Adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise each week, advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Both elliptical trainers and treadmills provide a reliable way for you to get exercise on cold, rainy or hot days. Each has certain advantages and disadvantages.
Availability
Most gyms and fitness clubs have both treadmills and elliptical trainers. You can also find a range of brands of both treadmills and elliptical machines to buy.
Impact
Elliptical machines offer lower impact workouts than treadmills. Your feet do not leave the pedals on an elliptical machine, but they continually pound against the surface of a treadmill. The lower-impact elliptical workout puts less stress on your joints and back. On the other hand, the higher impact of walking or jogging on a treadmill can benefit your bones. The Mayo Clinic recommends weight-bearing exercise, such as walking or jogging, to build stronger bones and prevent osteoporosis.
Settings
Both elliptical machines and treadmills allow you to customize your workout. On a treadmill, you can adjust the speed of your workout as well as the incline of the treadmill's surface. You can walk up a steep incline, for example, or run on a slight incline. On most elliptical machines, you can adjust the resistance or the incline of the pedals to make the workout easier or harder. Many elliptical machines and treadmills also offer interval training and variable hill workouts.
Muscles Worked
Walking or jogging on a treadmill primarily works muscles in the lower body, including the calves, hamstrings, quadriceps and gluteus maximus muscles. Depending on your speed and the machine's incline, a treadmill workout will emphasize slightly different muscles. Elliptical machines also emphasize the leg muscles, but some elliptical machines offer the opportunity for you to work out your arm muscles by pushing or pulling ski poles as you exercise.
Calories Burned
Several factors influence the number of calories you can burn while exercising. These factors include your weight, the duration of your workout and the intensity of your effort. Depending on how hard you work on the elliptical or how fast you walk or run on the treadmill, the number of calories you burn will vary. The Mayo Clinic estimates that a one-hour walking workout can burn 183 to 277 calories for a 160-lb. person, while a one-hour running workout can burn about 986 calories for a 160-lb. person. The Mayo Clinic estimates that one hour of aerobic exercise, such as working out on an elliptical trainer, can burn 365 to 511 calories for a 160-lb. person.
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