# Elliptical Trainers **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 1, 2003, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elliptical-trainers/192399 "2003-08-01T17:07:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Homer\_J.Simpson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a698b9/32.png) [@Homer\_J.Simpson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homer_J.Simpson)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elliptical-trainers/192399/1 "2003-08-01T17:07:45Z")
Do elliptical trainers burn more calories if you hold on with your arms or not? It seems that not holding on is harder, but I heard this burns less calories. So which way do you burn more calories? How does an elliptical trainer workout compare to running in burning calories? ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elliptical-trainers/192399/2 "2003-08-01T17:29:23Z")
Holding the armrests in itself doesn’t make much of any difference in the calories you expend. It’s the amount of your weight that you shift to leaning on those armrests. The more weight you shift, the less weight you are using your leg muscles to support, and hence the fewer calories you are burning. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2003, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elliptical-trainers/192399/3 "2003-08-01T19:18:20Z")
I vote for ‘don’t hold on’ but ‘move you arms’ when exercising. Seems the energy needed to balance and the energy needed to move your arms would be greater than just your arms passively along for the ride as you grip the bars. I do this when hitting my stair climber and I get tired faster, so it’s based on something. I’m fairly well experienced in health/fitness/exercise, so that’s my 2 pennies. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2003, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elliptical-trainers/192399/4 "2003-08-02T05:48:29Z")
You should be able to tell pretty easily. When I use these machines look at your RPM. It is about 55-60 RPM at level 16. BUT if I use my arms to push and pull I can easily do 70-75 RMP at Level 16. Thus the calories increase and you do burn more.