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I bought an elliptical cycle to lose weight. After losing some weight and getting used to it now it feels as easy as walking. It is basically useless now. But I don't want it to go to waste. So I'm looking for a way to make it useful for my workout.
Can I increase its resistance by modifying it somehow?
Would wearing a 40lbs rucksack while using it a good idea?
PS: This is the cycle I have. It has 11-pound magnetic flywheel, which is why it is so easy I think.
I had a similar problem with elliptical machines for cardio training. My leg muscles became very used to the movement so it became hard for me increase my heart rate. I realized that there are two points of power to make the elliptical spin: from your legs pushing on the pedals, and from your arms pushing and pulling on the handles. I was very dominant with my legs so I tried to focus more energy on pulling and pushing from the arm handles. This definitely changed the dynamics for endurance resulting in my heart rate jumping in a short amount of time which was my goal.
In short, you can adjust the amount of energy you are using from your legs to your arms or vise versa to add difficulty depending on your current strengths.
