5 Elliptical Machine Workouts For Any Level

Ellipticals are a cardio standby at the gym, and for good reason: they’re a low-impact, full-body exercise machine that can give you a great workout. But if you’re new to the elliptical, it can be hard to know how to start. While “get on and go” is always a classic, you may want a workout that’s more effective, designed with a certain goal in mind — or one that just has enough variety to keep you on the machine without boredom for more than five minutes.

In our quest for a collection of elliptical workouts that’ll cover you no matter what type of cardio workout you’re looking for, PS tapped NASM-certified personal trainer and ACE health coach Brittany Noelle, a NASM-certified personal trainer and ACE health coach whose goal is to help people move pain free by designing workouts for her clients that best suit their lifestyle and unique body. She crafted the below workouts for PS in order to provide a variety of options based on different fitness levels and time commitment levels.

Each training plan has a 2:1 or 1:2 ratio of work to rest, which balances exertion with recovery in order to maximize the effectiveness of the workout. After completing one, you should feel challenged, but not completely drained. If you’re new to the elliptical, Noelle recommends starting with your resistance level at zero; however, if you have more experience, you can choose your usual baseline resistance level and increase from there. Find a balance that works for you and continue to challenge yourself with each workout.

Experts In This Article:

Brittany Noelle is a NASM-certified personal trainer, ACE health coach, content creator, former Equinox Master Instructor, and personal trainer with a passion for weightlifting.

30 Minute Beginner Elliptical Workout

For all of the below workouts, an easy effort level means you should be doing the equivalent of a walking pace. Moderate means a jogging pace, and hard means an all-out sprint. This workout is perfect for elliptical beginners who want a chance to become familiar with the machine.

Warm Up

0-2 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Easy

Round 1: 2:1 Intervals, Resistance

2-3 minutes

Resistance: 2

Effort: Easy

3-5 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Easy

5-6 minutes

Resistance: 2

Effort: Easy

6-8 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Easy

8-9 minutes

Resistance: 2

Effort: Easy

9-11 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Easy

Round 2: 2:1 Intervals, Effort

11-12 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Moderate

12-14 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Easy

14-15 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Moderate

15-17 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Easy

17-18 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Moderate

18-20 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Easy

Round 3: 2:1 Intervals, Combo

20-21 minutes

Resistance: 2

Effort: Moderate

21-23 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Easy

23-24 minutes

Resistance: 2

Effort: Moderate

24-26 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Easy

26-27 minutes

Resistance: 2

Effort: Moderate

27-29 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Easy

Cool Down

29-30 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Easy

60 Minute Advanced Elliptical Workout

If the elliptical is your cardio bestie, you’re going to love this challenging, 60-minute elliptical workout.

Warm Up

0-5 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Easy

Round 1: 3:1 Intervals, Resistance and Effort

5-8 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Moderate

8-9 minutes

Resistance: 5

Effort: Easy

9-12 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Moderate

12-13 minutes

Resistance: 5

Effort: Easy

13-16 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Moderate

16-17 minutes

Resistance: 5

Effort: Easy

17-20 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Moderate

20-21 minutes

Resistance: 5

Effort: Easy

Round 2: 2:2 Intervals, Effort

21-23 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Easy

23-25 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Moderate

25-27 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Easy

27-29 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Moderate

29-31 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Easy

31-33 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Moderate

33-35 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Easy

35-37 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Moderate

Round 3: 2:2:1 Intervals, Resistance and Effort

37-39 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Moderate

39-41 minutes

Resistance: 5

Effort: Moderate

41-42 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Easy

42-44 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Moderate

44-46 minutes

Resistance: 5

Effort: Moderate

46-47 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Easy

47-49 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Moderate

49-51 minutes

Resistance: 5

Effort: Moderate

51-52 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Easy

Final Push

52-57 minutes

Resistance: 5

Effort: Hard

Cool Down

57-60 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Easy

10 Minute Elliptical Sprint Workout

Whether you want a quick elliptical warm-up or only have time to exercise for ten minutes, you’ll love this sprint.

Warm Up

0-1 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Easy

10-Minute Workout

1-1:30 minutes

Resistance: 2

Effort: Hard

1:30-2:30 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Moderate

2:30-3 minutes

Resistance: 2

Effort: Hard

3-4 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Moderate

4-4:30 minutes

Resistance: 2

Effort: Hard

4:30-5:30 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Moderate

5:30-6 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Hard

6-7 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Moderate

7-7:30 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Hard

7:30-8:30 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Moderate

4:30-9 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Hard

Cool Down

9-10 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Easy

15 Minute Glute Burn Elliptical Workout

Who says you need weights to work your butt? For the “moderate” section of this workout, bend low in a squat position on your elliptical – this will really help target those glutes!

Warm Up

0-2 minutes

Resistance: 0

Stance: Normal

Effort: Easy

15-Minute Workout

2-3 minutes

Resistance: 0

Stance: Squat position

Effort: Moderate

3-5 minutes

Resistance: 5

Stance: Normal

Effort: Fast

5-6 minutes

Resistance: 0

Stance: Squat position

Effort: Moderate

6-8 minutes

Resistance: 5

Stance: Normal

Effort: Fast

8-9 minutes

Resistance: 0

Stance: Squat position

Effort: Moderate

9-11 minutes

Resistance: 5

Stance: Normal

Effort: Fast

11-12 minutes

Resistance: 0

Stance: Squat position

Effort: Moderate

12-14 minutes

Resistance: 5

Stance: Normal

Effort: Fast

Cool Down

14-15 minutes

Resistance: 0

Stance: Normal

Effort: Easy

20 Minute Pyramid Elliptical Workout

Depending on how much time you have, you can extend this workout or shorten it: just increase resistance until you’re halfway through your time, then decrease it.

Warm Up

0-2 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Easy

20-Minute Workout

2-3 minutes

Resistance: 1

Effort: Moderate

3-4 minutes

Resistance: 2

Effort: Moderate

4-5 minutes

Resistance: 3

Effort: Moderate

5-6 minutes

Resistance: 4

Effort: Moderate

6-7 minutes

Resistance: 5

Effort: Moderate

7-8 minutes

Resistance: 6

Effort: Moderate

8-9 minutes

Resistance: 7

Effort: Moderate

9-10 minutes

Resistance: 8

Effort: Moderate

10-11 minutes

Resistance: 9

Effort: Moderate

11-12 minutes

Resistance: 8

Effort: Moderate

12-13 minutes

Resistance: 7

Effort: Moderate

13-14 minutes

Resistance: 6

Effort: Moderate

14-15 minutes

Resistance: 5

Effort: Moderate

15-16 minutes

Resistance: 4

Effort: Moderate

16-17 minutes

Resistance: 3

Effort: Moderate

17-18 minutes

Resistance: 2

Effort: Moderate

18-19 minutes

Resistance: 1

Effort: Moderate

Cool Down

19-20 minutes

Resistance: 0

Effort: Easy

Kaley Rohlinger is a freelance writer for PS who focuses on health, fitness, food, and lifestyle content. She has a background in the marketing and communications industry and has written for PS for over four years.