Ellipticals… Girls totally love em, while most guys would never touch them in public facilities. Why? Because to us men, the ellipticals are on the same realm as scooters… Fun to ride, but you wouldn’t want your friends to see you on one. I’m generalizing of course, but you know who you are! I mean shit, in my early days I used to be one of those ignorant asses. “Ellipticals? Pfft… Dude those are for pussies!”

Heh, yeah imagine that… lil ol’ FJ being an ignorant ass. Sounds impossible, I know. But now I’ve changed, I swear.

But you know who isn’t ignorant? The woman I’m interviewing today. In fact, she’s quite the sweetheart and happens to be a personal trainer and also an expert on ellipticals! Her name is Valery Fortei, and she is joining us all the way from Italy! You should know that English isn’t her first language but shit, I think she speaks it better than I do!

Valery is going to help de bunk a few ridiculous myths as well as give us some tips on how to best use an elliptical, which ones are hot in the market right now, how bodybuilders and MMA athletes can benefit from them, and her thoughts on the good ol comparison between an elliptical and the treadmill. Valery also goes on to reveal how she lowered her blood pressure and effortlessly lost 8lbs!

If you want to know more about her, check out her Elliptical Machines blog. Now, let’s get on with the interview!

————[Interview Start]————

FJ: Hey Valery what’s up? How are you today?

Valery: Fine thanks! I’d like to start this interview!

FJ: Haha awesome, want to dive right in huh? I love your attitude already. So is it safe to say you’re an “elliptical expert”?

Valery: Of course, I’ve discovered this wonderful fitness equipment 2 years ago and I’ve doubled my fitness goals.

FJ: Really? That’s nifty and I want to hear all about how you did that. But before we get into the nitty gritty I want to ask you something. A lot of people (specially men) feel that ellipticals are only for women, girly men, or people with knee problems. They don’t feel that it’s as intense of a workout as say, lifting weights or doing a moderate sprint on a treadmill. What do you have to say bout that?

Valery: I could answer Your question with a “real life” example. My boyfriend is an ex MMA Thai Boxer. He was one of those guy that thought Ellipticals were for girls only. Now he uses it more than me!

FJ: Haha, I think you just gave subconscious approval to hundreds of MMA guys out there. So how exactly does he use it? I mean we both know there’s more to an elliptical machine than just hopping on and pedaling away. Can you give us his little routine?

Valery: Sure! Cardio is the essential part of MMA training. The main principle of cardio training for those types of sports is diversification. You need to train Your body at different conditions, so Ellipticals can help you alternate cardio training with swimming, running, biking or rope jumping. Another important thing to consider is that during these activities, knees are subject to considerable stress. Training the ligaments of the knee through the elliptical machine allows you to avoid unnecessary stress & damage.

FJ: So basically you’re saying that ellipticals make for a great, low-impact MMA warm up?

Valery: That’s right! I know that it is not usual, but the elliptical machine in my opinion can be an essential piece of equipment during warm-ups for all combat sports.

FJ: Noted (you hear that dudes… You’re not any less of a man if you use ellipticals!). Alright so let’s talk about the treadmill… Which is it’s biggest competitor I guess you can say. What benefits do ellipticals have over the traditional treadmills?

Valery: As you may already know, the treadmill is the older among the two because it has been around the fitness industry for what seems like forever. IMHO there are 3 main differences: Intensity, Calories burned and Knee impact. The treadmill is good if You feel exhausted, so you can walk slowly just to burn some calories. This cannot be done with Elliptical because they require a “core” intensity level to make them work effectively. It’s clear that Elliptical burns nearly the same amount of calories per hour as the Treadmill. Elliptical lets You warm-up/work the arms too.

FJ: Valid point, let’s talk about the arms involvement with ellipticals for a second. For those who haven’t used it before, or are just plain curious, tell us a bit about how it works and what type of arm workout you can experience while using the elliptical machine.

Valery: You do have the option of working on your upper body muscles, simply use the moving handle bars or carry weights as you slowly workout using the elliptical trainer. Mainly Ellipticals can work the deltoids, dorsal and upper pectorals. The biceps and triceps experience more workouts aimed at conditioning, it’s not indicated to gain muscle mass.

