Eliptical vs. Treadmill

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charkendrick
charkendrick Posts: 74 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
My fiancee and I are considering buying either an eliptical or treadmill for our house. Any suggestions on which would be better and does anyone have any brands to recommend?

Thanks!

Replies

  • whtlatina1214
    whtlatina1214 Posts: 765 Member
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    well eliptical way better to get a quicker burn but treadmill is more versatile as far as brands i usually look @ a store and see their reviews and then look up their reviews on google also
  • olmac
    olmac Posts: 2
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    Hi, I belong to the YMCA and asked a trainer which is better he told that the work is the same when concerning yourself woth cardio. But the big difference is that if a person has a bad back , knees or some other joint issue the elliptical is much more forgiving. I have had a back surgery and two neck surgerys so I use the elliptical and have for threes years with no regrets, hope this helps.
  • busyPK
    busyPK Posts: 3,788 Member
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    It's really a personal preference. Are you able to go into a store and try them out? I have a Smooth brand treadmill and have had it for almost 4 years and it's great.
  • kimiel51
    kimiel51 Posts: 299 Member
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    I would also like to know. My husband has hip and knee issues and I have Fibromyalgia, so we need something that we can both use!
  • Breedy75
    Breedy75 Posts: 54 Member
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    Hi, I belong to the YMCA and asked a trainer which is better he told that the work is the same when concerning yourself woth cardio. But the big difference is that if a person has a bad back , knees or some other joint issue the elliptical is much more forgiving. I have had a back surgery and two neck surgerys so I use the elliptical and have for threes years with no regrets, hope this helps.

    Sort of yes and no. Calories burnt is a lot more complicated than plugging some numbers and going at it. I work a lot harder and subsequently burn more calories on a treadmill than an equivalent program on a elliptical, no matter what the computer says. IF joint problems are a major concern then I would recommend walking on a treadmill and building up to a trot or jog; an elliptical is only going to work around the problem not correct it. Further ellipticals force your body to move on the planes and angles of the machine, this can force a lot of people into unnatural movements that cause more issues.

    That being said I personally use both. I prefer to run outside, but living in NE Ohio makes it hard at this time of the year. Treadmills, at least to me, make me "fitter" where as I will throw some elliptical work in just to "burn calories" on days when I am sore from lifting or lack the motivation to do anything else.
  • deeR504
    deeR504 Posts: 22 Member
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    I like the elliptical more so then the treadmill. I have a treadmill at home and stopped using it immediately after using it constantly for 3yrs straight. I did lose a tremendous amount of weight by using it one hr daily after I had two kids back to back.
  • Amanda01
    Amanda01 Posts: 7
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    I love my eliptical! I have an eliptical and a tredmill and I find that I burn more calories in shorter amount of time with the eliptical. I also feel like I get more of a work out with it and can use it for a stair stepper and so much more. :)
  • dirtbikegirl5
    dirtbikegirl5 Posts: 391 Member
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    I have had both. I like the elliptical for couple of reasons. The arms and the legs are working on the elliptical and it is smoother than a treadmill. I also like that I can move my elliptical around easily if I want to use it in another room. This is not the case for all ellipticals but mine is lightweight.
  • jfcarlson713
    jfcarlson713 Posts: 108 Member
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    My Proform treadmill died after several years. Bought a Nordic Trak elliptical. Love it but still run outside 2-3 x week. 6 degrees out this AM - glad I have the elliptical to fall back on!
  • CatGrooms66
    CatGrooms66 Posts: 24
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    Hi, I belong to the YMCA and asked a trainer which is better he told that the work is the same when concerning yourself woth cardio. But the big difference is that if a person has a bad back , knees or some other joint issue the elliptical is much more forgiving. I have had a back surgery and two neck surgerys so I use the elliptical and have for threes years with no regrets, hope this helps.

    Sort of yes and no. Calories burnt is a lot more complicated than plugging some numbers and going at it. I work a lot harder and subsequently burn more calories on a treadmill than an equivalent program on a elliptical, no matter what the computer says. IF joint problems are a major concern then I would recommend walking on a treadmill and building up to a trot or jog; an elliptical is only going to work around the problem not correct it. Further ellipticals force your body to move on the planes and angles of the machine, this can force a lot of people into unnatural movements that cause more issues.

