Better to Run or Elliptical?

ojell

To shed fat and build muscle?

Which shows results faster?

How long is best?

CMmrsfloyd

Personal preference.

The thing that makes you shed fat is having a calorie deficit created by either eating less than your body requires to maintain, exercising to burn extra calories, or a combination of the two. Pick the one that you think you will enjoy most or alternate them for variety. :-)

morgandy

I wondered this myself a little while ago. I used to avoid the Elliptical trainer like the plague in favor of the treadmill, because I always assumed nothing beat running for cardio. However, one day when I was really bored with my routine I jumped onto the elliptical and loved it. It was just so much fun! I also noticed I was able to get my heart rate up faster than doing my normal routine on the treadmill. So now when I'm at the gym I do 20 min on the treadmill and 20 min on the elliptical just to spice things up. It seems to really work for me.

brooksaceb

according to my HRM i burn more calories running then i do on the elliptical. Then again the elliptical estimated calories burned is always higher than my HRM even thought it picks up the signal and they read the same. But i like the elliptical because if you use the resistance and the slope you can burn a lot of calories

AlwaysWanderer

cardio doesnt build muscle, weight lifting does that. Running actualy burns muscle. I prefer running over eliptical, although both are good for calorie burns.

skylark94

I will often spend 30 minutes on the treadmill (all my knee will allow) followed by 30 on the elliptical. According to my HRM, the elliptical is the better burn, but running is so much more fun!

robyng1986

wellllll...... I CAN'T RUN lol so for me it's the elliptical!

ojell

wellllll...... I CAN'T RUN lol so for me it's the elliptical!

LoL You sound like me! haha

celticmuse

The elliptical is kinder to your joints. I'd vote for the elliptical over running any day....

mikkijane1

I broke my ankle a few years ago, and if I do anything high impact (like running) for too long it starts to swell and hurt! I have found that the elliptical is a GREAT workout (I dial up the resistence to give my legs a good workout) and doesn't hurt my ankle at all. It's all about personal preference I can't stand the tredmill- I would rather run outdoors (for as long as my ankle will allow LOL).

beatleschic87

I find that I burn more doing elliptical than running. Usually when I run my heart rate is up like crazy but I can't go for very long. With elliptical my heart rate climbs slowly and I can go for like an hour to an hour and a half. Plus it tones you too.

espence30

running is my personal preference..I can run longer and further...on elliptical and treadmill I got bored and would give up.

BobbyClerici

As a general rule, real exercise is always better than anything on a machine.
There is no equal to the real thing.

gigiangelique

I have bad knees so i do the Elliptical for 30-60 mon I always try to do 10 min on the tredmill after my weights tho

sjcply

Running will get you in shape faster.(atleast in my opinion) I have done elliptical for a few years and I lost weight but never really toned or got good muscle tone. BUT I have been running for a few years now and have got great results! I am more toned anlean than ever before. Running definately tones and leans you out from waist down! But you have to take it easy at first. If you are just wanting to start I would do Couch to 5k program. It works!

Onesnap

Elliptical.

Hills.

Easy on the knees.

Want to build muscle fast? Take Zumba 3x week. You should see my Zumba teacher. He's amazing.

ackeebee

i do abit of both. i find i burn far more calories running on the treadmill but it is not everyday i am in the mood for a run or can run for a long period of time.

jedi9393

i thought i was then only one that gets bored with those machines. I can burn calories and stuff, but I have to come up with mental games to make me stay on longer than 15 min. Outside I can walk, jog forever. I need something to look at and a destination.

durhamity

my husband used to be a runner. because he works out of town alot, he started using the eliptical at the hotel. when he came back home, and started running again, he wasn't able to run as well as he used to. I think, from his experience, the eliptical doesn't really do much to strengthen the muscle. More muscle = more fat burn

But any exercise is better than none. Do what you like.

sovannac

It honestly depends on your preference. I started off with the elliptical and gradually moved up to running and once I started running I saw faster results. If you really want to burn some fat, jump rope. That has helped me tremendously.

mlb929

There is just something about running that brings more out in me than the elliptical ever did. I want to go faster and move harder than the elliptical. Elliptical is great for cross training IMO but running is really where it's at.

iplayoutside19

Personal preference.

