Both elliptical machines and recumbent stationary bikes can provide you with a good cardiovascular workout while minimizing stress on your joints. For this reason, both types of machines are effective choices for runners who want to cross-train, for people recovering from injuries or surgery, for those with balance issues or arthritis, or for people just starting out with exercise programs.
Ellipticals
Elliptical machines allow you to move as if you were running or walking, but without the impact forces of running on a treadmill, track or pavement. Elliptical machines work the calf muscles and hip flexors and extensors such as the gluteals, hamstrings and quadriceps. Some elliptical machines even have hand levers, which provide an upper-body element to your workout. Using the levers provides your heart with more of a challenge, which increases your working heart rate and burns more calories. The levers also give your biceps, triceps and pectorals a little extra toning.
Recumbent Bikes
Bikes work the hip flexors and extensors, including the quadriceps, hamstrings and gluteals. A recumbent bike allows you to sit with your legs in front of you and with a backrest for support. In this position, your heart does not have to work as hard to circulate blood as it does on the elliptical, which makes the bike good for beginners. A more experienced athlete will have to work harder to elevate her heart rate to a high intensity level. This position tends to be comfortable for people with lower-back, balance and knee issues.
Adjustments
Elliptical machines usually don't have to be adjusted, but recumbent stationary bikes do. The major adjustment is the seat, which slides forward and back. You should be able to extend your knees comfortably while pedaling, without either having to stretch your toes all the way out to make the full extension or having your knees bump into your chest at the top of the rotation.
Intensity
One of the best features about elliptical and recumbent bikes is that you can adjust the intensity level by changing incline or resistance. On an elliptical, a high incline will put more focus on the gluteals than a low incline, which distributes the work over the whole leg. On a recumbent bike, a higher level of resistance will work more intensely into the gluteals and quadriceps. When you first start a workout regimen, set resistance or incline to a low level---you want to feel challenged but not discouraged.
Time
The amount of time to spend on either machine depends on your fitness level and the intensity of the workout. Because the recumbent bike offers a lower-intensity workout, you'll require more time on it than the elliptical to get the same benefits. Beginners might need to start with 5- to 10-minute intervals on either machine, but people at higher fitness levels could target 30 minutes of high-intensity work on the elliptical or 45 minutes of moderate-intensity work on the bike.
Calorie Burn
The number of calories you burn on either machine depends on your weight, the intensity of your workout, the resistance and incline. With either machine, manufacturers claim you can burn up to 700 calories per hour, but this would require a full-out effort that most people can't manage. A more realistic estimate might be 250 to 300 per hour on the recumbent bike and 300 to 350 on the elliptical.
Member Comments