Eliptical Vs Treadmill
Replies
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stanmann571 wrote: »stanmann571 wrote: »TenaciousGymKitten wrote: »Just prefernce. Elliptical is more a female thing (if I may be so bold). I hate the treadmill for the same reasons the guys above hate the elliptical. LOL
Not sure the evidence supports this position.
I'm a guy and prefer the elliptical because I can get greater intensity with lower stress on my joints.
It may feel like less, less impact yes, but as an unnatural motion it may put more stress on hips and knees and could lead to RSI (repetitive strain injury)
Depends on the machine and stride length.
Life fitness long stride trainer is the same motion as running for me.
It's specifically designed that way.
But everyone has different stride length, so may if it works for him would probably be off for 50%+ of the population0 -
I do the elliptical. I also do HIIT training so I save my knees for that instead. Otherwise, I would be jacked up. If you want to increase your intensity (and you are already at a moderate level of fitness) I would recommend a weight vest. I don't cart mine to the gym but if I'm doing a short 15 or 20 minute HIIT or a steady 30 minute cardio, I wear it.1
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I own a treadmill, but I used an elliptical at a gym to rehab a sore knee after extended running on asphalt. Both have their place and can be very helpful if weather is awful and you can't run outdoors (treadmill) or you want low impact to protect/rehab joints (elliptical). Many runners crosstrain using elliptical or rowing machines.1
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stanmann571 wrote: »stanmann571 wrote: »TenaciousGymKitten wrote: »Just prefernce. Elliptical is more a female thing (if I may be so bold). I hate the treadmill for the same reasons the guys above hate the elliptical. LOL
Not sure the evidence supports this position.
I'm a guy and prefer the elliptical because I can get greater intensity with lower stress on my joints.
It may feel like less, less impact yes, but as an unnatural motion it may put more stress on hips and knees and could lead to RSI (repetitive strain injury)
Depends on the machine and stride length.
Life fitness long stride trainer is the same motion as running for me.
It's specifically designed that way.
But everyone has different stride length, so may if it works for him would probably be off for 50%+ of the population
It's specifically designed to match a running gait. They use running as the basic biomechanical model. Like any other piece of equipment for the general public, it cannot be designed to custom fit every individual. Like other pieces of Life Fitness equipment, it is designed to fit 85% of the population.
Life Fitness designed an adjustable stride elliptical, but after testing the prototype, they decided not to produce it. One reason was the cost, the other was that they found that most people self-selected the same stride length.
I only mentioned it in the first place because the poster mentioned that he found that the LF cross trainer he used felt like "the same motion as running". I was pointing out, for his or anyone else's interest, that the comfortable feeling was not an accident or a coincidence.
A common mistake people make is to make general statements about elliptical cross trainers as if they are all the same. There is no machine in a gym with more variation in movement design than elliptical cross trainers.
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I use both. I'm doing c25k on the treadmill and if I'm having a low step day, I'll hop on the elliptical to get my steps quickly. I prefer the treadmill though.1
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When I run in the gym I use a treadmill precisely for the impact. I have osteopenia and need to do weight-bearing exercise; pounding away on the treadmill works for me.1
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Both can give you a good workout, and with the right types of machines both are fairly versatile as well.
As for translating to other real world activities such as running and biking, I find that the elliptical translated well on both. Altering ramp angles (and thus stride length) and resistance on our machine works different muscle groups, and using the right settings will work the areas you want improvement in. I do find that on the elliptical that there are a few muscles used in running that the elliptical really won't help on much if at all, but then again you can't really force that "bounce" that you have in a real run.
One advantage I find with machines is the controlled environment and lack of distractions. Anything within the limits of the machine is available all the time, instantly. I've never had a headwind, sudden rainstorm, turning driver that doesn't watch for bikes, or an angry dog when I'm working out on the machine.0 -
stanmann571 wrote: »stanmann571 wrote: »TenaciousGymKitten wrote: »Just prefernce. Elliptical is more a female thing (if I may be so bold). I hate the treadmill for the same reasons the guys above hate the elliptical. LOL
Not sure the evidence supports this position.
I'm a guy and prefer the elliptical because I can get greater intensity with lower stress on my joints.
It may feel like less, less impact yes, but as an unnatural motion it may put more stress on hips and knees and could lead to RSI (repetitive strain injury)
Depends on the machine and stride length.
Life fitness long stride trainer is the same motion as running for me.
It's specifically designed that way.
But everyone has different stride length, so may if it works for him would probably be off for 50%+ of the population
It's specifically designed to match a running gait. They use running as the basic biomechanical model. Like any other piece of equipment for the general public, it cannot be designed to custom fit every individual. Like other pieces of Life Fitness equipment, it is designed to fit 85% of the population.
Life Fitness designed an adjustable stride elliptical, but after testing the prototype, they decided not to produce it. One reason was the cost, the other was that they found that most people self-selected the same stride length.
I only mentioned it in the first place because the poster mentioned that he found that the LF cross trainer he used felt like "the same motion as running". I was pointing out, for his or anyone else's interest, that the comfortable feeling was not an accident or a coincidence.
