Elliptical or treadmill?

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Replies

  • moosenbratsmommy
    moosenbratsmommy Posts: 170
    walking on the treadmill with a high incline! that's what i do at least (i'm 246 lbs, and walk at an incline of 15- the highest on my treadmill and an average of 3.5 mph, i adjust my speed and incline to cool off for about 2-5 minutes every 15-20 minutes and i burn 1200+ cals an hour... absolutely no running)
  • mhotch
    mhotch Posts: 901 Member
    Running on the treadmill burns more calories for me, but the elliptical does a job on my legs. I mix up my cardio all the time between the elliptical, treadmill, StairMaster, and the bike. My gym is getting arc trainers next week, so I am looking forward to trying something different.
  • Cooriander
    Cooriander Posts: 2,848 Member
    I 'prefer' a treadmill because the motion is more linked to running, BUT I can do an elliptical while I have running injuries - achilles, lower back and heel problems. So had a treadmill for 15+ years and it has 'run its course' and now I replaced it with an ARC (elliptical like) and I am so happy I did - no excused when I am injured. Great for cardio!!!!

    I burn more calories on the ARC per time unit, AND I can stay on the ARC longer.
  • Stavakoli
    Stavakoli Posts: 86 Member
    Thanks for all the input everyone!! I really appreciate it : )
  • Gunff
    Gunff Posts: 47
    If you are looking to buy one? I'd highly recommend buying an elliptical. Typically (for me at least) if I want to run or walk I can go outside and do that, but if my knees are hurting that day, if I only had a treadmill or going outside I wouldn't do either one.

    At the Gym, I prefer elliptical and then run outside with my dog, but I've also done Treadmill if it is raining too much and I haven't been able to get outside.

    We own Pro Form Elliptical and it is nicer than the ones in the Gym.

    I burn about the same running compared to elliptical. use something like the following website for a better guess at # of calories burned compared to the defaults by the machines or MFP.

    http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/heart-rate-based-calorie-burn-calculator.aspx

    The major down side is ellipticals are a lot more expensive, but If you are going to buy one make sure to check out Craigslist or Freecycle and you might be able to find someone in your area giving one away or selling it cheap.
  • Roadie2000
    Roadie2000 Posts: 1,801 Member
    If you are exercising for about the same length of time and your heart rate is about the same for each machine than you are probably burning about the same amount of calories either way. Don't always go by the machines numbers.

    So basically it comes down to how often you are exercising and what you like better. I can do the elliptical 5-6 days a week no problem until I get bored. But I can only run on the treadmill about 3 days a week, any more I get shin splints.
  • andy2486
    andy2486 Posts: 93 Member
    The Cybex Arc Trainer is my fave too. I do it at least 4 times a week. I love that it has incline and resistance and different settings so that you can have it change just like a tredmill or you can make your own like I did:

    Start- 15 resistance at 3 incline
    After first 50 cals burned- 25 resistance at 5 incline
    100 cals burned- 50 resistance at 7 incline
    150 cals burned- 75 resitance at 8 or 9 incline
    200 cals burned- 100 resistance at 10 incline---- stay on this till the end of the hour and I burn anywhere from 700-1000 calories.

    My gym has TV's on all the machines which really makes the time fly by.
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
    Definitely keep doing both...its better to change things up. If you do the same thing every day, your body gets used to it and it won't be as effective.
  • chusheto1
    chusheto1 Posts: 29
    You should mix it up like others said. If you decide to use only one machine, make sure you do a different program each time. This will keep you working hard and force your body to adjust to the new workout. One of my personal favorites is the "Random" program on the treadmill. I have also done the Hill and the Fat Burn (which requires your heart rate).

    Something I realized recently, if you go to a big commercial gym, all you need to monitor your heart rate is a strap. Most straps are universal and the machine picks up the signal from the strap. You do not need to buy a separate monitor (usually a watch) unless you want to use it's recording functions.
  • sammys1girly
    sammys1girly Posts: 1,045 Member
    Cybex Arc trainer!!:wink:

    Me too...I do intervals and can burn over 350 cals in 30 mins.

    Me too! I'm in love!
  • TvShowQueen
    TvShowQueen Posts: 2
    Cybex Arc trainer!!:wink:

    I use this at my gym among other things - out of curiosity what do we log this as, i cant seem to find it I been logging it as Elliptical Trainer as well..
  • amycal
    amycal Posts: 646 Member
    http://www.charlespoliquin.com/Blog/tabid/130/EntryId/780/Tip-218-Run-for-the-Best-Testosterone-to-Cortisol-Ratio-Avoid-the-Elliptical-and-Bike.aspx

    I used to do the elliptical a lot and set it on the interval option,. after reading this I go on the treadmill and manuall up the speed to do running intervals of a minute interspersed with fast walking
  • sammys1girly
    sammys1girly Posts: 1,045 Member
    Cybex Arc trainer!!:wink:

    I use this at my gym among other things - out of curiosity what do we log this as, i cant seem to find it I been logging it as Elliptical Trainer as well..

    I just added it to my exercise log as Arc Trainer and put in close to the number of calories that the machine says I burn. I am sure to put in my weight to make it more correct.
  • Saruman_w
    Saruman_w Posts: 1,531 Member
    It's mostly just preferences. I did elliptical for a long time, but now I'm starting more running/treadmill stuff. Doing this to switch up my routine just a bit and running helps my legs.
  • misskerouac
    misskerouac Posts: 2,242 Member
    i THOUGHT i was burning more calories on the elliptical until i got a HRM

    the reader on the elliptical was overestimating my calories burned
    and the reader on the treadmill was underestimating my calories burned

    I do 30 min of elliptical (bad knees so this works better for me) then I jump on the treadmill for 15min to break it up.
  • str0nger
    str0nger Posts: 36 Member
    I've been working out pretty frequently for the past few months and have finally built up the endurance to run a few miles on the treadmill (I'd always hated running but find myself loving it these days!) I noticed that the elliptical burns more calories though...can this possibly be right?? I definitely feel like I'm working much harder when I run but obviously I'd like to burn as many calories as possible. Any advice on where to focus my workouts?

