The Elliptical works the heart but also...

The Elliptical machine....something I've been using for almost a year now,but now more into it, say 3x a week. I know its a cardio workout but also all body. However I noticed my thighs (Quads, hamstrings) get the most out of it. They got a lil bigger an very solid. along with the soreness that gets contributed as minutes go by. I have gained weight but dont see much change where. except this area mentioned and my gluteus maximus (ass) and the normal fluctuation of my not soo fatty but flabby on occasion Stomach.
I'm not complaining but just want your input.

I'm not sure I understand the question. Do you want people to speculate as to why you have not lost fat as a result of your workouts?

No, but the opposite. Besides the cardio workout itself, is it an all body muscle work out? I noticed that my quads/thighs are more solid, NOT FATTER b/c of me using it as compared to other parts of my body, specially since when I use it these parts get sore.

I wouldn't call it an all-body work out -- I'm not sure what I <i>would</i> call an all-body workout. One thing that I've noticed that's helped me lose some chub is warming up 5-8 minutes, enough to get your heart rate up 10 or 15 bpm before you lift. The exercise in lifting will keep it higher and you'll be burning fat the entire time, or so it seems to me, anyway, I'm no expert!

It all depends on how you would define an "all body muscle workout."

Walking is an all body muscle workout. If you were to sever any one of most of the muscles in your body, it would greatly impact your ability to walk normally.

However, activities like walking and elliptical training will, by and large, rely on Type I (slow-twitch) muscle fibers. For a brief explanation on Type I vs Type II muscle fibers:
Fast and Slow Twitch Muscle Fibers

An activity like high-resistance weight training, on the other hand, will tend to develop Type II muscle fibers.

So yeah, while the elliptical may engage a large percentage of your muscles, it is primarily engaging only a certain type of muscle fiber within those muscle groups.

If you are looking to progress in terms of size or immediate strength, it doesn't make a lot of sense to target Type I muscle fibers. This is one of the reasons why body builders lift weights instead of spending hours on an elliptical.


Hopefully this addresses your question.