Which is better: elliptical trainer or treadmill: advantages and differences

To make the right choice between an elliptical trainer (orbitrack) and a treadmill, you need to consider not only their capabilities, but also the goal you are striving for.

A very important point is to answer the question: what needs do you want to satisfy by making such a purchase, and what will be more useful for you?

Let's try to compare and understand this issue. If you correctly take into account all the factors, the purchase will bring joy and will be useful for you.

Brief characteristics of both simulators

The ellipsoid and treadmill have many fans. Their number, judging by the classes in the gyms, is approximately equal. Both machines provide a good cardio workout and are great both as a main workout and as a warm-up . Users are usually interested in how this or that exercise machine can fit into the area of the apartment. If the apartment is large, then there will be no problems. For small spaces, a treadmill is better suited, as there are folding options, or even consider purchasing an exercise bike. There are as many as 11 types of treadmills, so you need to understand their features. There are no less types of orbitreks.

To understand which option is best for you, you need to know some of their basic characteristics and understand how they differ. We present some of them in a summary table.

Summary table for comparison

Comparative characteristics	Ellipsoid	Treadmill
Care and maintenance	Must be checked and lubricated after thirty hours of operation.	Regular maintenance and lubrication after thirty hours of operation.
Ability to change the level of physical activity load	Medium: there are basic sensors and indicators.	High. Equipped with various settings and programs.
Silence	Expensive models are almost silent.	Modern models are low noise. Only mechanical options have a high noise level.
Energy consumption	Average.	High at high speeds.
Comfort level	Modern models are equipped with everything necessary. High level of comfort.	High level of comfort. Ability to adjust loads to suit your capabilities.
Contraindications for exercise	They have virtually no contraindications. They give a soft load, developing joints and ligaments.	Some diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Obesity.
Dimensions and possibility of location in an apartment or house.	They are approximately the same and depend on the specific model.	About the same, but many modifications can be folded and put away.

Benefits of the Elliptical Trainer

We can say that training on an elliptical trainer is easier than on a treadmill, but nevertheless, ellipses are popular and can give excellent results. “This type of cardio equipment puts less stress on the athlete’s knees and joints, since his feet are placed on special stands (pedals) when running,” says Lee Wratislav, a certified personal trainer. First of all, this means that you can protect your leg joints from wear and tear. One study estimates that 80 percent of running injuries originate here.

Another advantage is that you will receive a complex load on the entire body. By repeatedly pushing and pulling your arms, you create a load on your upper body, while also keeping you balanced throughout your workout. Constant changes in incline and resistance settings are great for lower body training. Also, do not forget that on the elliptical it is possible to run in the opposite direction. It is these loads that have a good effect on the muscles of the back of the thigh, and by changing the inclination you can also train the muscles of the buttocks. All this is very important for any athlete.

Compared to a treadmill, on an elliptical you can burn about half as many calories in the same time and with the same load. But don't think that working out on the elliptical doesn't bring results. Research has shown that if you increase your exercise level, you can also burn calories effectively. Simply because of its design, the loads are perceived a little easier than on a treadmill.

It is also worth noting here that monitoring the level of calories burned is the right approach, but you should not trust the numbers that the simulator itself calculates, since it also has its own measurement errors.

But there is one big drawback: the movements on the ellipsoid have the same pattern, there is no possibility of full-fledged habitual running. Athletes who are training for a race and want to improve their performance must spend more time training outdoors, which is not possible on an elliptical machine. Another disadvantage in comparison with a treadmill is the monotonous repetition of certain movements, so from the outside it resembles spinning a wheel and can seem like a very boring activity.

Treadmill: pros and cons

Advantages:

It provides an excellent opportunity to practice walking and running at any convenient time.
Modern treadmills are equipped with training programs, and each user can adjust the workout to their individual capabilities and goals (for example, to create programs for weight loss, to pump up the buttocks, or create a lighter load for beginners.
When choosing to train on such a simulator, you have the opportunity to change the speed of movement and the angle of inclination of the working surface. The heart rate monitor will tell you at what readings the load will be most effective. Let us remind you that there are 5 different heart rate zones.
It is possible to choose different tasks for classes (for example, weight loss, muscle building).
The training is comfortable and natural, as it follows the movement of a person while walking and running.
Regular exercise helps strengthen the muscles of the lower body, train the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, and burn fat deposits.
Walking exercises at a moderate pace can be recommended for older people to maintain physical fitness or during pregnancy.

Flaws:

The disadvantages of training on this simulator are the rather high load on the joints and ligaments during intensive use. If the musculoskeletal system is normal, then this will not be an obstacle to such training. But if there are any problems, it is better to consult a doctor.
Simple walking is beneficial for everyone, but if you use an incline, remember that the load on muscles, joints and ligaments increases significantly. Running on an incline on the treadmill is only available to young, trained people.

To somehow reduce the load on your joints, you need to choose the right sneakers for exercise and follow the running technique.

When is a treadmill better than an elliptical?

Running activity gives you more pleasure. It is clear that it is better to do what you like. In such cases, motivation will be in complete order. Consequently, training will be more effective.

The shock load is not dangerous for you, your joints are healthy.

The exercise machine will not disturb the neighbors below. This point is also important to consider when choosing, so as not to purchase a simulator that will simply be impossible to exercise on.

There is enough space to place the treadmill. Moreover, it is important that the place is level, otherwise strong vibrations may occur and, as a result, reduce the service life of individual parts of the unit.

