Treadmill vs elliptical :?:
 

Hi,

My question is do we burn the same amount of calories while working out on the elliptical as that on the treadmill?? I read it online, that it's the same, however need confirmation from you all.

The reason I am asking is during Cardio workout in the gym; when on the treadmill, I get huge cramps during the 20 mins walk; while on the elliptical, I hardly feel anything within the same time period. In both the cases, I just feel a little tired. But I feel like stopping on the treadmill because of the leg cramps and not because of the tiredness. So, in case I burn the same amount of calories in both the cases, will working out on the elliptical for double the time and skipping the treadmill be okay??

Perceived rate of exertion on an elliptical is lower, making it seem easier to do the same amount of work. (There's actually studies on this, just search for perceived rate, elliptical and VO2 max.)
It's also a bit easier on your joints because it's low impact, so that might be a factor for you.

The calorie burn is very similar, if the resistance is high enough. It's hard to get an exact number for each person, because measuring calories burned involves so many estimates. (Don't trust any machine readouts, basically.)

As a side note, you might be getting cramps on the treadmill because of your form. It happened to me, too. Had no idea there was a running "form" when I started.

At any rate, you can totally skip the treadmill if you don't like it. :D

Thank you so much for the reply, vabs!! Such a detailed explanation. Solved all my questions

It comes as a relief. I actually dread walking on the treadmill because of the cramps. It seems I won't be able to do anything else after that. I guess I won't skip it though. Won't concentrate so much on it. Will build up the so-called "form" and increase the workout time / speed on the treadmill only after I am used to the current one.

Thanks again

I prefer the eliptical over the treadmill because I HATE running. I will never be a runner and I have no desire to be... I do like that the eliptical is lower impact, it just feels easier on the body over all and I enjoy it so much more! I like the upright bike too, I switch off between those two.

Same here. my knees suffer badly on the treadmill.I have reduced the speed at which i walk. But i still am skeptical of skipping it completely

I read an article the other day talking about the differences between an exercise bike, an elliptical and a treadmill. They stated there was only roughly a 70 calorie difference between a moderate paced on the elliptical and going 5mph on the treadmill. with the elliptical actually being the higher of the two calorie burns.
I think either way, whichever one is going to keep you going the longest and you prefer, that should be the one you stick with! If you can go longer on the elliptical, go with that as it is easier on the knees and apparently a higher calorie burn :)

article source ~ http://healthyliving.azcentral.com/d...ines-2790.html

Oh and here is another article about the pros and cons the elliptical I found interesting that may be of interest to you as well!

Pros and Cons of the Elliptical - Is It The Right Cardio Machine For You?!

Thanks for the links, Jentry07. The second one was especially very helpful. I didn't know that the elliptical can be worked in the reverse order. The pros outweigh the cons..i guess elliptical is for me :), though won't skip the treadmill completely.

Just putting my 2 cents in I like using the elliptical much more than than treadmills and my knees like it much better too.

I almost never use the treadmill. I don't like running on it, and when I walk on it my heart rate doesn't go up nearly as high as it does on the elliptical.

If you don't like it, I don't think there's a need to feel guilty about not using it.

It's fine to do a double set on the elliptical. My only suggestion would be to break it up. It's been shown that beginning with cardio, then doing strength/weight training followed by more cardio will provide the most benefit. So, break it up with other "stuff" in between.

Also, my trainer has said that it is much more beneficial to go full tilt for 30 seconds on the elliptical, then go slowly for 30 seconds to a minute (or a little longer if you're still gasping for breath), then 30 seconds full tilt, etc. This provides more benefit than doing a constant speed for a longer period of time.

I haven't been able to test this yet because going full tilt on the elliptical is going to have to wait for a few more months! ;)

I just discovered the ellipitcal. I thought it was a whimpy person's workout machine, but you can really get going on it!

Not really sure how different it is from a stair stepping machine though (unliess what I was using was not a stair stepping machine - it goes just up and down like a step, but also forwards (and backwards), but you have to move it in that way to make it do it and BOY does it get the heart rate up there and is still really low impact.

My bladder can't handle the pounding of the treadmill... I'm fine on the elliptical or stairmaster.