Elliptical VS Treadmill

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  • ditzyFlip
    ditzyFlip Posts: 104 Member
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    I prefer the treadmill over the elliptical. I've tried the elliptical before, and I don't like how awkward it feels, especially with my short stature. I'm much more comfortable with the treadmill especially since I do HIIT, and it's as close to running outside as I can get without dying from allergens.
  • EddieHaskell97
    EddieHaskell97 Posts: 2,227 Member
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    I use both, but prefer the treadmill.

    You can "cheat" on the elliptical by slowing down, whereas if you try it on the treadmill, it will toss your weasel butt.

    As previously mentioned, the treadmill has a more practical motion (walking/running). The only times you'll need the elliptical motion is (kinda') cross country skiing, or driving one of the giant robots from Pacific Rim. An elliptical will not get you ready for any kind of road race.

    They build different muscles, so where do you want to build?
  • KelARita7
    KelARita7 Posts: 2,694 Member
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    "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.

    This ^^ tho sometimes I use the elliptical just for something different.
  • roenutrition
    roenutrition Posts: 26 Member
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    I like the elliptical because I can changes levels easier and it works well for interval exercise. It pumps up my HR quite well. It can be boring but I listened to my favorite music, (motivating) or I will watch a show. It is working for me. The treadmill is okay but I am one who cannot balance well at fast speeds without holding on. I like running on a track outside. Its safer. :)
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    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.

    A lot of machines in the gym don't translate to the real world - they don't have to. they are designed to isolate and build on specific muscle groups. The elliptical is meant as a pure cardio machine to burn calories and improve heart health while enabling the user to not suffer unnecessary joint pain, and it does that.

    That seems pointless, why not kill 2 birds with one stone with the treadmill? And as for exercises to translate to real world, I am not big on isolation weight lifting exercises either. I like compounds, like squats, deads, overhead press, bench press, and pull-ups, all of which translate to real world movements and moving things in real like.

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