    That being said I personally use both. I prefer to run outside, but living in NE Ohio makes it hard at this time of the year. Treadmills, at least to me, make me "fitter" where as I will throw some elliptical work in just to "burn calories" on days when I am sore from lifting or lack the motivation to do anything else.

    Agree! I live in Ohio and it's cold!! I bought an ellliptical a month ago so that on days I can't make it to the gym or run outside I still can burn up some calories. I work harder on the treadmill but don't always feel like working that hard and an elliptical is much easier on your body and still a good workout.
  • jdjefferson
    jdjefferson Posts: 55
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    Save your $$ and buy a good pair of shoes and go outside for exercise. Seriously, you will not regret it. I live in Wisconsin and run most days with little problems (ice can be tough).

    Having said that, buy the best treadmill you can possibly afford in case you plan to run a lot (or weigh a lot). Precor is one of the better brands. Look for a motor with good horsepower and a running deck that is both long and wide enough for running. A long warranty is nice too (Precor=10 years).

    BTW, generally speaking you will burn more calories running than "elipticaling" (is that even a word?). Any activity that requires you to carry your weight, such as running and jumping, are more beneficial than activities such as swimming, biking, etc.
  • dalgirly
    dalgirly Posts: 280 Member
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    I am actually also considering a treadmill - as I can't run outside as often in the winter. So for the winter months, I can go running inside, and on the nice days, I can go outside. But after falling and slipping several times (twisting ankles and all) in the winter months, I'd rather just be safer.
  • dancingj2
    dancingj2 Posts: 4,572 Member
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    We have both. I always feel like I have worked out more when I use the treadmill. If I have anything hurting sucha a knee or ankle I will use the elliptical because it does not aggrevate the pain.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
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    I prefer the Elliptical over the Treadmill. When it comes right down to it, your man focus on any cardio equipment should be Heartrate training zone. The faster you can get your heartrate into a higher zone (say an Aerobic zone which would be 70-80% of your maximum heartrate, the more calories you will burn) I have Osteoarthritis (stage 3) in both knee's, torn meniscus in both knee's and a torn ACL in my left knee. 29 months ago at 560 lbs. I could barely walk from room to room . As I lost weight (in Aquatic therapy) I worked my way out of the pool and onto the treadmill but the constant pounding on my joints was overwhelming so on the advice of my therapist, she got me to try the Elliptical and from the first time on it I could tell it was ALOT easier on my knee's. I don't know why some people think it is a boring piece of equipment . I never do the same workout on the elliptical. With the crossramp (incline/decline) and resistance you can change each workout up. I do get on the treadmill once a week but since I am unable to run (can only walk) I can never get my heartrate out of zone 1 and because of that am not burning near the calories. So for me hands down its the elliptical.......
  • elfranzen
    elfranzen Posts: 27 Member
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    We (wife and I) are going with an Elliptical. I mostly run on a treadmill now but with her knee the elliptical makes more sense. I am looking at the sole E95 and the Nordictrack E15 both about the same price with the Nordictack is on sale. Whatever you do don't get a cheap one I have ran on cheap ones and the shake and make so much noise.
  • rotnkat
    rotnkat Posts: 393 Member
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    I bought a dual trainer off of HSN. It's a elliptical and a exercise bike in one. I don't have a lot of space and this has a small footprint, so I thought this would be perfect for me.

    I won't get it until tomorrow, so I'll have to let you know if I like it or not. But the price was right and sometimes the treadmill hurts my knees.

    Anita
  • littlelaura
    littlelaura Posts: 1,028 Member
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    I have had both and prefer an elliptical, I dont find I can raise my heart rate enough just walking on a treadmill but cant run due to knee and ankle issues, so the elliptical helps me get my heart rate up, and a decent calorie burn with out any pain. I have had a nordi track and getting it serviced was a huge issue. I now have a precor 5.25 and love it,it was more than I wanted to spend but has a 7 yr warranty and has 5 year service contract that is the best you will find. Also its so quiet I can use it when the entire household is asleep and no one will hear me on it, very well built machine.
  • charkendrick
    charkendrick Posts: 74 Member
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    Thanks for all the feedback, everyone. We've decided to look at Sam's Club tonight for a treadmill. He likes to run and I like to walk/jog so it makes sense for us.

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