I love my elliptical. I also like the treadmill at the gym for warm-up purposes only. It gets my heart-rate where it needs to be for me to kick some butt.

I love my treadmill because I can challenge myself to jog a little more each time I work out. I just really enjoy it. So, I agree with the others who say go with what you enjoy most because that is what you will stick to! Good luck!

I use both for variety. I find that the elliptical is easier on my knees, and I can get my heartrate up quickly, but the treadmill is better for my legs all around - between changing the speeds and the incline.

I have a lot of problems with my knees, and do other exercises for them (squats, lunges, deadlifts). Try strengtening them in other ways, and they won't bother you on the treadmill.

I have problems with my knee and can feel the pain when just walking on the treadmill. I use the LifeFitness elliptical at my gym and don't feel any pain at all. However, they do have other ellipticals where you're gliding at a little bit of a slant and I can't use those because I can feel the pain in my knee.

If you will use it, make the investment to get a good one. I have a commercial grade one and absolutely love it. I love running on it and my husband walks and plays more with the inclines.

We chose the Landice. It was highly rated and has one of the best warrenties. We love it.

I do wish I had an elliptical...so maybe that will be our next purchase/investment. For now, I use the ones in the gym and leave the treadmill for my home workouts.

Thanks, I think I will go ahead and get one from academy so I keep exercising and sweating!! I don't sweat on my Gazelle which is like an elliptical. But I like the treadmill at my friend's gym, so I'll invest in that. Thanks!

I like ellipticals: they don't make my knees hurt, so I stay on longer and get a better workout. I don't see as much of an visible effect on leg muscles though. I always find walking on the treadmill to feel unnatural.

Personally I like the ellpitical machines best. I really do feel like I get a better work out on that machine. But I do use the treadmill at the Gym occasionally as well. If I use the treadmill too much it seems to bother my lower back but I dont have that problem on the elliptical machine. I do have a quesiton though. Where do you buy a commercail treadmill or ellipitcal machine?

I try to switch around my cardio, depending on what I'm working in weights. If it's a leg-day, then I just go with the easier treadmill. If it's an arm day, I switch between the elliptical and the stairmaster. I used to be a big advocate of the stairmaster, and hated the elliptical. But after I tried it for a couple of days, I got used to the motion, how to control my heart-rate, and realized it's a lot more bang-for-your-buck in terms of calories. (Ours at the gym have those arm things that move back and forth too). If you have access to a gym, I'd try out the machines before deciding on one.

At home, I have a treadmill, which is good for whenever you feel like working out. And if I don't feel like going to the gym, but still want an elliptical-type thing, my apartment complex gym has a cross-trainer thing. The key is to get moving any way you can.

--Janis

I have an old knee injury that keeps me off the stairmaster and from running. The elliptical doesnt hurt my knee at all and I've done it for over an hour at a time. I've found that if I increase the resistance it really works my calves, but if I decrease the resistance all the way down to 1 and then bend my knees just a tad, it really works my thighs.

Like some of the other people on here, I enjoy the elliptical more then the treadmill because of my knees. I have messed up knees (due to soccer injuries and stuff) and so I always use the elliptical, but every now and then I'll go on the treadmill for about 20 minutes or so.

Let's not forget that knee problems are common among women in general. It's due to the "Q-line" or the angle from hips to knees. It's much greater than on men, so it puts strain on the outsides of the knees.

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I particularly have this problem in my fife & drum corps, as the position of attention requires you to have your heels together. All other times, I make sure I stand with feet shoulder-width/hip-width apart, though, to reduce strain at other times. This is especially important in the gym while on treadmill, elliptical, stairs, whatever, and doing squats, hack-sled, etc.

We also have the disadvantage of all having weight issues. For every 1 lb of extra weight, there's 20 lbs more impact on the knees every time you go up steps and stuff.

Here's a good article: http://www.nytimes.com/specials/wome...0814_1176.html

Just a reminder - safety first! Do your exercises carefully and with good form, and weight-training and such can be some of the safest ways to exercise. Even if you don't currently have knee problems, keep it in mind that you're high-risk for them just for being a woman, so make sure you pay special attention to doing work involving knees/legs and do them right. But in general, always listen to your body!

--Janis

I used to love the eliptical, but then I had to stop using one of my inhalers because it reacted with another medication I was taking that was a little more important. Now the eliptical is a little too fast paced for me and my stupid asthma! I like to walk at a brisk pace on the treadmill (usually between 3.5 and 4.0) and throughout my workout I will turn the pace up and jog for a minute or so.

My very favorite by far, however, is the exercise bike. Biking to school everyday helped me to lose 30 lbs in Japan, so I figure it can help me lose a little more here in the US! When I go to college I plan on biking everywhere. Except for the wintertime... then I'll go back to the gym, lol! Minnesota winters can put a damper on outdoor exercise.