Elliptical vs Treadmills: Which One Burns More Fat?

Unfortunately home Exercise equipment is never cheap, which means it is really important to invest in the right machine. For effective weight loss, you need to find out which piece of equipment is best at helping to burn up those excess calories.

The two market leaders in terms of number of sales are treadmills and ellipticals, and many people will argue about which piece of equipment is the best. Naturally since you are the person who will be using the machine, you have to come to your own personal decision about which you like best, but there is a definite answer to the argument about which one burns the most calories.

The simple fact is that both machines can help burn the exact same number of calories, it just all depends on how you Exercise with them, but working out on an elliptical can be just as effective as working out on a treadmill.

Many people find that running on a treadmill is too intense for their joints - it is true that a workout on a treadmill can have a very deep impact on your body. If you find that you cannot run on a treadmill, then a workout on an elliptical can be just as effective at burning calories, and will have a lesser impact on your joints and muscles.

If you chose to run on a treadmill at around 7 mph for an hour, your body would use about 783 calories. Use an elliptical trainer, and you should expect to use up about 774 calories - so the numbers are more or less identical. However, if you only walked on the treadmill at 3 mph, your body would burn just 297 calories, which is a massive difference!

It's important to remember though that this is not a straight forward formula, the number of calories you can burn using an elliptical trainer vary greatly depending on how you approach your Exercise routine. Some people go for a full force approach, which others decide to take a more moderate workout.

You really need to ask yourself which machine you would prefer. Remember, you will only do you Exercise if you are motivated and excited, if you find it boring to use a treadmill, you are not likely to keep up to your workout regime. Equally, if an elliptical does not inspire you, then you are better off with a treadmill.

For people who love walking, or running or jogging for that matter, then a treadmill would be an excellent investment which allows you to get all the benefits of walking without having to leave your home. Bear in mind though that to be an effective method of losing weight you will have to increase the speed and incline of the treadmill to make sure you really get the benefits of Exercise.

If you've experienced pain in your knees or ankles, or simply want to enjoy a low impact routine, then you'll want to choose an elliptical instead. As you age, an elliptical trainer is much more forgiving on your body. Of course some exercise enthusiasts invest in both machines - an elliptical and a treadmill. This lets you mix up your workouts and avoid burnout completely.