Help! Treadmill or Elliptical???
 

I need some input- I am ready to buy a machine, but I don't know which one- treadmill or elliptical. I am REALLY out of shape, so I know I can walk on a treadmill, but I also have bad knees and so I hear the elliptical is better. Which do you all prefer? and why???

I would recommend the eliptical just for the fact, you can go for a walk just about anywhere, but the elipltical would be something you can' tdo everyday if you don't have the machine.

I just tried an elliptical the other day for the first time. In my opinion, you get a more intense workout on the elliptical, but as I said, I have limited experience. I also have some knee troubles, and I didn't notice any problems on the elliptical.

I have an elliptical trainer in my garage....I think you get a much better workout on the elliptical. I also have bad knees and it has very low impact on your knees. Hope this helps.

I have both, and prefer the treadmill :)

I prefer the treadmill too...

I have an elliptical. I like it because I feel the burn quicker and IMO I feel that I get a better cardio workout. My sisters and I take turns exercising at each other homes. She has a treadmill. Well it is nice I feel that I can get the same workout going to the mall. I also have bad knees so I do fast walking no jogging. I do plan on someday adding a treadmill. Try floor models of both machines and don't choose until your sure what YOU would use! You don't want an expensive cloths hanger.

you burn more calories with an elliptical.

forgive me for asking but im stumped on this one


how do you burn more calories on eliptical than on a treadmill (i can understand it is better for joints but burning more calories lol)

you burn calories based on how much you push yourself and raise your heart rate, not what machine you buy, but if you have joint problems then yes buy the eliptical

I think what fikustrees means is that the calorie counter on the machine says you burn more. These calculators IMO are not accurate and they are different for everyone depending on weight, metabolism, etc.... Someone weighing 140# will burn a lot less calories on an eliptical than someone who weighs 240# for the same time they are on the machine...

I agree the calorie counters are innacurate. The ones at my gym say I burn more calories on the elliptical than on the stepper but my sweat and breathing say otherwise!

However, I would probably go with a treadmill. I think as you advance it is easier to get a more intense workout on a treadmill (speed, incline) than it is on an elliptical and these are some pretty big $$$ investments that you want to use for a long time.

Popping in from the 100 pound club with my two cents :)

I have a pretty nice treadmill, we enjoy it very much..(although not NEARLY often enough on my part!)

I'm only 5' tall and have tried an elliptical before...I found the stride on it MUCH too large for my little legs! It was really uncomfortable for me..but if you're taller than that, all bets are off.

I do love the versatility of the treadmill, though..with speeds up to 10 miles an hour and an incline up to 10%..it's more than challenging enough for even my BEEFCAKE of a husband. Much more challenging potential than I'll ever need, which is nice.

There you have it ;)
Have a great night everyone, and Denise..good luck, I'm sure you'll make an excellent choice for yourself :)

xoxo
Linda

I argee with you linda..
I am also short and it was very difficult for me to do it... I love my treadmil I can walk and watch tv while doing it and the time flys by unlike walking outside....
Heather<><

I know that on some ellipticals (mine, for instance) one can adjust the incline and resistance, to quite high levels if one wishes.

I love my elliptical. I also love the fact that I can still go outside and get the same movement ranges as if I had a treadmill. The elliptical does bother my bad knee a bit, but I honestly think it would be worse were I trying to jog on it (for some reason, walking doesn't aggravate my knee very much at all).

If I had it to do over again, I would still be getting the elliptical.

I have been wanting to get an elliptical for a little while (just really don't have time to get to the gym across town). What would all of you out there suggeest as a good brand. I really don't have much money to work with so price is an issue as well.

I bought an elliptical and I get a good workout on it. It gets boring just like a treadmil would, but like other posters said, you can walk outside anytime. I agree that those calorie counters are not accurate. I bought a HR monitor to track my calories and HR instead. My ONLY issue with my elliptical is that it makes noise (I got an inexpensive one from Walmart). But believe me, I'm out of breath and work up a sweat on that thing!

Personally, I only use stairmills and treadmills for machine cardio. I've tried all of the other machines and they just don't do it for me.

I just had to pop in to say I own the Orbitrek Platinum elliptical and I love it! It's made much better then the earlier model Orbitrek and I get a great workout on it. My heart rate increases quickly and within 10 minutes I'm sweating and puffing. Of course the more you do it the better you get at it. It has resistance levels on it but I leave mine set with less resistance so I get more cardio benefits from it. I paid $200 for it and I saw and infomercial for it and they had it on a payment option. I noticed they had an optional attachment to turn it into a recumbent bike as well. I thought this was interesting.:) But I still want a treadmill. It's just a space issue for me. I live in a small apartment and don't have allot of room so I have to be careful what I buy.

when I said that you burn more calories on the elliptical I should have been more specific! I have read in several different fitness articles that being on an elliptical burns more calories then a treadmill at the same precieved rate of exertion. In other words, it feels easier to burn more calories while being on an elliptical than while being a treadmil.

I'd say elliptical. Although, I'm obsessed with both, I think treadmills are incredibly tough machines! I really think they are ten times harder than if you were to run or walk outside or something... But, both are great machines... Ellipticals are better for knees, and much much lower impact!

Is there any possibility that you could get a temporary or guest membership at a gym, to test both machines before you buy? The elliptical gives you a tougher cardio workout, but I personally find it to be much harder on my knees. This goes against the common perception, and I really can't explain it, but the simple fact is that my knees hurt whenever I use an elliptical. They don't hurt when I use a treadmill. That's why it's a good idea to try both machines out for yourself and see how they work for your body.