FJ: Of course. If ellipticals built muscle I’d be on that shit like stink on a monkey. I gota say that carrying weights while doing ellipticals is something I have yet to see, but it sounds like quite a workout. Now, you initially got in touch with me because you said you had a few ways that bodybuilders could effectively use ellipticals. Expand a bit on that because big meaty men on elliptical machines is not something you’ll see often, so let’s bring some change to our local gyms.

Valery: Sure, bodybuilders have 2 main training periods (I know I’m being simplistic here, but it’s for the sake of explanation). 1st is the Mass Gain period and 2nd is muscle definition [FJ: also know as "cutting" because you're basically dropping fat]. During the mass gain period, ellipticals are very good for a total body warm-up, especially upper body, 10-15 minutes of moderate elliptical workout would be good.

Now, during the muscle definition period, the bodybuilder needs to lose fat and water weight so extra cardio training is required. I think 30 minutes in the morning of elliptical workout would be great.

FJ: in those 30 mintues, what kind of intervals would your recommend while on an elliptical? And is there an average calorie burn that you can expect in those 30 mins?

Valery: I cannot provide a general rule because it depends on Heart Rate, metabolism and so on… As a general estimate though, you will be able to shed off a maximum of 720 calories in an hour when working out using an elliptical trainer.

FJ: awesome. I’m going to hop on one of these things the next time no one is looking and see the max calories I can burn in 25 mins.

Valery: Lol yeah. But everyone needs to remember that your total caloric burn can depend on any of the following factors: Interval training; settings of the elliptical trainer, Upper body usage, Your muscle-to-fat ratio, Your cardiovascular system, Your gender and weight.

FJ: Abso-friggin-loutely. Ok so let’s talk about the machine itself. For those that are thinking of buying one for their homes, what should they look for? What are the price ranges and maybe you can name some of the features that are a “must have” and some that are a waste of money or completely un-necessary.

Valery: Price is one of the most important things to look for. Ellipticals will range from $300 to more than $1500. You also want to look for: Stability and a fluid motion, Quiet operation, comfortable stride that is appropriate for your height, a variety of programs and the ability to change the resistance and the size of the machine.

FJ: That’s a hefty check list. Alright, now let’s say price was no object, what are the top 3 machines you’d recommend that are available on the market today?

Valery: Not in particular order: NordicTrack ASR 1000; LifeFitness X1 Elliptical Cross Trainer; Schwinn 418 Elliptical

FJ: …and what’s so special about these 3 units and would u know the price off hand?

Valery: They well balanced, solid and resistant. NordicTrack ASR 1000 899$; LifeFitness X1 Elliptical Cross Trainer 2,000$ and Schwinn 418 Elliptical 1,000 $. Consider it as a lifetime investment in Your health at your home.

NordicTrack ASR 1000

lifefitness_X1

Schwinn 418

FJ: Right on. Now I wanted to ask you about the “drive” or the placement of the motor. Some have it in the front, some in the back and now were seeing ones in the center. Does it make much of a difference during a workout? And if so which is the best option in your opinion?

Valery: The 1st elliptical design was the rear drive. The 2nd is the front-drive and the latest design is the center-drive. It does not make too much difference in the workout. I think it’s all about manufacturers benefits of projecting well balanced-high durance machines. IMHO though, the best would be the front drive.

FJ: You know, I think I’ve learnt more about ellipticals in the last 10 minutes than my entire lifetime so big ups for that! Let’s change topics just slightly. You’re a personal trainer yourself and just before we started the interview you had a few things to say. The first was the protein issue, do you want to expand a bit about that?

Valery: Oh sure. I’d like to start saying with my philosophy: “We don’t need nutritional supplements”. That’s why I suggested that you to stay away from proteins supplements. For instance, to ingest the branched amino acids we eat in the Parmesan, the proteins can be made from legumes and meat (especially the meat of wild boar or horse). But eating synthesized proteins can cause stress to the kidneys and liver, creating nitrogen compounds that pollute our bodies.

