Treadmill vs Elliptical 

The treadmill vs elliptical dilemma is a common one for those considering home fitness equipment. Although treadmills have been very popular for decades, the elliptical exercise machine is still somewhat new to the market. Probably if most individuals did their due diligence before making a purchase, the elliptical exercise machine would be the number one selling piece of exercise equipment on the market.

So, why is it that the treadmill vs elliptical battle should be a landslide winner for the elliptical trainer ? Simply because the elliptical exercise machine is, without a doubt, the best machine when considering quality of workout. Of course most people need to take a serious look at the price before making any purchase, and there are some very pricey elliptical trainers on the market, but there are also some very reasonably priced machines to be had. If comparing price/quality in the treadmill vs elliptical match-up, you can definitely find an elliptical exercise machine that is comparable in both areas to whatever treadmill that you may be considering.

However, we need to go back to the quality of the workout. Obviously, you can get on a treadmill, walk or run for X number of minutes, burn some calories, and get a good cardiovascular workout. When you compare that workout to a workout that you can get on an elliptical trainer however, it's very limited. When working out on an elliptical exercise machine, you not only work the lower body, you bring the upper body, and pretty much all of the major muscle groups into the equation. Of course if you're using over twice the amount of muscles, you're going to be burning many more calories in the same amount of time. If you're burning more calories, you are also heating up more quickly by expending more energy, and thereby also getting a better cardiovascular faster in comparison to the same amount of time on a treadmill. Is it possible that so many people use treadmills daily because it's a relatively easy workout and unless running, not anything more than what everyone does daily anyway - walking ?

There should be little doubt that the elliptical exercise machine offers a much better quality workout than a treadmill, but there is again more to consider. As mentioned elsewhere on this site, and probably in all other elliptical trainer documentation that you'll read, an elliptical exercise machine is much easier on the body, mainly the joints.

One of the long-time complaints of runners (and warnings from doctors), has been the pain, and often permanent damage that excessive running can do to the joints, primarily the knees and ankles. The elliptical exercise machine is built specifically to limit, and this it does very effectively, the high-impact that is normally associated with running outside, and even on treadmills. Because of this design, the user can obtain probably the optimum cardiovascular workout without risking damage to the body, that many other machines, and free weights can cause. This writer thinks of a workout on an elliptical trainer as being similar to riding a bicycle, but with the added benefit of working the upper body much more.

In closing, there really seems to be no real comparison at all in the treadmill vs elliptical bout. Treadmills were good in their day, and their day was before the excellent elliptical exercise machine came on the scene.