TREADMILL VS ELLIPTICAL WHICH IS BETTER?

but I feel like I didn't burn any calories...

Just living burns calories! :laugh:

I use an elliptical almost every day - 35-40 minutes and without a doubt I've had exceptional results. I do believe the calorie count is inflated, though that said, keep using one consistently and you'll see and feel the difference.

I know. I mean I didn't even sweat. I used it for 45 minutes.

The you are not putting it a high enough level - I'm soaking wet when I finish my routine. Push harder!

yeah i agree i think the calorie count is off. Also it has to be set to your specific height & weight to really be close anyway. My elliptical app says Im burning more calories than the machine says.

My heart rate is much higher on the elliptical than the treadmill. Elliptical - 160 bpm and tradmill - 130bpm.

But the elliptical is much lower impact - so it may not feel you are working as hard.

And yes, calorie counts on the machines are off - even if you put in your age, weight etc. I find my heart rate monitor a much better way for me to calculate exercise calories.

And I sweat much more on the elliptical!

Face it, the machines lie. A heart rate monitor might give you a slightly more accurate burn, but it lies too.

Do either of the machines measure your heart rate? As the others have said, do you put in your height and weight?

If your perceived effort on the treadmill is greater, it is probably greater...

With either machine, it depends how you set it up. If you have low resistance on the elliptical, you won't burn much, once you've got used to the exercise - it'll be no better or worse than having a comfy walk.

Which do you like more? Do that. Set the machine to give you a significant workout.

Also, just be aware that the burns listed on machines are notoriously inaccurate. It can't 'know' how hard you've worked without at least some biometrics (e.g. heart rate). If you're not cracking a sweat, chances are you're working *not very hard*.

I thought that the eliptical burn was too high so I got a heart rate monitor. That said I was burning slightly more than the machine said! Like you I find it feels easier than the treadmill, although I sweat buckets on both, but I think its just the fact it's lower impact that makes it feel easier.

If you are exhausted on the treadmill and not the elliptical you are doing something drastically wrong.
treadmill only works the legs unless you are intentionally swinging your arms or jogging and it's harder to keep the heart rate up for longer

Elliptical/Cross Trainer works the whole body and you can set the heights and strides alot higher and thus far more resistance then a treadmill

I burn around 12-15 calories a minute on a elliptical, on the treadmill the same intensity would only net 10-12 calories a minute and about 100 calories less over the course of a 20min session, elliptical is also lower impact atleast for me.

Try intervals or bumping the stride and elevation up and down randomly and you use your arms to pull and push not just your legs to drive it.

but if you want a real challenge, Bike burns more then both of them.

That's all providing you aren't just going through the motions and are pushing yourself, I see many people at the gym on the machines just reading a book, playing with there phones or talking while casually working out, what's the point of even being there if you aren't trying to do anything usefull

as for readouts, none of them are accurate, they are just a ballpark average not even taking into consideration your height and age for one thing, so they are only 30% accurate and any readings you get from the use of a HR monitor aswell is not real time syncing, the HR monitor will change constantly but the machine takes a few seconds to register and sometimes doesn't register anything or can even register your neighbours workout (ie they are useless for accuracy). I can get the machines and my heart rate monitor to register roughly the same if i don't set the weight on the machine, get yourself a heart rate monitor and see what are really likely to be burning, ignore what the machines say, if you are sweating and puffing, and can talk words but not whole sentences without running out of breath you are burning a good rate, if not you are wasting your time.

I don't know that one is better than the other as they both have positives and negatives. I really believe it's the physical activity that counts.

The calorie burns on those machines are off. You can get a heart rate monitor to get a better gauge on it. I don't think you should choose. Why not do both. But running is a more strenuous activity and works your entire body, so it makes sense to me that you feel more tired. Unlike the elliptical, you can't relax your arms when you run. You can always increase the intensity when you are on the elliptical. I prefer running because it is harder and I like the challenge.

I'm not an athlete, I don't want to be an athlete, and I use the elliptical to increase my calorie deficit. I don't care that the machine readout is inaccurate (actually, when I used one that did take weight, age, and heart rate into account, if said that I was burning *more* than the ones at my usual gym say without taking those things into account). I don't care that it doesn't mimic a real-life movement. I also do other kinds of exercise that build strength and/or are fun for me, but the elliptical I only use to burn calories. It succeeds at that. None of the holier-than-thou proclamations that some of you are making change that fact.

I don't know that one is better than the other as they both have positives and negatives. I really believe it's the physical activity that counts.

In a lot less words than I used - this!!