The thing that makes you shed fat is having a calorie deficit created by either eating less than your body requires to maintain, exercising to burn extra calories, or a combination of the two. Pick the one that you think you will enjoy most or alternate them for variety. :-)

I would just like to reiterate this. Spend an hour on the eliptical each day if you want....if you're nutrition isn't where it needs to be you won't get the results you're looking for.

mikeyrp

Depends:

Running is higher impact so you will probably burn more calories per minute - however I think that the elliptical is much better for your body: especially if you compare higher resistance elliptical to sharp inclines on the treadmill (these are likely to cause shin splints).

Personally, I would mix it up a bit - less chance of injury, you work a bigger range of muscles and you are less likely to get bored.

RMinVA

Personally, I would mix it up a bit - less chance of injury, you work a bigger range of muscles and you are less likely to get bored.

This. I mix it up a lot. Running is primary, but I am a newbie triathlete so I cycle too and swim in the summer. In the winter I still try to do my longer runs outside, but will use the TM for shorter ones and pair it with a ride on the bike for a "brick." I also use other cardio equipment at the gym on cross training days and try to do some sort of weight training three days a week.

Mixing it up helps to prevent "overuse" injuries and most importantly BOREDOM!! Bottom line though is that the only exercise that works is the one that you stick with.

99clmsntgr

I have an elliptical, but I choose to run. Outside. The only times my elliptical gets used are if I'm stuck at home with the kids by myself or if it's raining when I want to run. And not just normal "Oh, it's drizzling," rain. It gets used when it's "Holy mother of God, someone go save Grandma, the creek's risin'!" raining. But that's just personal preference. I like being outside. I like getting fresh air. I like putting the earbuds in, pounding the pavement and just being lost in my own world for an hour or so.

I don't think either is bad for you and I cannot say one is "better" than the other. The other posters are right, neither will help build muscle (other than that muscle called your heart).

As for "how long," the "fitness and health experts" all say you need 30 minutes, 3 times a week to maintain health, which means you should be doing trying to do at least that much, right? I try to get at least 4 runs in a week, my shortest runs are in the 35 minute range (my long run on Saturday mornings is usually around 90-100 minutes, but it's taken a long time to build up to that...). Do what's comfortable, listen to your body. It will usually let you know when it's had enough.

AprilRenewed

When I measured with my HR monitor, I burned a LOT more calories on the elliptical. As long as you up the intensity and/or incline (mine has both).

tinamina78

As a general rule, real exercise is always better than anything on a machine.
There is no equal to the real thing.

REAL exercise?? I'm sorry but if you are putting in the effort, raising your heartrate and keeping it raised for a good amount of time, then you are still getting a good cardio workout regardless of whether it's on a machine or outdoors. I'm not 100% sure what you mean by "real thing" but I'm 100% certain that running your butt off on a treadmill is "real" exercise. What matters is the effort you put into it and the calorie deficit you create doing it.

Just sayin'

AprilRenewed

As a general rule, real exercise is always better than anything on a machine.
There is no equal to the real thing.

REAL exercise?? I'm sorry but if you are putting in the effort, raising your heartrate and keeping it raised for a good amount of time, then you are still getting a good cardio workout regardless of whether it's on a machine or outdoors. I'm not 100% sure what you mean by "real thing" but I'm 100% certain that running your butt off on a treadmill is "real" exercise. What matters is the effort you put into it and the calorie deficit you create doing it.

Just sayin'

Agreed.

finchase

It's the elliptical for me since I don't have very good knees. I started off walking on the treadmill and then gradually built up my endurance on the elliptical. I found that I got a much better burn on the elliptical. Now I'm trying to build myself up to running/jogging, although I may not ever be able to do that too much.

Just do what feels best to your body. If you choose the elliptical, build yourself up to higher resistance and incline levels. I particularly like the Heart Rate program on the Precor machine I use at the gym. It forces me to elevate my heart rate well above normal and keep it there for an extended period of time. Since I've been doing this I'm finding that my cardio fitness has really improved. And don't forget to actively push/pull the handles with your arms. I watch some people on the elliptical, and you can tell they are just holding on to the handles, letting the machine move their arms, instead of the other way around.