Elliptical vs. Treadmill: Which is Better for You

For most people that choose to work out at home, it’s always a toss-up between the treadmill or the elliptical machine, and before you choose either one, you’ll do well to consider a few factors about each option. Apart from your budget, the most important factor is probably your fitness goals. Below we’re going to give you a complete overview of each machine, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each option.

The main difference between a treadmill and an elliptical trainer is the design. The treadmill has a long deck that’s designed specifically for walking, jogging and running, whereas the elliptical trainer is optimized to simulate a climbing or stride-like running motion. You can modify the resistance and incline levels of an elliptical trainer to help target certain muscle groups according to your preferences, while the treadmill enables you to modify the speed and incline so that you can achieve the level of cardiovascular endurance levels that you desire.

Impact

For most people, the elliptical trainer seems like a no-brainer because it is the very low impact when compared to the treadmill, and it’s gentle on the joints on your knees, feet, back, and hips. This is why an elliptical trainer is ideal for cross-training athletes that are recovering from injuries because it provides you with all the advantages of running without damaging your joints. In fact, working out on an elliptical machine will even make your joints stronger.

On the other hand, treadmills are constructed to absorb shock so as to relieve pressure and impact from the joints while you’re running, and that makes it the better option when compared to road running, which can be quite taxing on the joints.

Another great upshot of low-impact exercise training is that it protects you from injuries while encouraging good posture. You see, an elliptical trainer is designed to support your back at all times while you’re training so that even when you’re tired of running, your back will still remain straight. Other training machines don’t provide the same level of support and control, and that makes it easy to sustain injuries or strain while training on them.