Thread: treadmill vs ellipticle??

I think the elliptical is good because it's just as intense and running, but much easier on the joints. I also feel it targets more muscles (like the thighs and butt) more than running, but that's just my personal experience.

I used to have a treadmill & recently purchased a elliptical. It was the best investment ever! It's SO much better on my knees!!

I think you should try anything and everything that keeps you motivated. Personally, I can't seem to get a sweat going on the elipitical no matter how hard I go, but I see lots of people using them, so they must be getting some sort of workout.

One thing you could try is doing high intensity interval training (HIIT) on the elliptical. HIIT is a specialized form of interval training that involves short intervals of maximum intensity exercise separated by longer intervals of low to moderate intensity exercise. HIIT increases the amount of calories you burn during your exercise session and afterward because it increases the length of time it takes your body to recover from each exercise session. You can do HIIT by simply going close to "all out" for a 60 seconds, followed by a recovery period of 4 minutes. Do that a couple of times during the workout to start. Warm up first of course. Gradually increase your "all out" times and reduce your recovery times so that you're doing 2 minutes hard and 4 minutes recovery, but more often during your workout.

General HIIT Guidelines
HIIT is designed for people whose primary concerns are boosting overall cardiovascular fitness, endurance, and fat loss, without losing the muscle mass they already have.
Before starting any HIIT program, you should be able to exercise for at least 20-30 minutes at 70-85% of your estimated maximum heart rate, without exhausting yourself or having problems.
Because HIIT is physically demanding, it’s important to gradually build up your training program so that you don’t overdo it. (The sample training schedule below will safely introduce you to HIIT over a period of eight weeks.)
Always warm up and cool down for at least five minutes before and after each HIIT session.
Work as hard as you can during the high intensity intervals, until you feel the burning sensation in your muscles indicating that you have entered your anaerobic zone. Elite athletes can usually sustain maximum intensity exercise for three to five minutes before they have to slow down and recover, so don’t expect to work longer than that.
Full recovery takes about four minutes for everyone, but you can shorten the recovery intervals if your high intensity intervals are also shorter and don’t completely exhaust your anaerobic energy system.
If you experience any chest pain or breathing difficulties during your HIIT workout, cool down immediately. (Don't just stop or else blood can pool in your extremities and lightheadedness or faintness can occur.)
If your heart rate does not drop back down to about 70% of your max during recovery intervals, you may need to shorten your work intervals and/or lengthen your recovery intervals.
HIIT (including the sample program below) is not for beginner exercisers or people with cardiovascular problems or risk factors. If you have cardiovascular problems or risk factors should NOT attempt HIIT

I was just thinking the same thing as Shadow. If you want to see results, do HITT on either a treadmill or an elliptical. I can really help you get results, and get you to running sooner. Go for it!

~ Heather

I say definitely try something new. I like to rotate my cardio between the eliptical, the bike, the recumbent bike, swimming, and some cardio tapes I have. Your body needs a change to make it work harder because it will get used to whatever you do. I like to rotate activities so that it is at least a week before I repeat, and it seems just as hard as the first time I did the exercise.

Alternately, I like the eliptical over the treadmill, but that's because I don't like to run. And I walk my pup every day which I like way better than being on a machine if I had a choice.

I totally agree. Try the eliptical and add some HIIT and you should be fine. But don't forget the strength training! I already mentioned that in another post: After all you need some muscles that burn the fat. Cardio only burns calories while you're on the eliptical and a short time after that. What really helps you lose weight are your muscles, 'cause they burn fat even when you are sitting on the sofa watching TV.

Jennie

They are both great cardio machines. I think it's important to have a routine to work every part of your body. You could work on, for example, legs and arms one day, then the next day work on back and shoulders, then abs and chest, but always fit cardio in with all of them, elipitical or treatdmill. Don't forget free weights too for good bone health.