Ellipticals and Treadmills

Both give you a cardio workout, but I find usually people prefer one or the other. I definately prefer the Elliptical. I find the time passes much more quickly because I enjoy it and I usually burn more calories than on the treadmill. I would try out the elliptical first and then decide later if you need to buy a treadmill.

i use both! i start with the eliptical and end with the treadmill on some days, others i will just do one or the other. I do see that i burn more calories with the eliptical, but when i do the treadmill, i do intervals of running and walking and it may not burn as much, but it feels like a whole lot more workout! :bigsmile:

i think the eliptical is great for days my knees hurt too...but i can run faster on the treadmill....i think if i had an HRM it would show that i burn a lot more than the treadmill says!

The eliiptical burns more calories.
My trainer said if you want to run or walk...don't use the treadmill. He says that at least when you are walking or running on the road, you are propelling your own body weight. With the treadmill, you are just picking up your feet and it moves underneath

I shouldn't say its NEVER good to do just one kind of cardio, cause if you only like one kind than thats definitely better than none at all!

~Leash

Treadmills and ellipticals are both great machines for cardio. I use them for different things.

The best feature about the elliptical is the forward and reversible feature on the foot pedals. When you are going forward, you feel like a cross country skier hitting the long slopes. However, when you reverse your pedal motion, you can target your lower body in a completely different way. You definately feel the burn in your muscles!

The treadmill is great for walkers, runners or joggers, anyone can use it, and there is good variety of workouts (hills, intervals or programs). I am an outdoor runner, so I use the treadmill to keep up with my training when I can't run outside.

I use the elliptical for pre-strength training warm ups and off running days so that I have a variety of cardio rather than just one. Besides, the elliptical is easier on my knees and joints so that I can "rest" my body between runs. And it gives me an overall body workout.

An exercise bike uses a different set of muscles as well...

Each machine does different things....each machine is good for you. It all depends on what your preference is and what will keep you motivated to exercise rather than your machine becoming an expensive clothing rack (which mine was for so many years until it became junk lol).

Good luck to you!

What about an excercise bike then? would that be the same kind of thing?

i'm getting the elliptical for sure, but i want something to do days i'm not doing that. so which would be better an excercise bike or treadmill?

i know i can run/bike outside, but its harder. my bf works long hours and i'm home alone with the kids...so i excercise while their sleeping lol!

An exercise bike is fine--and they are cheaper and take up less space.

However,

Because of the smaller amount of muscle mass involved and the smaller range of motion, many people find it harder to push themselves on an exercise bike. Studies that have subjects self-select a workload at a given level of perceived exertion, show that people perceive lower intensity workloads as "harder" on a bike compared to an elliptical or running on a treadmill.

If you choose to go with a bike, first of all I would recommend getting a very good bike that gives reliable workload readouts and has a geometry similar to an outdoor racing bike, and also making the commitment to develop a pedaling style and leg muscle endurance that would allow you to push at higher levels of work. You can train yourself to do effective workouts on an exercise bike, it just doesn't happen as "naturally" as on some other pieces of equipment.