Treadmill Or Elliptical - Which Is a Better Buy?

When it comes down to a treadmill vs elliptical which would be a better buy? The answer can be either depending on what features you prefer.

These 2 machines are competing for your cardio at home workout. As you read on it will become more clear as to which one you will want to use.

But before we move on you need to ask yourself a few questions. Questions such as, "What are my goals?" "What do I want to get out of a cardio machine?" "Do I have any joint problems or may have the potential of getting them in the near future?" "Will this replace all of my cardio exercises or will it be an addition to them?"

These are some simple questions only you can answer and will help you decide the winning machine in the treadmill vs elliptical battle.

Treadmill Vs Elliptical

Treadmills are simply the most popular fitness machines on the market today when it comes to cardio. I am sure you have seen a treadmill before whether it is at the gym or in someone's home. Treadmills are simple and easy to use, you just plug it in, hit go, and set the speed then run.

Treadmills are excellent if you live in an area that isn't suitable for running outside. There are many reasons for this such as bad weather, no sidewalks, or maybe you may not live in the safest neighborhood.

Regarding the neighborhood reason; I actually had heard reports of people at my previous street I lived on beating up joggers. Sadly this stuff happens...

Treadmills have a lot of good features that many people find worthwhile. There is a reason they are so popular and to name just a few features they provide that make the purchase worthwhile:

* A perfect path to walk on rain or shine
* Can control the incline
* Have a built in pedometer to measure distance, time, steps, calories burned, etc.
* Allow you to run in the comfort of your home
* Can watch TV or surf the internet while on the treadmill. This makes you not stare at the clock dreading each minute.

Those are just some of the many reasons why people purchase a treadmill. I personally own a treadmill and find a lot of the features make the purchase worthwhile.

Truth is, I hate running. I actually found a way to make me look forward to running. I play the Nintendo Wii while running on the treadmill. To me, this makes 30 or more minutes on the treadmill feel like 5 minutes of fun playing a good video game.

What does this have to do with you? Well if you are like me and hate running, you have more options to occupy yourself while running to take your attention off running. You can't watch your favorite TV show, surf the internet, or even play your favorite video game jogging outside. This is one of the benefits of owning a treadmill that make it worthwhile.

Elliptical Vs Treadmill

While ellipticals may not more popular than treadmills, they are getting more popular each year. This is simply because of a few extra positives that treadmills don't possess.

Ellipticals are everywhere treadmills are and you can't go to a gym anywhere nowadays and not find a few elliptical machines around somewhere. They are usually next to or around the treadmills. Many people prefer these over treadmills for a few reasons:

* Easier on the joints than treadmills
* Start off slightly cheaper than treadmills
* Offer more fluid movement than running
* Offers a more flexible aerobic workout

These are just some of the benefits that ellipticals have over treadmills. However, they do have a few downfalls over treadmills. For one, they do not give added resistance such as incline unless you choose high end models. However, they seem to be adding this feature to less expensive models nowadays.

Another downfall is you get better practice running on a treadmill rather than using an elliptical machine. People running in marathons or like to jog may find this an annoyance.

Treadmill Vs Elliptical... Which One Wins?

Treadmills are still the most popular cardio machines on the market, but you can't ignore the fact that ellipticals seem to have more features and uses than treadmills. This is why they are a growing trend. Because of the features ellipticals have they will remain in the treadmill vs elliptical battle for a long time.

I think the choice is obvious depending on certain factors that you may consider. For middle aged and elderly I would look into an elliptical machine. The main purpose is because an elliptical machine gives you the cardio workout you want without the strain on your joints. This may prevent joint problems in the future or if you already have joint problems it will prevent them from worsening.

If you are a bit younger up to maybe say... around 45-50 the most and love to jog you may consider a treadmill over an elliptical. This is because you can jog and get that overall feel for running that a treadmill provides. This will help you prepare for marathons you may participate in.

If you are just looking to get a good all around cardio workout and don't care about running vs striding then you should look into an elliptical machine. This applies to all ages. The fact that an elliptical has the potential to burn more calories overall with the handlebar feature, incline, and resistance. The treadmill is really geared towards a lower body cardio workout while the elliptical will workout some upper body as well depending on the features you use.

These are just some of the types of people and what they tend to lead towards when it comes down to treadmill vs elliptical machines.

To give you an overview of what to expect from treadmills and ellipticals here are some pages of information on specific treadmills and ellipticals.

Treadmills:

* Proform 520 Treadmill
* Proform 540 Treadmill

Ellipticals

* Fitness Quest Gazelle Edge
* ProForm 850 SpaceSaver Elliptical
* Endurance E4 Elliptical
* Endurance E7 Elliptical

Oh and don't forget, aside from joint problems, you should pick the machine you find you will enjoy the most. After all, you need to stay motivated to succeed and it will be tough continuing your workout when you hate going on that particular machine. If you favor one machine over another then you have a clear winner in the treadmill vs elliptical battle.

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