Treadmill vs Elliptical

Treadmills and Elliptical trainers are the two most popular types of home exercise machines and both provide excellent cardio workouts. While treadmills are a leader the home fitness market, elliptical machines have been gaining popularity fast. When comparing treadmill versus elliptical trainers it’s important to realize that treadmills dominate the market because they’ve been around longer than elliptical trainers, but not necessarily because they’re better. In fact both treadmills and elliptical machines offer intense cardiovascular workouts, each with their own sets of benefits.

One of the most frequently asked questions in the treadmill vs elliptical discussion is which one burns the most calories. But the real question isn’t about how many calories get burned, but how efficiently calories get burned. There really isn’t much of a difference between elliptical or treadmill workouts in terms of calories burn per hour, but there is a difference in how the workout feels. Elliptical trainers provide an efficient, low impact workout that feels like less effort but provides the same results. Part of why elliptical workouts feel easier than treadmill workouts comes from the fact that your feet never actually leave the pedals and your joints experience zero impact. While your body is burning around the same amount of calories, its perception is that it’s doing less work.

Another major factor when comparing elliptical vs treadmill is of course price. While both treadmills and elliptical trainers range anywhere between a few hundred dollars and a several thousand dollars, cheap elliptical trainers are generally better quality than cheap treadmills. Elliptical machines that cost under $1000 tend to be reliable and worthwhile purchases, while the quality of treadmills drops dramatically at that price.

Elliptical machines offer a no impact workout while running on treadmills is quite the opposite. As a result elliptical trainers are preferred by anyone with chronic joint pain, back pain or who have suffered injury. Treadmills on the other hand build stronger bones and better year-round training for joggers and runners.

Part of what makes an elliptical workout so efficient comes from the additional upper body workout as well as the ability to work in forward and reverse motion which lets you target different muscle groups. However in terms of which exercise equipment provides the most varied workout when comparing treadmills vs elliptical machines, it can really only be compared model to model based on how many workout settings they include and whether or not they have an include.

Treadmills tend to be popular as home machines because many of them can fold up to save space. Folding elliptical trainers are not as common, but they aren’t impossible to find either. But space has been becoming less of an issue as newer elliptical models are being designed with smaller footprints.

Keeping up with the belt speed on a treadmill can be intimidating for some users, and in some cases it can be dangerous. Elliptical trainers are considered to be much safer because they stop when you stop.

When it comes to power usage, the treadmill vs elliptical battle skews in favor of elliptical. Elliptical trainers also tend to suffer from less wear and tear because they are low impact machines.

Of course whether you need an elliptical or a treadmill really depends on your specific situation and your preferences. It might be a good idea to try out both types of machines at a fitness club to see which type of workout works best for you. Elliptical trainers have been gaining popularity because they provide all of the benefits of running without the impact. Both treadmills and elliptical trainers provide an excellent cardiovascular workout to help you burn calories, lose weight and reach your fitness goals.