Elliptical VS Treadmill

laurenleola
laurenleola Posts: 8 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
In your opinion what's the better workout?
«13

Replies

  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
    Whichever one seems to fit you better (try both), determine what you like and can fully commit yourself to. If you can't commit to it then the subtle differences in movement pattern don't really matter.
  • sfbaumgarten
    sfbaumgarten Posts: 912 Member
    For me it'd be the treadmill because I burn more calories running at a constant speed than I do moving the pedals on the elliptical on my own. Basically, the treadmill forces me to maintain my level of effort and the ellipitcal doesn't.
  • Riffraft1960
    Riffraft1960 Posts: 1,984 Member
    I use a treadmill, I can seem to get coordinated on a ellipitical (I find it awkward)
  • gardnerkennedy
    gardnerkennedy Posts: 69 Member
    "For me it'd be the treadmill because I burn more calories running at a constant speed than I do moving the pedals on the elliptical on my own. Basically, the treadmill forces me to maintain my level of effort and the ellipitcal doesn't."

    --x2.
  • iwannabinnarnia
    iwannabinnarnia Posts: 179 Member
    Treadmill because it's more calories burned when I use it.. BUT.. the elliptical is not as hard on the knees/legs....
  • becky10rp
    becky10rp Posts: 573 Member
    I have both - and I prefer my treadmill.

    Everyone told me I'd get to LOVE my elliptical.

    That hasn't happened yet.
  • pinupgal123
    pinupgal123 Posts: 65
    I love my elliptical and can't stand the "dreadmill"! It's all personal preference I think.
  • Rowood101
    Rowood101 Posts: 98 Member
    Elliptical for me. Although I'm hoping to love the treadmill once I learn how to run.
  • beckimoore39
    beckimoore39 Posts: 1 Member
    I love my elliptical. Since I can't run because of knee issues I burn more calories using the elliptical.
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
    Depends on my goal for that day.
  • LifeOfBrian78
    LifeOfBrian78 Posts: 397 Member
    I use the elliptical because I have some knee issues that I don't want to make worse.
  • kmash32
    kmash32 Posts: 275 Member
    I love my elliptical. Since I can't run because of knee issues I burn more calories using the elliptical.

    This^
  • TMagical
    TMagical Posts: 37 Member
    I love the elliptical! I like to speed up, slow down, go backwards, take 1 foot off a pedal & use my arms to pump and try to keep the RPM constant, "run" w/ no hands. All kinds of things.

    I feel uncoordinated and graceless on the treadmill and can't really walk straight so I always feel like I'm about to fall off.

    For me, the elliptical is much more forgiving, I can bop around to my music or get engrossed in a movie and not worry about ending up on a "Gym Fails" Youtube video.
  • rachelrb85
    rachelrb85 Posts: 579 Member
    I hate both. I want to love the treadmill but the impact hurts my shins. I use the elliptical but it's so boring. Running outside works best for me!
  • EvanKeel
    EvanKeel Posts: 1,904 Member
    I seem to be prone to joint problems in my knees and ankles. I like the burn of the treadmill a bit more, but I always regret choosing it over the elliptical eventually.
  • TheWorstHorse
    TheWorstHorse Posts: 185
    dump them both for a rowing machine.

    wait, that's not the question... okay, sorry.

    i prefer the eliptical to a treadmill because i have a bum knee but i prefer my old concept two rower to both of them for quality and intensity of the workout i am able to do.
  • Grumpsandwich
    Grumpsandwich Posts: 368 Member
    Elliptical for me. I get terrible shin pain just walking on a treadmill yet alone running ( and oddly i don't when walking irl)
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    elliptical will help endurance out a bit, but nothing else about the machine can translate to the real world as the motion is not something you would ever do if not on the elliptical. Treadmill on the other hand is a "normal" motion (walking, running, jogging) and can help improve performance in any activity that uses that, and will increase overal endurance.

    If you are going on calorie burn, don't compare what the readout on the machines say, treadmills tend to be fairly accurate, if you enter, age, gender, weight, elliptical, even with that info can be way off as the calculation of work done used by the machine has not been tested and verified as the one use on treadmills.

