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Exercise & Nutrition

treadmill vs eliptical trainer

20 years ago

I know the benefits of less stress on joints and soft tissue. I am wondering about the work out? Does the elliptical give you the same work out or do you have to work harder? Also what is a good brand? If you have an eliptical, do you reccomend one?

Laurie in Ohio

Comments (6)

kathyg7777
20 years ago
If anyone is out there who can answer these questions, I would also be interested. I've used a treadmill for about 10 years and as I'm getting older, it seems to be harder on my knee joints.
joann23456
20 years ago
I did a Google search, and all the reports are good - weight bearing exercise without the impact. The only caveat seems to be that you get what you pay for. Most sites reported that the less expensive machines had somewhat choppy movement.

I think I'll see whether my gym has one ...

Here is a link that might be useful: eliptical trainers
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jamie_mt
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The elliptical is definately a harder workout - no doubt about it, as far as cardio training goes (even the lowest setting will give you a *great* workout). But it is definately easier on my knees than the treadmill, and my DF says his feet don't hurt nearly as much with the elliptical as they do on the treadmill (less "pounding", I guess). Just in case you're still out there wondering...I know this post is kind of older. :-)
Annette Holbrook(z7a)
20 years ago
I have a Sports Art elliptical trainer. I really like it, easy on the knees. It has a wide variety of programs and options. DH sets it on a more strenuous program, whereas I set it on one level of resistance and keep it there. It cost around $3000.00, and we've had it for about 15 months.
Hope this helps,
Annette
DesertNewbie
20 years ago
I know this is an older post but I just had to comment. I LOVE the elliptical trainer much more than any other cardio equipment. I have used two different machines, one made by PreCor and the other Pro form I believe. The PreCor is much smoother and has so many different levels of resistance and you can adjust the steepness, much like a treadmill. I have knee problems and ankle problems and the elliptical trainer is much easier on my joints. It is a great workout, seems almost effortless (trust me, it's not) and I find it less boring than a treadmill. It helped me lose 50 lbs!
joann23456
20 years ago
I have knee problems and foot problems, so I tried an eliptical trainer at the gym. Actually, I've tried several times.

Though I'm not way out of shape, I can barely go five minutes on this machine. I keep going back to the treadmill - even though it hurts, I can do it for 30 minutes.

Has anyone had this experience? How long did it take you to get used to the eliptical trainer?

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