elliptical or treadmill?

Better for what exactly?

I like the elliptical, it seems to be easier on my joints, and the perceived effort is less, though I burn more calories.

For me, the elliptical, because of my knees.

For you, the one you prefer, and will stick with. Of course, you could alternate between the two.

As said better for what? A lot of your cardio will depend on what you stick with, the duration and intensity of your workout.

Both generally do the same thing and there are pros and cons to each:

Treadmill Pros
- Lets you easily adjust difficulty (incline and speed)
- Keeps you at a steady pace
- Generally easy on your joints (versus running on roads or concrete)

Treadmill Cons
- The moving belt makes it easy to hold on and cheat the work
- Constant, droning. Not really an equivalent to running outdoors with varying condition (hills, wind, turns, etc.)

Elliptical Pros
- You move the equipment, hard to cheat
- You can usually adjust the stride length and tension
- Very easy on the joints
- Excellent for HIIT style work

Elliptical Cons
- Not always the most natural movement pattern
- Also not really an equivalent to running outdoors

So, the best one is the one you enjoy doing and will stick with. Or, heaven forbid, you use both in your training.

I alternate. I build endurance and more strength on an elliptical. My setting makes me really push hard to keep my speed. I think my muscles (quads particularly) engage differently on an elliptical vs. a treadmill. I practice technique and endurance on the treadmill. I felt the hip and calf areas targeted when I first transitioned to the treadmill. They both seem to target the core. But I think it is good to alternate.

I use both - especially when I feel like I am "cheating" on the elliptical, I jump on the treadmill and push myself harder.

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Just wanted to point out that ellipticals *can* overestimate your calorie burn by up to 40%, so if you're getting your calorie burn from the number the machine spits out, it might be very inaccurate. Treadmills overestimate too, but it's easier to check the accuracy using formulas for walking/running calories burned that you can find online. Based on my HRM readings for 30 minutes of steady-state exercise, I always burn more running on a treadmill than I do using an elliptical. Which machine you use is determined by your goals and ability, one is not inherently better than the other.

I definitely prefer the elliptical, I feel like I get a better workout and start sweating and feeling it quicker than I do with the treadmill. I can also alternate, going backwards and forwards to change it and work different muscles. Also the treadmill kills my shins, I can feel it days afterwards.
I will change it up every once in a while though, if I am getting bored with the elliptical I might do the treadmill or the arc trainer.

wilder0902 wrote: »

Guess I should have said which do you prefer? Thank you just getting started with all of this. I don't know much about fitness or nutrition. Just trying to get a idea of which one I should purchase. With two kids 3 and 5 months I can't always get outside when I want to.

If you've never used one of these machines before, I would recommend trying them out for a couple of workouts, to see which you prefer. I have learned in the past few years that the best exercise is the one you will actually like doing. Can you fake like you're considering joining a gym? I've never been to one that didn't let you work out for free at least once before joining. Anytime Fitness lets you work out for up to 7 days for free, which should be more than enough time to decide which you prefer. Anytime Fitness

You can also use your kids for exercise. When mine were 2 and newborn, I used to take them out in a kind of cool double stroller. I forget what it was called, but it allowed the baby to sit in the stroller and the older child to choose to walk beside me or to stand on a platform and be pushed with her sister. I found mine for $15 at a local thrift store while I was pregnant with #2, but I found this one at Wal-Mart for $115, because probably no one will ever be as lucky as I was when I found that stroller for so cheap, Graco Room for 2.

All that being said, I think that an essential part of working out is doing some sort of resistance exercise, in addition to the cardio. My joint injuries don't allow me to lift weights, so I do something called Callanetics, which is basically a body weight exercise that is very gentle on the joints. It doesn't appear that you'd have the kinds of restrictions I have, so think about what you're most interested in trying and see if you can figure out a way to do it. If you don't have any clue about different resistance exercises, there are lots of people on these forums with lots of good suggestions. Many feel that their way is the mega-ultra-best way and no other way will work for anyone, lol, but my suggestion to you is to try everything that interests you, if you can, and choose whichever you can make fit your schedule and do regularly.

Good luck to you on figuring it out!

Rower/ Erg/Concept 2 for full body workout.

Mralex youll find the recumbent is good for support, but it burns fewer calories.