Most gyms and health clubs feature cardiovascular exercise equipment such as treadmills and elliptical trainers. Even though both machines raise your heart rate and provide aerobic exercise, they have different functions and target different major muscle groups. Assess your fitness goals to determine whether a treadmill or an elliptical trainer would deliver a better workout for you.
Impact
Elliptical machines require a gliding motion rather than the pounding of running on a treadmill. In elliptical machine, your feet never leave the pedals. The gliding motion means that you do not impact your joints. If you need to stop suddenly during exercise, the elliptical trainer stops with you, not like treadmills, which need to be turned off. People with injuries or who are older and beginning a fitness plan will have a safer workout on an elliptical trainer.
Muscle Groups
You target different muscle groups working out with an elliptical trainer than you do by running on a treadmill. On treadmills, the moving belt keeps you going forward, but the propelling motion also takes the pressure off the length of the back of your legs. You can pedal an elliptical trainer forward and backwards, thus working both sides of your legs. In addition, most elliptical trainers have hand pulls so you can do an upper body workout simultaneously. The only way to achieve an upper body workout while on the treadmill is to pump light hand weights while running.
Movement
The smooth feeling of an elliptical trainer can lull you into complacency. Treadmills force you to move forward at the pace at which you program them. Elliptical trainers, on the other hand, operate purely on your momentum. The harder you push the pedals, the faster they move. If you cannot maintain a challenging pace on your own, you will get a better workout on the treadmill.
Multitasking
Busy exercisers appreciate the fact that a treadmill allows you to multitask. You can read a magazine or even make calls with a headset while working out on the treadmill. You cannot accomplish the same tasks with the elliptical, because you need your arms for balance and to do hand pulls. The up and down movements on an elliptical make it impossible to read while working out.
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