    I believe in ellipticals more than treadmils just because you have to do the work, not the treadmil.
    I've seen quite often people running on treadmils finding it harder to actually go out and run in the real world.
  • LuciLawless
    LuciLawless Posts: 16 Member
    Running is actually very bad for you. yes you sweat a lot and it get's your heart racing but it's very bad for you joints, bones and brain. it jolts everything around and hurts you more so the eliptical is better.
  • JethroXP
    JethroXP Posts: 49 Member
    I lost 75 pounds in six months by exclusively walking on a treadmill. Having said that, I only "discovered" the Elliptical once I had already reached my goal weight and I absolutely love it, I wish I had used it from day one. I likely would have hit my goal weight even sooner because of the exact thing you mentioned, you can burn more calories in less time on an elliptical vs. a treadmill.

    I walked, instead of ran, on the treadmill because of an old knee injury. The elliptical allows me to go so much faster and harder than I can on a treadmill because there is zero impact. Toward the tail-end of my weight loss I was doing 4MPH and 5% incline for 75 minutes on a treadmill, resulting in 5 miles walked and about 730 calories burned. Now on an elliptical I can spend 65 minutes and get about 6.5 miles done and close to 900 calories burned, and I'm done 10 minutes sooner.

    So yeah, I'm a total convert, I can't see getting back on a treadmill again, unless all the ellipticals are broken :-)
  • Roadie2000
    Roadie2000 Posts: 1,801 Member
    Running is actually very bad for you. yes you sweat a lot and it get's your heart racing but it's very bad for you joints, bones and brain. it jolts everything around and hurts you more so the eliptical is better.

    This is not true. There have been plenty of studies that have been done that have found no link to joint problem later in life associated to running. If anything, the studies found that people that did physical activity seemed to have more joint problems later in life.

    Yes, running with bad form or running too often can be bad for you. The elliptical is lower impact and will have less risk of injury.

    But running is not bad for you, doing nothing is bad for you.
  • havingitall
    havingitall Posts: 3,728 Member
    My trainer told me you were better walking / running outside than on a treadmill, because you need to propel your body forward when you are walking outside. The treadmill does it for you.

    If you find the elliptical easy, up the resistance and go faster. It does burn more calories than the treadmill.

    But...switch it up. The upright exercise bike is good ( recumbant not as much) rowing gives your arm a workout too and the crosstrainer is always fun too.

    I like to compete with myself on the cardio equipment. I like to set goals to reach certain distance by certain times and to push it harder for 45 second to 1 minute intervals and then back off for a bit....then back at it again.

    The main thing is, you are moving your body
  • Roadie2000
    Roadie2000 Posts: 1,801 Member
    My trainer told me you were better walking / running outside than on a treadmill, because you need to propel your body forward when you are walking outside. The treadmill does it for you.

    It's not necessarily better, just different. Running on a treadmill is easier, but you can also go faster. If your heart rate is the same, you will burn about the same amount of calories.

    But the difference in terrain in running outside should work your muscles a little bit better (in theory at least). But I can generally run a lot farther on a treadmill, so I don't necessarily think one is better than the other, just different.
  • BuildABetterMe
    BuildABetterMe Posts: 39
    My trainer told me you were better walking / running outside than on a treadmill, because you need to propel your body forward when you are walking outside. The treadmill does it for you.

    I would challenge your trainer to stand stationary on a treadmill while I up the speed. Shouldn't be a problem since the treadmill propels their body forward, right? :)

    Even on a treadmill, your body has to work to push itself forward at a pace equal to the surface that's moving beneath it. If you don't push forward enough, you get flung off the back. Push too much and you run into the console.

    Just celebrate the win of getting off your butt and getting moving, no matter HOW you do it!
  • Kel3369
    Kel3369 Posts: 83 Member
    "Dreadmill" lol Good one.. I'll have to remember that one. :)

    I actually love going to the gym and getting on the treadmill at an incline of 8 or higher and that seems to really wear me out.

    There are several different brands of ellipticals at the gym and each one says something different which drives me up the wall. One machine says at 30 minutes you burn over 550 calories and have over 4 miles.. another one at 30 minutes says a mile and a half with 160 calories burned. I have been using the lowest numbers to be safe but I would love to know what is accurate.

    I try to do 30 of elliptical and 30 of treadmill and 30 of walking with weights and 30 of a class each time I go and that seems to be doing well for me so far. :)
  • havingitall
    havingitall Posts: 3,728 Member
    My trainer told me you were better walking / running outside than on a treadmill, because you need to propel your body forward when you are walking outside. The treadmill does it for you.

    I would challenge your trainer to stand stationary on a treadmill while I up the speed. Shouldn't be a problem since the treadmill propels their body forward, right? :)

    Even on a treadmill, your body has to work to push itself forward at a pace equal to the surface that's moving beneath it. If you don't push forward enough, you get flung off the back. Push too much and you run into the console.

    Just celebrate the win of getting off your butt and getting moving, no matter HOW you do it!

    I would challenge you to stand still outside and see how far you move:smile: I do agree that whatever you do is better than being a couch potato
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