Which do you find harder Elliptical or Treadmill??

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Replies

  • paulkempjr
    paulkempjr Posts: 64 Member
    I find them bot equally as difficult, that being said the treadmill accommodates my wheelchair a whole lot easier than the elliptical... I just have to make sure the axles are greased well then kick back and enjoy the ride! LOL!
  • labellecanuck
    labellecanuck Posts: 105 Member
    Usually a find the elliptical easier than the treadmill. But the ellipticals that measure stride length are much tougher.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    treadmill because it's easier to cheat on a machine like the elliptical where you arent supporting your own body weight

    but i find the idea of the elliptical is harder for me because what the hell type motion is that supposed to simulate?
  • chl823
    chl823 Posts: 48
    I can't do the Elliptical, it is much harder for me so I end up giving up to quickly. On the other hand I love treadmills. You can adjust the workout to whatever you feel you can do that day. I am still in the market for a new one, haven't made up my mind which one to get yet.
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  • kimr41
    kimr41 Posts: 219 Member
    I find the elliptical much harder than the treadmill, but enjoy it more. My thighs are screaming only after 10 minutes on an elliptical where I can walk on the treadmill much easier for a longer time period
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Much higher calorie burn rate on the elliptical as you are driving with your arms as well.
    Treadmill kills my wonky knee so I'm limited to short distance at a highish pace. Running "properly" hurts my knee much less than jogging.....
  • LifeJacketWaterJogger
    LifeJacketWaterJogger Posts: 231 Member
    Elliptical is way harder but, it's my favorite machine, most people hate it, they just cant do it.
  • magpiej
    magpiej Posts: 10 Member
    Elliptical is definitely my preference. You can speed up and slow down at will - no delay-- change resistance and incline easily as well. Treadmill is not nice on my knees.
  • MrsPhan11
    MrsPhan11 Posts: 2,502 Member
    Treadmill is def harder. Running is punishment for me but I do it anyway!
  • emmie0622
    emmie0622 Posts: 167 Member
    I do the treadmill more than the elliptical, I feel I get a better workout and notice more toning. I hate the treadmill though, elliptical is easier
  • Babygi6003
    Babygi6003 Posts: 356 Member
    I usually run on the treadmill and then do about 15-20 minutes on the elliptical. I think the elliptical can be harder sometimes though.
  • jbutterflye
    jbutterflye Posts: 1,914 Member
    Elliptical is my favorite, and most days I do it for an hour at a level 5 intensity (3 incline). I plan to go up in intensity periodically. Comparatively speaking it burns quite a bit more calories than the treadmill, but all depends on level of intensity too. I say do what you like, because then you're likely to stick with it.
  • Melo1966
    Melo1966 Posts: 881 Member
    Elliptical is definitely my preference. You can speed up and slow down at will - no delay-- change resistance and incline easily as well. Treadmill is not nice on my knees.

    I can't do the Ellipitical or cycle do to my knee pain, I guess we have different problems with them. I can do the Treadmill on an incline and do interval jogging.
  • hampstenj
    hampstenj Posts: 85 Member
    I can barely last a minute on an elliptical without my legs burning so much that I can't do it anymore, but I can easily do 15-20 minutes on a cycling machine, not sure what gives there... treadmill I'll use for my cooldown cardio after a weight run but I don't like the treadmill that much either...
  • dmpizza
    dmpizza Posts: 3,321 Member
    I find the treadmill tougher due to knee issues.
  • dmaloof2013
    dmaloof2013 Posts: 134 Member
    Elliptical is much harder for me. I can get roughly the same calorie burn on either, especially if I up the resistance on the treadmill.
  • LynneM150
    LynneM150 Posts: 34 Member
    I think the treadmill is a lot easier then the elliptical. I do the treadmill everyday for an hour but I can't do the elliptical for 5 minutes.
    i agree. I do interval training on the treadmill for about 45 mins but i struggle to do even 5 mins on the elliptical.
  • RobinvdM
    RobinvdM Posts: 634 Member
    I find the elliptical ungainly and awkward for myself, I know quite a few people swear by it. I don't ever see myself using one, even if it was worth twice as much caloric burn as the treadmill. :laugh:
  • AshS1050
    AshS1050 Posts: 43 Member
    elliptical is soooo much easier than the treadmill. i can go on a treadmill @ 6.0 speed or higher for 30+ minutes and work up a good sweat but feel fine. i can even increase the resistance and maintain a speed no lower than 5.0 just dandy.

    the treadmill, however..... i'm lucky if i can knock out 3-5 continuous minutes of jogging 5.0-6.0 speed w/o any incline. my heart feels like it's going to explode. i HAVE to do intervals on a treadmill or i wont be able to stay on 10 mins.

    in my best shape, i could only jog on a treadmill for 20 min where as i could stay on an elliptical for over an hour.

    idk why, tho :-/
  • Ely82010
    Ely82010 Posts: 1,998 Member
    I absolutely HATE I am so short and the lenght of the stride is very uncomfortable for me



    I am also short and I never thought that it could be my stride that makes the elliptical so difficult for me ( I REALLY do not like the elliptical)

    Me too, and it is because am also short. I am doing the Arc Fitness now and even being better for me than the elliptical, I still have problems with my short legs. I prefer the treadmill too, even with my knees issues, I just to need to be careful with the incline and speed.
  • shaynak112
    shaynak112 Posts: 751 Member
    I find the elliptical harder and that I get better calorie burn from it. I prefer it anyway, I find it more worthwhile.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Depends on what you're doing and what you're comparing.