    Another issue with elliptical is that if the stride pattern is not your natural length it can overtime cause injury to hips and knees as your body is not "supposed to" move like that.
  • valynn0312
    valynn0312 Posts: 27
    I like them both for different reasons.

    I like the treadmill for running… that's pretty much it.
    I like the elliptical if I'm not in the mood to straight run. I usually put it on the highest resistance and walk. It's a good burn in my legs.
  • shmulyeng
    shmulyeng Posts: 472 Member
    Since I hate indoor exercise, I stick to the treadmill when I'm indoors. It translates better to outdoor exercise.
  • Great_Mazinga
    Great_Mazinga Posts: 214 Member
    I usually like the Elliptical, as it is comparatively easy on the joints, even if the treadmill has a forgiving deck. I think the answer is the one you enjoy the movement on the most. For some the elliptical will always feel awkward, while for people like me, a treadmill doesn't feel right at higher speeds.
  • amberj32
    amberj32 Posts: 663 Member
    I prefer the elliptical. I burn more calories on it. If I want to walk or run I go outside and do it. The treadmill is so dreadful.
  • ftrobbie
    ftrobbie Posts: 1,017 Member
    dump them both for a rowing machine.

    wait, that's not the question... okay, sorry.

    i prefer the eliptical to a treadmill because i have a bum knee but i prefer my old concept two rower to both of them for quality and intensity of the workout i am able to do.

    +1 although using a treadmill at the moment as I fell foul of some silly bet and I am NOT going to lose.
  • contrarymary7504
    contrarymary7504 Posts: 30 Member
    When I first returned to exercising I found the elliptical better. I worked up to an hour a day and I found the calorie burn greater and it was easy to reach my target heart rate on the elliptical. Walking on the treadmill just didn't get my heart rate up and I didn't want to run at that time for fear of injury. Seven months later I find running/walking on the treadmill much better at raising my heart rate.
  • 17ChargerGirl17
    17ChargerGirl17 Posts: 441
    It's the Eliptical for me the majority of the time. I burn more calories and push my self harder on the Eliptical.
    I do, however, get on the treadmill once in a while set the pace fast and the incline rather high.
  • bugaha1
    bugaha1 Posts: 602 Member
    High end Elliptical have preprogramed routines that will push hard and you can burn close to 900 to 1000 calories an hour if you can keep up. I'm still using the the 650 calorie burn routines. I can't say that I like it because it's very boring. lol
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    Neither......I rather go outside and walk, I also do weight lifting. But that's just me. :wink:
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    In your opinion what's the better workout?


    I would say for both - you get out of it what you put into it. So if you like one over the other.....then stick with the one you like!
  • JoeDenison
    JoeDenison Posts: 18 Member
    For me, elliptical is better for interval workouts, especially short intervals (e.g., 20s sprint, 20s walk) ... a treadmill takes too long to ramp up and slow down whereas on the elliptical you have total control of that. I also like that I can engage my arms on the elliptical trainer. Seems this has to be a greater energy expenditure than just using my legs.

    But the stride on an elliptical trainer is weird -- certainly not natural like walking or running. The treadmill will allow you to use your full stride. If you like to run then this is so much more enjoyable as compared to the elliptical, where sometimes I feel like I am having to take baby steps. Be careful if you have been working exclusively on an elliptical: when you transition to a treadmill you'll need to give time for your leg muscles (especially hamstrings and adductor muscles) to get used to the full stride. Be sure to warm up adequately or otherwise you risk injury.

    I rely more on strength training for fitness and fat loss than cardio. But HIIT cardio is important to me, and I do that almost exclusively on the elliptical trainer. But if the weather isn't right and I've got the itch to take a walk or a jog, I'll choose the treadmill.
  • Branstin
    Branstin Posts: 2,320 Member
    The better workout is the one that you enjoy and will stick to in order to reach your goals. Both are cardio so it boils down to personal preference.

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