A common mistake people make is to make general statements about elliptical cross trainers as if they are all the same. There is no machine in a gym with more variation in movement design than elliptical cross trainers.
Many ellipticals do not adjust (all 3 at my gym don't) as such those won't be good for nearly 85 % of the population due to large variations in height, leg length etc., fitness level, style of running, not to mention when running at different speeds the stride length of the same person changes, that doesn't happen on many ellipticals and you have to adjust to the machine, not the other way around, and that can lead to injury.0 -
robertw486 wrote: »Both can give you a good workout, and with the right types of machines both are fairly versatile as well.
As for translating to other real world activities such as running and biking, I find that the elliptical translated well on both. Altering ramp angles (and thus stride length) and resistance on our machine works different muscle groups, and using the right settings will work the areas you want improvement in. I do find that on the elliptical that there are a few muscles used in running that the elliptical really won't help on much if at all, but then again you can't really force that "bounce" that you have in a real run.
One advantage I find with machines is the controlled environment and lack of distractions. Anything within the limits of the machine is available all the time, instantly. I've never had a headwind, sudden rainstorm, turning driver that doesn't watch for bikes, or an angry dog when I'm working out on the machine.
You don't get the ankle flexion on an elliptical like you do with walking or running, thus could create imbalances, unless you also run and use the elliptical for cross training, recovery, active rest day.0 -
stanmann571 wrote: »stanmann571 wrote: »TenaciousGymKitten wrote: »Just prefernce. Elliptical is more a female thing (if I may be so bold). I hate the treadmill for the same reasons the guys above hate the elliptical. LOL
Not sure the evidence supports this position.
I'm a guy and prefer the elliptical because I can get greater intensity with lower stress on my joints.
It may feel like less, less impact yes, but as an unnatural motion it may put more stress on hips and knees and could lead to RSI (repetitive strain injury)
Depends on the machine and stride length.
Life fitness long stride trainer is the same motion as running for me.
It's specifically designed that way.
But everyone has different stride length, so may if it works for him would probably be off for 50%+ of the population
It's specifically designed to match a running gait. They use running as the basic biomechanical model. Like any other piece of equipment for the general public, it cannot be designed to custom fit every individual. Like other pieces of Life Fitness equipment, it is designed to fit 85% of the population.
Life Fitness designed an adjustable stride elliptical, but after testing the prototype, they decided not to produce it. One reason was the cost, the other was that they found that most people self-selected the same stride length.
I only mentioned it in the first place because the poster mentioned that he found that the LF cross trainer he used felt like "the same motion as running". I was pointing out, for his or anyone else's interest, that the comfortable feeling was not an accident or a coincidence.
A common mistake people make is to make general statements about elliptical cross trainers as if they are all the same. There is no machine in a gym with more variation in movement design than elliptical cross trainers.
Many ellipticals do not adjust (all 3 at my gym don't) as such those won't be good for nearly 85 % of the population due to large variations in height, leg length etc., fitness level, style of running, not to mention when running at different speeds the stride length of the same person changes, that doesn't happen on many ellipticals and you have to adjust to the machine, not the other way around, and that can lead to injury.
A common mistake people make is to make general statements about elliptical cross trainers as if they are all the same.
The other common mistake is when they make general statements about ellipticals with no understanding of how they are designed.1 -
I like the elliptical but i've found ellipticals are all so different. My sister has one and the workout is completely different than the ones at my gym. At my gym I like to put it on level 60 resistance and max incline of 10.
I also like the elliptical because I can work different muscles. I can put the resistance up to max and only use my arms for a nice arm workout or not touch the handles at all and use only legs.
I see a lot of people who don't put incline on or resistance and it looks a lot more like running and feels completely different than when I adjust the settings. I like how you can get completely different workouts depending on how you adjust.0 -
I prefer an elliptical. Ours allows us to adjust our stride length so I match my stride and so cab my husband. Treadmills make my knees hurt. Only problem with the ellitiptical I have is sometimes my foot falls asleep.0
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I think I'm too short for ellipticals or something. My legs always feel too far apart?
I used one before I started running as it was the most high-intensity option at my apartment gym besides the treadmill, but now that I can run, I doubt I'll ever use one again since on the treadmill I can adjust my gait a lot more and run comfortably (plus I don't find the elliptical as good a cardio workout as a good run, personally.)0 -
I think I'm too short for ellipticals or something. My legs always feel too far apart?
I used one before I started running as it was the most high-intensity option at my apartment gym besides the treadmill, but now that I can run, I doubt I'll ever use one again since on the treadmill I can adjust my gait a lot more and run comfortably (plus I don't find the elliptical as good a cardio workout as a good run, personally.)
Mine always did too! Thats why I prefer to do on max incline and max resistance! It really changes it. I feel so weird and awkward doing it without incline.0 -
I have some weird form of neuropathy which causes my foot to go numb when I do the elliptical, thats why I prefer the treadmill.0
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