
• Goal: Fat Loss: While overall caloric deficit is paramount, the timing can be flexible. Performing cardio after strength training might offer a slight edge in fat utilization, but the most important factor is consistency and total energy expenditure.
• Goal: General Fitness and Health: For general fitness, the timing is less critical. You can choose based on personal preference, energy levels, and what makes you most consistent with your routine. A 5-10 minute elliptical warm-up followed by strength, and then a 20-30 minute elliptical cool-down/cardio session, is a balanced approach.

Expert Recommendations and Best Practices

To optimize your training, consider these expert recommendations:

• Prioritize Your Primary Goal: Always perform the exercise that aligns with your most important fitness goal when you are freshest and most energetic. If strength is key, lift first. If endurance is key, do your main cardio first.
• Distinguish Warm-up from Full Cardio: A brief, low-intensity elliptical session (5-10 minutes) is an excellent warm-up. This is distinct from a full, moderate-to-high intensity cardiovascular workout.
• Listen to Your Body: Pay attention to how your body responds. If pre-workout cardio makes you feel too fatigued for your main session, adjust your timing or intensity.
• Consider Split Sessions: If you have the time, separating your cardio and strength workouts by several hours (e.g., cardio in the morning, strength in the evening) can be the most effective way to maximize adaptations for both without interference. Aim for at least 6 hours between sessions.
• Hydration and Nutrition: Regardless of timing, ensure you are adequately hydrated and have consumed appropriate pre- and post-workout nutrition to fuel your performance and recovery.

Conclusion

There is no single "better" answer for everyone regarding elliptical timing. For optimal strength, power, and muscle gain, performing your elliptical cardio after your resistance training is generally recommended, or limiting pre-workout cardio to a brief warm-up. Conversely, if cardiovascular endurance is your top priority, you might choose to tackle the elliptical first. Ultimately, understanding your personal fitness goals and how your body responds will guide you in making the most effective choice for your training regimen.