By Admin 
Are there benefits for choosing an elliptical over a treadmill if you’re getting your cardio at the gym?
When you’re working toward getting in the 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, you might make a beeline for the cardio equipment at the gym.
And you might also be wondering, with all the options — treadmill, exercise bike, elliptical, stair climber, rower, and sometimes more — if you’re choosing the right one.
“Each piece of cardio equipment has its pros and cons,” says Greg Summerville, MD, a sports medicine physician at the UNC School of Medicine in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. These pros and cons are, however, different for everyone.
Dr. Summerville works with patients to create exercise prescriptions for his patients, and takes a range of factors into account, such as age, function, and mobility, as well as existing health conditions or injuries. Those things all make a difference when it comes to which machine is best for you — as do your specific fitness goals.
All of these aforementioned cardio machines are designed to improve cardiovascular health, meaning it increases your heart and respiratory rate to strengthen your heart muscle and build endurance. But some also build strength, Summerville says. So, think about what you want out of your workout. Are you there for a strict cardio workout or one that combines cardio and strength, for instance?
Answering questions like that will help you pick the appropriate machine for you. Also, if you have any disability, injuries, or other health issues that could interfere with your ability to safely exercise — or use one of these machines — talk to your doctor or healthcare provider before starting a new exercise routine.
And finally, if you’re going to get your cardio in at the gym using one of these machines, pick one that you like using (so long as you can safely do so). Finding a workout you enjoy doing makes it that much easier to come back to and stick with. After all, the movement you do (whatever that looks like) is better than some “perfect” workout you don’t do.
Here’s a rundown of some common cardio machines and their specific pros and cons:
Treadmill
What It Is A machine with an endless moving belt for walking or running. “I’d call this the bread-and-butter of cardio machines,” says Araceli De Leon, an ACE-certified personal trainer and health coach.
Muscles Targeted The treadmill primarily helps build your cardiovascular endurance, says De Leon, but walking or running will also work the lower body muscles, including the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and calves, according to ACSM. It’s not the most effective way to build these muscles, but using the treadmill will help to maintain them, Summerville adds.
Perks You can adjust the speed and incline to increase intensity or perform an interval or HIIT workout, says De Leon. Compared with the elliptical and rower, a treadmill has been found to burn more fat, according to a study published in 2021 in the Journal of Sports Science & Medicine. (It’s worth noting that that study only included nine men and no women.)
Considerations Being on your phone and looking down or looking up at a TV in the gym can strain your neck, says De Leon. Also, walking too close to the console or holding onto the rails can affect your body’s walking cycle. Try to stay in the middle of the belt and avoid holding on, she says. (If you can’t safely use a treadmill without holding on, then another machine may be a better option. See below.) The treadmill can also be a higher impact activity. Though running or walking on a treadmill is not as hard on the joints as running on concrete, says Summerville, exercising on a track or turf outside will be a more joint-friendly form of exercise.
Exercise Bike
What It Is Indoor or stationary exercise bikes come in a variety of styles, such as an air bike (where pedaling pushes air through the wheel, providing resistance), a spin or indoor bike (where you can manually adjust resistance), and a recumbent bike (where you sit in an reclined position), among others.
Muscles Targeted Your quads and hamstrings are the workhorses while cycling. Using a stationary bike can also build lower-body muscle. “By increasing the resistance, you can also get a significant strength-building workout with your cardio,” says Summerville.
Perks On certain styles of bike, you can increase the resistance and stand up to pedal, which simulates climbing a hill, Summerville says. He also recommends indoor bicycling to those who are recovering from lower-extremity injuries. If you have balance problems, a stationary bike is a good option for you, since your feet are in one fixed position (as opposed to a treadmill or stair machine).
Considerations While it’s low-impact and easy on the joints, if you have anterior knee pain (pain in the front of the knee), Summerville recommends moving to the elliptical, as the pedaling motion on the bike may put too much force on the knee.