Elliptical machines possess foot pedals and hand-held poles that move back and forth in a gliding motion. Treadmills utilize a belt that moves around in a circular motion while you run or walk on top of it. Both of these are cardiovascular exercise machines. Cardiovascular exercise increases your heart rate, according to the Texas Heart Institute. If you seek to preserve the integrity of your knee joints while doing cardio, it is smart to choose the right machine.
Identification
You move the same body parts in a similar fashion on a treadmill as on an elliptical, except your body gets affected differently. On a treadmill, your feet are free to move as if you were running outside. With the elliptical, your feet are fixed on the foot pedals while you exercise. This makes the elliptical less stressful on your knees than treadmill running, according to MayoClinic.com. Exercising on the elliptical also places less stress on your ankles, hips and back than does exercising on a treadmill.
Walking
Treadmills come with speed adjustment capability. To reduce the impact on your workouts, you can simply turn the speed up to a brisk walking pace and leave it there. This will not take away the stress altogether, but it will reduce it considerably. Walking is still beneficial for your overall health.
Benefits
Although the treadmill causes more impact, it provides cardiovascular benefits similar to those offered by the elliptical machine. Whenever you exercise on the treadmill or elliptical, you are doing physical activity. This can promote weight loss, reduce triglyceride levels, lower blood pressure and improve good cholesterol levels, according to the American Heart Association. To achieve such benefits, the most important thing is that you exercise long enough and often enough. Aim for 30 minutes of exercise at least five days a week.
Weight-bearing
The treadmill might be harder on your knees, but it offers something that the elliptical does not --- gravity. Exercise performed with gravity working against your bones and muscles is considered weight-bearing. According to the Spine-Health website, walking and jogging are both forms of weight-bearing exercise that can help prevent osteoporosis. Elliptical training helps build muscle, but it does not offer a weight-bearing effect.
Considerations
Treadmills come with an incline feature. If you want to increase the intensity of your workouts without too much impact on your knees, turn up the incline. This will also cause you to burn more calories and work the back of your legs with more emphasis.
Member Comments