Ellipsoid: pros and cons

Advantages:

The peculiarity of the ellipsoid is that its design allows you to pedal forward and backward. The elliptical trajectory of the pedals engages the main muscle groups; training on such a simulator gently loads the joints, develops problem areas, and eliminates stiffness of movement.
There are no age restrictions for classes. The simulator is a good opportunity for older people to maintain their physical health, train muscles in accordance with age characteristics and reduce stiffness of joints and ligaments.
The advantage of the ellipse is that there is no harsh impact on the joints, so the exercises are useful as rehabilitation after injuries. At the end of the workout you feel pleasantly tired and satisfied.

Flaws:

The disadvantage of the classes is the small number of functions.
For some users, the lack of solid foot support is unacceptable, since its design is such that the foot hovers above the floor, resting on the pedal.

We draw a conclusion

The question: “Which is better, a treadmill or an elliptical trainer” sounds incorrect. They have different biomechanical parameters (the principle of action on the body).

Walking and running are based on natural body movements. Therefore, the treadmill is considered a universal exercise machine. Even inexpensive models allow for intense training.

The main advantage of the track is its versatility. Disadvantage - budget models are unable to provide the necessary depreciation. Running can harm your knee joints.

The elliptical trainer works your muscles without harming your knees. The pedals move in an ellipse. This trajectory of movements requires complex technical solutions. Therefore, the simulator realizes all its capabilities only on expensive models.

The plus of the ellipsoid is safety for joints. The downside is low functionality. Even elite orbitrek models are inferior in functionality to middle-class treadmills.

What is more effective for losing weight?

The chances for both simulators are approximately the same. A treadmill is only more effective when working on a sloped working surface, that is, when walking uphill. And in other cases the indicators are on average equal. Many people have successfully lost weight using both a treadmill and an elliptical trainer.

When developing a training program, we must not forget about rational nutrition and avoidance of high-calorie foods. Remember a simple rule: the number of calories entering the body through food should not exceed their expenditure. Got calories - spend them!

Read more about how much you need to run to lose weight here.
Peculiarity! To combat excess weight, it is not the speed that is important, but the duration of the workout.

Tips and tricks

The following recommendations will help you achieve a positive effect:

To ensure that the simulator you bought does not stand idle, create a training program for yourself and follow it strictly . Set yourself a goal, determine the time frame for achieving it.
Do not miss classes without good reason. Irregular exercise is usually useless.
Exercise regularly at a time convenient for you. Instructors recommend training at least five times a week.
Cardio time is from half an hour to one hour. This time is individual for each person. It depends on your health, age, and physical fitness.
To get the maximum effect from your workouts, divide your workout into three stages . The first stage is a warm-up at a slow pace. The main stage is at maximum load at an intense but comfortable pace. The final stage is reducing the intensity of the load.
The first and final stages should each constitute ten percent of the total class time.
The final stage is very important. When you cool down, breathing is restored, muscles relax, and the pulse returns to normal.
Try to adjust the load to your capabilities and needs. After classes you should feel happy and look forward to the next workout. Feeling tired, short of breath, and weak indicate that you have overexerted and the intensity needs to be reduced.
Experienced instructors recommend alternating classes with gymnastic exercises. This way you can better influence the strengthening of various muscle groups, burn extra calories and diversify your activities.
An hour before training, you should have a light snack. These can be fermented milk products, porridges from various cereals, cottage cheese.
Watch your diet , try not to overeat. The basis of your menu should be boiled chicken or fish, as well as fresh vegetables and herbs, cottage cheese and a variety of fermented milk products.

Important! If your goal is to lose weight, pay attention to your diet. In the first half of the day you can eat foods rich in carbohydrates: cereals, fruits, whole grain or bran bread. Lunch should be complete, only high-calorie and fatty foods should be excluded. For dinner, you can eat any protein foods and fresh vegetables.

What to choose?

Which exercise machine should you choose and what will be more beneficial for you depends primarily on your health:

For people weighing much more than normal, it is recommended to only walk on a treadmill, without an incline and at a comfortable pace (until you sweat lightly).
For diseases of ligaments and joints, varicose veins and thrombophlebitis, protrusions and hernias of the vertebrae, running training is excluded, attention is switched to a harmless ellipsoid. The same applies to unsatisfactory ECG results.
To help: analysis of supplements for joints .
In an experiment, Kathleen Knutzen, a researcher at Western Washington University, studying the effect of an elliptical trainer with load plates on the pedals, found that even at high training intensity, the load on the shins when training on the ellipse is comparable to the load when walking and is two to three times less. than when running .
It is better for an untrained person to start on an ellipse; due to the smooth movements, the loads there are less sharp and more useful.
People say that walking on an elliptical is easier than exercising on a treadmill: the intensity of the load and the training time are less noticeable.
The elliptical also allows you to use the upper body by pressing the handles, although researchers believe that most people only need them for balance.
Constance Mier and her colleagues at Barry University in Florida found that using hand grips only slightly increased energy consumption and had no effect on heart rate. In any case, maintaining balance is much easier this way, especially if you have problems with it.

Mistakes in Cardio Training

What to do if you miscalculated the load and over-exercised?

In this case, fatigue can be relieved in several ways:

Perform several gymnastic relaxation exercises from Eastern practices.
Take a warm bath with sea salt and a few drops of lavender oil.
Get a massage or self-massage.

Do not try to spend all your training time at a high pace and with maximum load. This way you will get tired quickly, and the effect of the exercise will be minimal .

Celebrate the positive changes that have occurred as a result of the activities. This can be weight loss, improving mood and general well-being, strengthening muscles, increasing the range of motion in joints and overcoming their stiffness. Such achievements will inspire you to constantly practice.

Before making an expensive purchase for home use, it is recommended to work out in the gym : this will make it easier for you to determine in practice what suits you best - an ellipsoid or a treadmill, or maybe you should even choose an exercise bike. It would also be a good idea to get advice from an experienced trainer.