This is a question that I am asked almost on a daily basis, should I buy a treadmill or an elliptical trainer?

Treadmills

Treadmills have been around for a long time and are very popular as they allow users to exercise in a controlled environment such as the home, office or gym. People like treadmills because they offer two forms of the most popular exercise, walking and running.

Using a treadmill will burn calories as well as increase your bone density and help with your coordination. The advantage of using a treadmill rather than running on the road is that there is less impact on your joints as the decks on treadmills are designed to absorb the impact and reduce the strain on your body. The functions and sturdiness of a treadmill usually depends on its size and cost. There are three main categories, as there is for most exercise equipment, commercial equipment which is designed to withstand continuous use in a gym with minimal maintenance. Light commercial equipment, which is designed for gyms or individuals who require the equipment to withstand 5-6 hours use a day and home equipment which is designed for the home market. Treadmills have improved drastically over the last few years with the prices and functionality of the home models becoming better all the time. Nowadays you can buy a treadmill for under a £1000 which has some features you would not have even seen on a commercial model a few years ago. Good quality home treadmills will have similar functions to commercial models for a fraction of the price, these include numerous programmes including heart rate control manual adjustment of speed and incline and the ability to fold the treadmill once you’ve finished your workout.

Elliptical Trainers

Elliptical trainers have been on the market for over a decade now in one form or another, some fitness professionals were doubtful that the elliptical trainer also known as a crosstrainers would survive. However its done more than survive its thrived and now you cannot go to any gym without there being a great number of elliptical trainers. The reason for this is probably due to a number of factors, firstly the elliptical trainer provides an excellent cardio vascular workout whilst being extremely low impact. Unlike whilst using a treadmill your feet do now leave the equipment when using an elliptical trainer and so the impact on your joints is minimal. This is great for people like me who have weak knees or other joint problems. The other advantage of the elliptical trainer is that it burns a high number of calories as you’re carrying out a full body workout i.e you’re not just utilising your lower body muscles but also utilising the upper part of your body too. Using an elliptical trainer for half an hour may not burn as many calories as using a treadmill at a similar intensity but it defiantly feels a lot easier and that is another reason why people enjoy using an elliptical trainer. Getting fit and staying fit is never easy but using an elliptical trainer is a good start.

Like treadmills elliptical trainers come in various forms and often have various programmes including heart rate control.

So is there a definitive answer as to which is best? No, not really it all depends upon what you’re looking for and other factors such as how much space you have and what your budget is. Elliptical trainers are generally cheaper than treadmills and are lower maintenance which also helps. Ideally space and budget aside both would be the ideal solution as variety helps you stick to your fitness regime.