Treadmill OR Elliptical

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  • EricInArlington
    EricInArlington Posts: 557 Member
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    I dont know I never did one without doing the other, I know the Elliptical puts less stress on my back and knees
  • chuisle
    chuisle Posts: 1,052 Member
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    How do you all burn so much on the elliptical? I always burn much less! What pace do you keep?
  • Impala007
    Impala007 Posts: 293 Member
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    Treadmill my feet go numb on the elliptical. I've read the board here, it's more common than I thought.


    Me too...after 20 minutes or so the balls of my feet go numb. I prefer the t-mill.
  • dave4d
    dave4d Posts: 1,155 Member
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    How do you all burn so much on the elliptical? I always burn much less! What pace do you keep?

    I don't pay attention to my pace that often. I just put it at random on level 12 to 15, and do intervals on it. If I hit a fast song on my phone, then I tend to speed up. I also speed up when I'm at a higher difficulty, because I have to use the strength of my arms, and legs to get through, if I'm going faster it builds momentum, or a rythem, and makes it easier to move with the machine.
  • racheljane2377
    racheljane2377 Posts: 1
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    I used to use the elliptical all the time and it was effective. My feet also go numb on it like others have said but after a few months of regular use the numbing went away. I used to HATE the treadmill but one day I decided to give it a try and now I'm hooked. I still use the elliptical occasionally and it is a good workout. It's recommended that you vary your routine from time to time so keep your elliptical and like others have said go for a brisk walk instead sometimes.
  • Taras630
    Taras630 Posts: 85
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    We were wanting to make a gym in our house and went to sears. The guy there said you can eliminate a bike and treadmill by using an elliptical. He also said that the elliptical is better on your knees than the treadmill.
  • aeragusa
    aeragusa Posts: 40 Member
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    I'll usually burn more calories on the elliptical, but I find that I get a better endurance training/cardio workout on the treadmill. But then again, part of my goal is to get better at running, not just to lose weight. If you have problems like flat feet, shin splints, bad knees/hips, etc. I would go with the elliptical since it is low impact. Although it does make my feet go numb (I think someone else here had the same problem). I've tried a couple different types of shoes but I can't seem to make that go away!

    In any case, use whatever works for you. Both have their pro's and con's, and I think it's more of a personal decision than just "one is better than the other."
  • hellen72
    hellen72 Posts: 144 Member
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    I think you need to do the one you will stay on for longer. If u get bored after 10 min on tm then you are better with e.

    I am a marathon runner so obviously love running but get bored on tm. I can stay on e for an hour easily with a book to read ( can't to that on tm)

    For me I burn more on tm but the original poster said they are going at 2.5 mph, if that is the case then you will burn more on e

    Also, I have never heard of anyone getting injured from e but loads get injured running

    I think u made the right choice cos u can still run by going outside so with e u have both options!
  • tmill91
    tmill91 Posts: 6
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    I've used the treadmill, elliptical and the precor arc trainer in the past. Although I've maintained my fitness using all three, I've found that if I don't do interval training for cardio AND lift heavy weights I don't see much fat loss.
  • zorbaru
    zorbaru Posts: 1,077 Member
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    go the eliptical, as well as the better work out it is very low impact so you can still use it even with certain injuries. if you want to run, get out on the road. you will burn more on the road than you will on a treadmill. (going at the same speed) as the treadmill does half the work for you
  • kpak73
    kpak73 Posts: 6
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    I own both machines. I started out as a cross country runner in high school and loved the feeling after a good run, the speed. Then when I got older, I bought an elliptical machine which was good until the foot rest broke and I couldn't get a replacement for it. But a couple years back, I bought a treadmill and when I do use it (which sadly, isn't that often), I really enjoy it. I prefer the Treadmill, but I feel the elliptical is also a good choice for the low impact reason. Listen to your body and try the equipment out at the store or gym before you buy it. Different people prefer different things. I like the treadmill mostly because I'm a runner at heart who has very strong legs.
  • tolygal
    tolygal Posts: 602 Member
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    At first, I burned WAY more calories on the elliptical. I know this because my bodybugg shows me my burn. It didn't hurt my knees (which the treadmill did and still sometimes does) and I was able work hard and go fast and really kill it the whole time. I couldn't run for very long yet, and walking on the treadmill - even at a higher incline, did not burn as many calories as what I could burn on the elliptical. On the elliptical, I worked my way up from 20 minutes (barely) to 60 minutes. Along the way, my speed and resistance have increased. My normal speed is now about 85 RPM and I do bursts of up to 95 RPMs (when I started I was around 67 on average with bursts to 75). The 'problem' is that my body is now very conditioned to working hard on the elliptical and I'm not burning as many cals/minute as I used to - except during my bursts - which I cannot maintain for 30+ minutes straight.

    Throughout the last year, I've also dabbled in some running. Now that I CAN run at 6 MPH (or faster) for 20+ minutes, I'm seeing that the treadmill is burning the same or more calories than I do on the elliptical. Usually, I burn about the same calories per minute one each, but last week, I ran an entire 30 minutes at 6 MPH and for some reason I burned 2-3 calories more per minute than I've been doing on the elliptical (except during my bursts). So it seems that things may be swapping for me. I'm now burning more calories/minute when I run than when I do the elliptical?? I'll have to watch it for a while to make sure, but I assume it's because I can now actually run at a good pace consistently - and my body isn't as conditioned to it, so I'm working harder to do it. However, right now, I can't run for as long as I can do the elliptical, so if I run 30 minutes or do the elliptical for 60 minutes, I actually burn more over the entire workout on the elliptical. So, what I'm doing is alternating between them both. But I also do aerobics videos and classes too - and I'm adding strengh training - just to make sure I can be versatile - and because I love the aerobics class at my gym.

    I'm a big fan of the elliptical because you can change the resistance, go faster, it doesn't hurt your joints, and your arms even get into the action, etc. But - what happens if you go on vacation and don't have an elliptical near you. It's just nice to have something else you can do anywhere (like running or speed walking). So, I'm an even bigger fan of alternating things. If you have an elliptical at home, you can switch it up and go for a walk/run outside on nice days so you can do both!

    Good luck!!!
  • addman72
    addman72 Posts: 220
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    Using the figures from my HRM , personally I burn more on the treadmill for the same time on the elliptical

    I agree with others though that its harder on the knees.

    I usually do 1hr on the treadmill and then 20-30min on the elliptical

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