Treadmill vs. Elipitical

[hookem2102]

Which is better for Cardio / losing weight ?

 

[Ignatius]

Man, is this a can of worms...personally, I prefer an elliptical, but either will be effective, although realistically you'll need variety over time to keep your regimen productive, ie whichever you pick, ultimately you'll be better off switching to the other after awhile so that your body doesn't get 'used' to it...

 

[notreally]

eliptical is easier on your body, and is just generally easier all together.... but then again i hate running so i am biased. i hear the calorie expenditure is relatively the same, but i don't see how that is possible.

 

[RC Didnt Offer]

Treadmills are brutal on the knees especially if you hit it hard. I've had to go to a orthopedist about chronic pain caused by them and the 1st thing he said is to avoid treadmills at all costs. The eliptical and even the bikes are a good compromise to get the heart rate up, burn calories with limited impact on the knees, ankles, joints, etc.

Just my $.02.

 

[pmg]

You are much more likely to get injured running than you are ellipticaling; if you are injured you aren't exercising and burning any calories.

 

[1990txgirl]

If you believe the digital displays on the machines, the elliptical burns calories faster.

 

[chuychanga]

If you already have bad knees or are quite overweight, running is probably not so great for your knees. Otherwise, running properly won't hurt your knees and in fact will strengthen them..

 

[AeroHorn]

But doing treadmill (or running in general) help in playing sports that require you to run, such as basketball, tennis, etc.? Or the cardio you get through elliptical/cycling gives the same benefit? In my very unscientific feeling, I think running helps in playing longer (I play badminton, btw, and it is very tiring).

 

[Stuck_At_Work]

Good treadmills like the ones you find in the gyms provide a lot of cushion. They are 10 times easier on your knees that running on pavement outside. The elliptical is good for weight loss, but you need to put some solid resistance on them to see results.

 

[HornHuskerDad]

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[pmg]

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[Larry T. Spider]

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[pmg]

The amount of energy you burn is dependent on your weight and how hard/fast you're going, so it can vary among individuals quite a bit.

Also, as far as the "displays" on ellipticals; according to my Exercise Physiology textbooks ,which, granted, is several years old, the idea is that moving your arms (which the elliptical requires) increased the calories used, but there were no quantitative studies on that at the time.

When I first started on the elliptical several years ago, one hour was == ~1200 calories. Now, fifty pounds less, it's around 900 at basically the same rate/intensity level.

According to the display, that is.

 

[jmrob93]

I lost over 50 lbs using a treadmill- walking and doing the hill workout 45-50 minutes 3-4 times a week

I now own an eliptical and workout 3-4 days a week doing sprint/rest workouts-- adding up to 20 minutes or so--they vary based on a schedule ( ie day 1 sprint 1 rest 3, repeat 3 times day 2 sprint 2 rest 2--repeat 2 times)

I like how the eliptical incorporates arm strengthening-- I like them both--I don't run due to a rebuilt ankle-- torn ATL and the running hurts my back ( the pounding kills my back --parachute injury--hard to see tree at 3 am)

Incorparate some good strength and core training with either on and you should see results

 

[alden]

First, don't believe the calorie estimates on the machines. Total rubbish.

Either one you do, you'll get better at it and your body will become more efficient. As long as they don't seem too easy, you're getting a workout. I don't like eliptical because I see too many people on those machines wasting their time. Either they got too efficient, or they are using too easy of a setting.

 

[Not that Bob]

I want to love the eliptical because of my back, but I worry about the amount of exercise I'm getting. One hour on the eliptical, pretty good workout. One hour fast walking, pretty exhausted. Not the same for me and I don't know why.

 

[pmg]

You need to work hard. You can tell by your heart rate if you're not working hard enough, or if you've gotten more efficient. For me a seven mile run and a 60 min elliptical session "feel" about the same, except the joints hurt after the run.

 

[DCLonghorn]

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