Both upright bicycles and elliptical trainers provide an effective cardiovascular workout with similar levels of intensity. They also come with many of the same features, and provide similar benefits. Choosing between them comes down to personal preference, and whether any of the few real differences between these types of equipment meet your personal needs.
Similarities
Both elliptical trainers and upright exercise bikes offer low-impact workouts. Since your feet never leave the pedals, you don't have to endure repeated jarring with every footfall. Both types of equipment also allow you to set your own pace as you pedal; you can either adjust the bike or elliptical's resistance against your pedaling manually, or use a preprogrammed workout that automatically adjusts resistance for you.
Weight-Bearing Workout
Of the two machines, only an elliptical trainer provides a weight-bearing workout. Standing upright in the elliptical forces the bones of your legs, hips and feet to support your body weight. Weight-bearing workouts may help reduce or slow mineral loss. But if you have problems balancing, you might be more comfortable seated on a bike.
Elliptical trainers also offer moving handlebars for a full-body cardiovascular workout -- a feature that only rarely shows up on exercise bikes.
Adjustments
If multiple people are going to work out on the same piece of exercise equipment in your home, you might all feel more comfortable on an upright bike. The single up-and-down seat adjustment on an exercise bike accommodates a wide variety of body sizes and shapes. Many elliptical trainers have a fixed stride length, which can make accommodating household members of different heights -- and thus with very different stride lengths -- a challenge.
Features
Most upright bikes and elliptical trainers provide a similar range of features, including preprogrammed workouts, heart rate control programs, in-console cooling fans, built-in speakers and hand grip heart rate monitors. An adjustable incline ramp is the one feature that sometimes appears on elliptical trainers, but will never be offered on an upright bike. The adjustable ramp allows you to target certain muscles -- your glutes, calves, quads or hamstrings -- more intensely during your elliptical trainer workout.
Benefits
No matter which type of exercise equipment you choose, both machines provide similar benefits. Using your bike or elliptical trainer for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week can help you lose weight, provide increased stamina, improve your mood and decrease your risk of conditions like cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer. So don't let your investment go to waste. Use that bike or elliptical for exercise, not as a coat rack.
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