So I just joined a gym last month. For the most part I have been doing the bike, treadmill and a few arm weights. I see people on the eliptical and going so fast and what seems like forever. As they are flying on this thing the have the ipod going in 1 hand and texting away with the other. So I think how bad can it be. I am not exagerating when I say 3 minutes nearly killed me and not going fast. I think it takes way more coordination then I have. Is this something you get used to? Or are some people just not meant for this torture device.

I feel your pain! I'm not very good at it either! However, I think if I did it more often, I could improve, and I'm sure you can too! Keep trying.

Trust me, you definitely get used to it! The first few times I did it I couldn't handle more than 5 or 10 minutes. Don't kill yourself on it. Go slow on it until you feel like your muscles are used to the movement. Remember to use your arms to help move your feet, but you don't need to exhaust yourself pulling with your arms and not using the muscles in your legs. As you get used to the movement you'll be able to go faster, but I still don't go super fast... I usually do 45 minutes and "travel" about 3 miles on it. What's important is to get your heart rate up to a good level and stay there for a while. The rest- running on it, going super fast, using lots of resistance- will come in time.

I started the elliptical last September doing 10 min at a time until I built up to 30 min non-stop. I would rotate with the bike until I did a total of 45 to one hour. Good luck!

I feel your pain! I'm not very good at it either! However, I think if I did it more often, I could improve, and I'm sure you can too! Keep trying.

I think everyone is under the same consensus. I know when I started with that dreaded machine I thought I was a gone for sure after 5 minutes but if you had a couple of minutes each time you go you can build up over time. Keep at it and you'll be doing 30 min like a pro in no time!

I started it a couple years prior to banding. It took a while for me to get used to it. Give it time

I hear ya I got a elliptical last month and we haven't gotten along very well so I've just stayed with my aerobics!

Its an odd movement, one that takes some getting used to. It feels strange at first, but it'll come quickly.

Dont be discouraged, you need to build up to it. I started out using an elliptical because I had a heel problem, I started about a month before banding, and I used cardio coach (www.cardiocoach.com). It is an interval training program, and you can adjust it to your level, but it makes you push yourself really hard for brief spurts and then you can settle into an easier level for rests. Its really the best way to advance your fitness, if you just get on and plug away at a moderate pace, you will get fitter but it'll take way longer. Those bursts of intensity really pay off. I was able to start running very soon after my lapband surgery.

If people can text or read while they're doing it, they're not working hard enough! You really should be quite breathless and sweating when you do your cardio.

It's really not that bad, I used to do 5-7 miles a day on that bad boy.

Don't look at others doing it and assume you should go the same speed....take your time....feel it...flow with it...you'll get it.

Going slower will help you get the balance then before you know it you'll be a pro!!

It is definitely an excercise machine that you have to get use to and built up to. Keep at it and you will be flying on it with the best of them. I swear by the elliptical and couldnt imagine doing anything else.

Going fast is not the way to use a eliptical!!! It's about resistance. How hard you have to work.

I use one everyday. If I wanted, I could go like crazy at the lowest setting, but it would not do anything except ROM, and probably pull a muscle or 2.

Granted, you have to start somewhere, to get the rhythm. But then you need to start upping the resistance to get any cardio effect.

I'm a 60 year old male. I do 30-45 minutes a day at a resistance setting of 15. I wear a heart rate monitor to ensure I am getting the right amount of work.

When I finish, my shirt is soaking wet with sweat.

Very true - of all cardio machines really - fast with low resistance is not that valuable workout wise. I dont think I ever use my treadmill on an incline below 4. You see so many poeple in spin class too with their legs flying when you're supposed to have a high resistance.

Haha, i just started the elliptical. First time I got on it, I did 1 minute and had to stop. Today I did 2 minutes straight and about fell over. I'm not feeling like I'll ever build up to a 30 minute interval, but who knows. I'll keep working at it.

when i started i could only do 5 mins at best. i hated the thing! but then i got on one day an was like ok machine lets do this haha that day i did 10 and now im up to 1/2 hr an i have learned to love it..i put my music on and just go.stick with it and dont give up!

The elliptical can be tough initially because you are using different muscles. However, in my experience the elliptical is a machine of diminishing returns. The more you use it the more acclimated your body gets and the less effective it becomes. The best way to avoid this is to keep an eye on your heart rate to make sure it stays elevated at optimum levels while you are on it. Also, the elliptical is fantastic for knee rehab and a great low-impact cardio workout. Just remember, sweating is not an indicator of fat burning or muscle building. For me, the general rule is, if my heart rate stays up then I'm burning calories and if I'm sore the next day then I'm building muscle. Good luck!

Gaither