I was working out today and one of the girls was so upset because a fitness trainer, that is still in training, told her that the ellipticals should only be done at a maximum of 10 minutes because they build mass.

Is that true? Granted I'm not a big elliptical fan, but I can't see how it would build a lot of mass, let alone a lot of mass on a female.

It will probably build some amount of muscle mass, especially if she wasn't doing much exercise before. But an elliptical is not going to make anyone hugely bulk up. Probably only enough to make legs looked a bit more toned and tight if at all.

Send that trainer back to school!! No, ellipticals can't 'build mass' (I assume that when the trainer said 'mass', she/he meant muscle). Cardio exercise - like the elliptical - isn't muscle building exercise. Only Me is right - the elliptical's fantastic exercise to make your legs tighter and toned, but if you want to build muscle in your legs, you gotta hit the leg press and squat rack.

Think about how we build muscle - we lift a heavy weight for maybe 12 reps, to the point of muscle fatigue or failure. What we're doing is stressing the muscle and making tiny microtears in the muscle. As the muscle repairs (while we're resting), it grows back stronger.

Now think about cardio - I don't know about you, but when I do the elliptical, I don't do 12 reps and hit failure. I think it's more like 6000 strides! And any exercise that you can do for 6000 reps builds cardiovascular fitness, endurance, and burns calories -- but doesn't build muscle.

Hmmm, seeing as I do between 30 and 60 minutes of elliptical every day, I should have incredibly muscular quads, shouldn't I? Not hardly!

I use the elliptical 5 days a week x 45minutes.Been at it a year and it hasn't made me bulk up.I am smaller if anything.

Thank you ladies. I wanted to say something, but I kept sweating and minded my own business.

I do that a LOT at the gym.

I've been doing my elliptical for almost 3 months and it has toned my glutes and legs something fierce!

This is the only exercise that I do before work for 60 minutes. I haven't bulked up at all.

Got all of this off of the net.


Benefits of Elliptical Trainers

Benefits
What That Means to You

No Impact
Safe for joints. Ideal workout for people with back, knee, hips and joint problems.

Weight Bearing Exercise
Builds bone density and burns calories more efficiently. Inhibits the onset of osteoporosis.

Time Efficiency
The dual action of arms and legs optimizes energy expenditure. Requires less time to achieve more results.

Passive Motion
Safe to use. Machine stops when you stop - not active like a treadmill.

Lower Power Draw
Low electrical usage. Less costly to operate.

Low Maintenance
Less impact means less wear and tear.

Small Footprint
Does not take up valuable floor space.

Yep I do it for my 20 minute breaks here at work (we have an on-site gym) and no bulk, maybe some toning, but mostly an aerobic boost to get me through the day

I do the elliptical for an hour 6 days a week and it as toned my legs. I love it. I agree that the trainer needs to go back to school!!