Treadmills and elliptical trainers are two of the most popular pieces
of exercise equipment and are excellent tools for getting an aerobic
workout indoors. When you compare treadmills vs elliptical trainers,
you will quickly realize that ellipticals have only come to the party
fairly recently, whereas treadmills have been around much longer.
Consequently, treadmills are wider known and more commonplace. However,
before you go and buy that treadmill, you may want to give elliptical
trainers a second glance.
A quick comparison:
When you compare treadmills to elliptical trainers, you can't
help but notice how impact free the elliptical trainer is. With the
elliptical, there is no impact on the ground, so the joints in your
lower body are free from any abuse. Although the treadmill mat is
better for your knees than cement, there is still a significant amount
of impact on your joints.
One obvious point that is in favor of treadmills is that it
provides a better training experience for a dedicated runner/jogger
than an elliptical trainer. If you are training for a marathon or even
a 10k, and you don't want to go outdoors too often during the colder
months, you are certainly better off with a quality treadmill.
That being said, if you are looking for a quality
cardiovascular workout with the maximum amount of efficiency, you will
not be able to overlook the elliptical machine. Most elliptical
trainers give you a total body workout if you have dual action
handlebars for your arms and foot pedals for your legs, whereas
treadmills focus more on your lower body as they simulate the jogging
experience. What is even more interesting, according to recent studies,
is that the lack of impact on the joints allows the user to burn
roughly the same amount of calories as treadmills with the impression
of putting CONSIDERABLY less effort.
Therefore, it is no wonder that ellipticals have been the
machine of choice for elder exercisers with knee problems, as well as
physical trainers who are involved in rehabilitating their clients.
This is what Thomas Altena, an exercise physiologist at the
University of Missouri-Columbia, had to say: "The physiological
responses associated with elliptical exercises were nearly indentical
to treadmill exercises." He went on to conclude that "both exercise
machines are effective for increasing the amount of calories burned and
for producing cardio respiratory health and training benefits..."
Finally, one feature which is often overlooked about
elliptical trainers is the ability to add variety to your aerobic
workout. Whenever anyone is on an exercise plan, one of the biggest
challenges he faces is to stay motivated and interested in his
workouts. With the treadmill, the ability to change the incline, as
well as the intensity are big pluses, which has contributed to its
popularity over the last decade. The elliptical trainer matches these
features and has a few additional ones of its own.
First, we spoke earlier of the dual action handlebars. Well as
an exerciser, in addition to changing the cross ramp incline (which is
available in Precor models) as well as varying the intensity, you also
have the option to not use the handlebar and ONLY focus on your lower
body. Although this option is not used often, it DOES add variety to
your workout.
However, the most critical feature, and what separates the
elliptical trainer from many other exercise machines when it comes to
variety, is the forward and reversible feature on the foot pedals. When
you are going forward, you feel like a cross country skier hitting the
long slopes. However, when you reverse your pedal motion, you can
target your lower body in a completely different way. Without question,
you are targeting your quadricep muscles and will soon feel them burn
after a few minutes.
Although it is premature to state that ellipticals will
dethrone the treadmill as the exercise equipment of choice, you can bet
that they will give them a good run for their money. If you look at all
the health clubs and rehabilitation clinics, you will soon realize that
elliptical trainers are more than just a fad and are here to stay.
From Ray Hudson for About.com