Spring Break
In the battle of elliptical vs. treadmill, which machine really delivers?
Issue date: 9/18/08
For anyone who frequents - or occasionally visits - a workout room or gym, the conflict over whether to use the elliptical trainer or the treadmill may be a familiar one. These two popular machines promise the user heart-pounding, fat-burning, muscle-building exercise in an ideal, controlled setting, but can they really deliver? When it comes down to it, which machine provides the best burn?
Experts have long debated the benefits of the elliptical versus those of the treadmill. Most maintain that ellipticals allow for the least bodily damaging workout since the machine is extremely low-impact on joints like knees and ankles, which are often injured by intense outdoor runs or even high-speed treadmill workouts.
Ray Hudson of Elliptical Trainers Review claims that the low-impact nature of the elliptical actually allows the user to burn more calories with less exertion than a treadmill does, especially when the lower-body workout is combined with the machine's unique moveable arms function. This lets the user benefit from a more intense workout while putting out seemingly less effort than he or she would have on a treadmill. It sounds like the ultimate piece of equipment, right?
But not everyone agrees that the elliptical is the miracle machine we've been waiting for. Some fitness gurus assert that treadmills are actually the winner of this intra-gym rivalry.
Expert Richard Weil claims that since the machine's heavy impact requires the user to propel his or her body through the air, this additional exertion adds substantially to the calorie burn.
In addition, experts warn users not to pay too much attention to the calorie count on the elliptical - or on any machine, really - since the results are generally inaccurate due to fluctuating factors like weight and vigor of exercise.
It is particularly difficult to gauge the intensity of an elliptical workout; While a treadmill runner runs at a regular miles-per-hour speed maintained by the machine, elliptical users are almost entirely responsible for how fast they are going.
Experts have long debated the benefits of the elliptical versus those of the treadmill. Most maintain that ellipticals allow for the least bodily damaging workout since the machine is extremely low-impact on joints like knees and ankles, which are often injured by intense outdoor runs or even high-speed treadmill workouts.
Ray Hudson of Elliptical Trainers Review claims that the low-impact nature of the elliptical actually allows the user to burn more calories with less exertion than a treadmill does, especially when the lower-body workout is combined with the machine's unique moveable arms function. This lets the user benefit from a more intense workout while putting out seemingly less effort than he or she would have on a treadmill. It sounds like the ultimate piece of equipment, right?
But not everyone agrees that the elliptical is the miracle machine we've been waiting for. Some fitness gurus assert that treadmills are actually the winner of this intra-gym rivalry.
Expert Richard Weil claims that since the machine's heavy impact requires the user to propel his or her body through the air, this additional exertion adds substantially to the calorie burn.
In addition, experts warn users not to pay too much attention to the calorie count on the elliptical - or on any machine, really - since the results are generally inaccurate due to fluctuating factors like weight and vigor of exercise.
It is particularly difficult to gauge the intensity of an elliptical workout; While a treadmill runner runs at a regular miles-per-hour speed maintained by the machine, elliptical users are almost entirely responsible for how fast they are going.
Be the first to comment on this story