Elliptical vs Stationary bike

JVClubs
JVClubs Posts: 139 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
ok so im 365lbs (thats alot i know =/) but im tall so it evens out a bit more 6'5'.

ive made the transition over to elliptical slowly the last couple weeks and now its ALOT easier to do then i eve would have guessed, however, i do feel i sweat more on the stationary bike, and even tho on the machine it shows im burning more calories on the elliptical the stationary bike i seem to do quite well with too.

i did the elliptical for 50 minutes straight today without stopping, burned 724 calories, and ive only went that far on the bike maybe 2 or 3 times. normally ill burn maybe 320ish in 30 minutes on the bike.

maybe its all in my head but i would like some feed back on what you guys think i should do, or maybe split the time in the gym wtih them both?

as of right now i ride the elliptical for 45mins/bike for 30 mins. i just want to burn the most calories as possible

Replies

  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,208 Member
    Ellipticals are notorious for overestimating (lying) about calorie burn. Whichever feels more challenging, or gets your heart rate higher, probably burns more calories.
  • JVClubs
    JVClubs Posts: 139 Member
    i feel like the bike is slightly more challenging, and i didnt know that, i ride those lifestyle bikes
  • hoovified
    hoovified Posts: 46 Member
    Maybe it also depends on how fast you are going on them, or how much effort? You can probably up the hardness of the elliptical if it feels too easy. I personally am the opposite... I can go for 45 minutes straight on the bike but can't hit 10 minutes on the elliptical no matter how low I have it set at haha. I would say do what works best for you, do whichever one you like more or both, and do whatever you think you will continue doing for awhile.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Any cardio activity can get you to your current peak aerobic capacity if your training intensity is great enough so in terms of calories burned it doesn't make any difference what you use.
    Beware that the calorie counts on two different machines are unlikely to be comparable, look at the number as a rough guide and nothing more.

    Personally I would mix them up for variety.
  • JVClubs
    JVClubs Posts: 139 Member
    Maybe it also depends on how fast you are going on them, or how much effort? You can probably up the hardness of the elliptical if it feels too easy. I personally am the opposite... I can go for 45 minutes straight on the bike but can't hit 10 minutes on the elliptical no matter how low I have it set at haha. I would say do what works best for you, do whichever one you like more or both, and do whatever you think you will continue doing for awhile.


    i am going to up the level on the elliptical from 8 to 10 or 11 and see if theres a big change, im doing level 15 out of 25 on the bike with little noticeable effort, but i bike so much it makes sense
  • JVClubs
    JVClubs Posts: 139 Member
    Today I went on the elliptical the whole time I was there except weights, 75 minutes felt good got that sweat I had from when I started biking hard. Hope it's the better alternative.
  • RekindledRose
    RekindledRose Posts: 523 Member
    The bike is better on your knees and back then the elliptical. It's really one of the best cardio exercises to do.

    Weight training is an A+. I've read that free weights with good form is much better than the machines because you use all those little stabilizer muscles. I'm not a weight person though; I'm trying to do the body weight training myself.

    Good luck, and good work!
  • Liliansamata
    Liliansamata Posts: 102 Member
    For a true calorie burn, when working out on the bike and elliptical, it's best to wear a heart rate monitor! Add some weight training into your exercise programme. Cardio for weight loss, and strength training for toning. Anyway good luck with your weight loss, and exercise programme:smile:
  • JVClubs
    JVClubs Posts: 139 Member
    The bike is better on your knees and back then the elliptical. It's really one of the best cardio exercises to do.

    Weight training is an A+. I've read that free weights with good form is much better than the machines because you use all those little stabilizer muscles. I'm not a weight person though; I'm trying to do the body weight training myself.

    Good luck, and good work!

    My knees are pretty good, I'm still young for now lol, and I'll def look into free weights, I think I might be done with the bike, if I see some real results this month.
  • mtlprs
    mtlprs Posts: 40 Member
    The best thing to do is to get yourself a good heart rate monitor, I use the Polar FT4, when you set it up right it will give you the most precise number of calories burned. The monitors on the fitness equipment are very "general" they are made to fit a mass of ppl.
    For example a 5' 200lbs man and a 6' 200 lbs man will not burn the same amount on calories doing the same exercise, but the monitor on you machine does not take that in account.....
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    I tend to enjoy the elliptical more than the bike (where I get bored) and personally I feel I get a better workout on the elliptical. You can always try half and half as well. I agree, a heart rate monitor is a great idea!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    For me the bike doesn't burn half the calories than the elliptical does (well, the one with the moving arms, so cross trainer I guess). But for some reason it seems so much harder on my legs. Go figure. I do the 'fat burner' workout on the cross trainer though so it varies resistance quite a bit.

Categories