FJ: Yeah you totally turned into my mom when I told you I was grabbing a protein shake. You know, I can’t say that I’ve had any personal issues with protein supplements, nor have I seen many studies where the whey isolates have been proven dangerous but frequent kidney and liver tests is something everyone needs to do. Talk to your doctor about this one.

I do agree with the “don’t need” part though. I mean as you know I review supplements on this site. Some are shit, some are good but none are “absolutely necessary”. The problem is that people confuse supplements for substitutes. A supplement is supposed to “SUPPLEMENT” a good eating lifestyle… As in enhance the awesomeness that you’re already doing. It’s not supposed to fix your problems, but the marketing department would claim otherwise.

Valery: Ha, for sure. And some times you cannot provide the right protein amounts (i.e. Your’re out or You don’t have protein rich foods) so a supplement could help replace the natural food you should eat just for that one time. But as You said it’s not a permanent substitute.

FJ: Right. See, I love it when people are on the same page as me. Alright so now I want to get to the good stuff. You said in the beginning that you “doubled” your fitness goals. So what changes did you make to achieve this feat and what were you doing before that wasn’t working as wel?

Valery: Starting from my goals: Heart Rate from 70 to 60 beats per minutes, Blood Pressure from 120 to 110 Systolic and weight from 150 to 142 pounds (I’m 5 feet 9 “). It looks very simple but it worked. I bought an elliptical and an LCD TV. That’s the real “secret sauce”! Doing elliptical at home in the early mornings before breakfast for 30 minutes a day helped me improve my goals.

FJ: And how long did it take to go from 150 to 142?

Valery: 6 months to safely lose the weight.

FJ: And did you throw in any intervals or was it a constant steady pace?

Valery: constant. Doing workouts in the mornings can give you a decent metabolic increase for the day.

FJ: For sure, I recommend it. In the morning your body’s only source of fuel is FAT, so why not take advantage of that? I think for most people who are strapped for time that’s solid advice. For ones looking for more dramatic results, the fat loss can of course be accelerated. By the way, that TV show you were watching in the morning must have been good!

Valery: hehe

FJ: The morning shows we get here are pretty shit

Valery: hahaha

FJ: So basically, we’ve reached a paramount conclusion… if you want to lose 8lbs while watching TV and doing cardio, go to Italy!

Valery: Sure, in Italy there are the best weight loss (TV) programs!

FJ: Really, Id have to check one of these out. I don’t think they do that in North America anymore. They got hungry and realized that instead of airing it for free on TV it’s better to slap it on a DVD and sell it.

FJ: Actually I don’t know if that was a smart idea though. I mean it was painful enough to watch them when they airing themselves for free, now they’re asking to be paid so you can watch terrible programming on your own time? Id rather poke my eye out.

Valery: Haha. Well here the fitness commercials are fitness programs with workout models and exercises.

FJ: Yeah we get those too, but most of the time they lack “personality”. By the way, do you think I’d look good on Italian TV?

Valery: I don’t know about that because here in Italy, the TV people are complete idiots. So it’s not better for you.

FJ: haha, that’s funny because it’s not much different than over here. But thanks for that, much appreciated. I’ll keep my pretty face away from Italian TV.

FJ: So with that bombshell I think we’ll wrap this up. Valery, thanks for taking the time to answer my questions and enlightening us on the awesome elliptical machine. If anyone wants to reach you, is there an email where they can get in touch?

Valery: You can use info@ellipticalmachines.net, and it’s has been a pleasure.

FJ: Likewise. I’m due for a workout later this evening so I’m gona try and hop on one of these and get back to you. If you don’t hear from me, that’s because something went horribly, horribly wrong.

Valery: haha alright.

FJ: Oh, and damn you for having nicer weather in Italy… I’m experiencing extreme jealously.

Valery: Hehe you should be. But I think you’ll survive.

FJ: I think I’ll have to. Take care, ciao.

Valery: Ciao!

————[Interview End]————

Hope you learnt something new, I know I did. So, what are your crazy thoughts on the elliptical? Do you use it often? Are you gona start, now that you know more about em? Or do you still think they’re for pussies? Sound off in the comments below.

- FitJerk
FlawlessFitnessBook