    I can easily sail at 8mph on an elliptical for a lot longer than I can run at 8mph on a treadmill. In that regards, I'd say an elliptical is easier. But it took me longer to get accustomed the elliptical. The first time I got one one, I lasted all of two minutes.

    But I just hate the feeling of the elliptical... it's a very unnatural movement for me. After my stress fracture in my fibula healed last year, I tried to get into the elliptical because it's lower impact, but it felt like someone was ripping my foot off, and I never got on one again.
  • mhalkee
    mhalkee Posts: 2
    I think the first two minutes on the elliptical are pure torture, but then it gets a little easier. I feel better after the elliptical & burn more calories (I'm NOT a runner, but wish I was).
  • jen_u_win
    jen_u_win Posts: 9
    I find the treadmill harder. I get shin splints really bad if I go too long.

    I started the gym on 1/15/13. That day we tried to go 10m on the elliptical and I stopped at 7m because I was sucking wind. I built myself up and was doing 20m every day for over a week and now, just 3 weeks later, I've built up to where I did 60m non-stop on Friday! I could go longer if I wanted. I found focusing on my breathing really helps and I'm no longer out of breath. =)
    I prefer the elliptical, however my feet start to burn after about fifteen minutes. Treadmill is borrring and only tolerable if I cover the timer with my towel lol.

    My feet go numb after a long period...all of my toes and down to the balls of my feet and across. =/
  • Teamshoemaker1
    Teamshoemaker1 Posts: 10 Member
    I think the elliptical is harder than the treadmill, but I burn more and get a better workout when I get on the elliptical. At first I could only do 5 minutes because my legs would start burning but now I do an hour every night at the gym on the elliptical. :)
  • dvisser1
    dvisser1 Posts: 788 Member
    I ask because me and close friend are having a debate..

    For me the treadmill is much harder than the elliptical.. I hate the treadmill with the passion..

    She says the elliptical is harder for her..

    She also claims that from what she saw in the gym she used to work at, you get a better calorie burn on the elliptical..

    So for you out there....which is harder and which do you feel gives you a better workout??

    They are different exercises, working the legs differently. At one point I was doing 30-35 minutes at pretty high intensity on the elliptical and still could not run more than 1/4 mile at a very slow pace. Now I use the elliptical for a warm up on my lifting days and run long distance on the other days. From my personal experience, the calories burned on both machines is pretty worthless.

    I use a garmin FR70 HRM in general exercise mode on the elliptical or stairmaster and in running mode (with a foot pod to track mileage & pace accurately) when on the treadmill or running outside. On the elliptical I am typically holding the HRM grips on the machine and always input my height & weight. What I found is that my calories burned according to the elliptical has almost never changed over the past year (even though I've lost 70 lbs and gotten in great shape) but my calories burned according to my HRM has dropped significantly as my fitness improved. The drop my HRM has shown is expected because I've stayed at very near the same exercise intensity and duration. On the elliptical my HRM shows about 2/3 of what the machine shows for calories burned. The treadmill tracks closer, but my HRM is still ~90% of what the machine shows.

    Either way, running outside beats any amount of time on the elliptical or treadmill. While I can vary the incline of the treadmill to simulate hills (even after adding 0.5-1.0 of incline to compensate for the motorized belt) the feeling of running but not going anywhere is hard for me to get past....and then there is the boredom factor!
  • stacezilla
    stacezilla Posts: 83
    I hate the treadmill because after even a minute I get KILLER shin splints, so I hop right off. I can do an hour on the elliptical no problem though.
  • BrittanyNBuchanan
    BrittanyNBuchanan Posts: 68 Member
    I do the elliptical every time I go to the gym, I find the treadmill harder, I physically can not run, but walking on the treadmill is much harder than even doing a very intense workout on the elliptical, for me at least
    ^^^ This...
  • wikitbikit
    wikitbikit Posts: 518 Member
    The elliptical wants me to use a muscle on the front of my thigh, just above my knee, that I swear I don't have, so I find it pretty tough. I can walk on the treadmill endlessly, however, at different speeds and inclines. I'm only just starting to try to jog/run, which I can only do for short bursts.

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