I have this problem too I usually go backward or try to pick my feet up a little each time I step so that all the pressure isnt on them, this numb feeling is the reason I go on the treadmill and I think the reason elipticals intimidate me

I have a nagging worry about the devilish elliptical. I thought I got a good workout on it. But now I've read that the momentum of the machine moving dissipates some of its benefit. (Because you're doing less of the work than you would if the momentum wasn't partly carrying you.) Is this true, I wonder? I am no good at physics.

I thought I was doing fairly well on this machine until I tried the hill-climbing setting while stepping backward. I shouldn't have been surprised that I am much weaker at back-pedaling than frontward motion.

Have you tested to see what happens when you stop pushing the pedals with your legs? On the ellipticals I've been on, the pedals stop moving.

The ones I've been on, they stopped, but took a few seconds with it still going by itself because of the momentum of the machine still going.

I think she's saying that since the machine glides with your leg movement, it's not as high-impact on your legs.

And it's not. But, your legs are still making it go and they're still doing the movement for your muscles to work. Plus, it's good cardio.

So, to answer saef, while it's making the actual motion easier, the benefit doesn't go down. You're still having to keep the machine moving, and the machine itself isn't light anyway.

Melody, thanks for that explanation.

My worry comes from my love of using the elliptical. I'm old enough to have seen various machines rise high in favor over the years, only to fall again when they were discovered to be not quite good enough or to be the source of chronic injury. I'd hate to hear that happen to the elliptical in a couple years -- then I'd be like (((head-desk))) why, why did I obsessively use that thing nearly daily for so long???

I use two different ellipticals, depending on the gym I'm working out in. If I'm using the little on-site fitness center available to me at my company's office, I'm using a Life Fitness elliptical. When I'm at the dues-paying gym near my home, I use Precor elliptical. I **love** that Precor elliptical (if I could, I'd give it roses for Valentine's Day) , but it's clearly an expensive, intricate machine, far more so than what my company lets us use for free.

I do not get the numbness others in this thread have described, but it's because of my own freaky body. As a legacy of being overweight, I have arthritis in the joint of my left big toe. Thus, I tend to press down with my heel naturally, to spare my toes any pressure.

You don't have to worry about the chronic injury. Many beginners or those with knee, ankle, or other problems use this machine because it's so low impact on your legs. Instead of having to walk on a treadmill and put a lot of pressure on joints, you can use the elliptical, avoid injury, and still get the benefit of working out your legs and getting in your cardio.

And that's exactly why you should not worry and still use that machine. :)

The Elliptical IS the Devil! I can't do more than 15 minutes on it, and it KILLS my hips!

Wow! I'm so glad I saw this thread! This has always happened to me on the elliptical and I couldn't figure it out. It's really annoying to try to work out with numb toes, gets weirdly painful after a while. I'll definitely try the posture tips and loosening my shoelaces. I love it for the low-impact factor, I definitely don't think I could ever run as far as I can go on the elliptical- hurts my knees too much.