
What’s more, the elliptical lets you stride backward. “Changing the incline and resistance settings can also be a great tool for targeting different areas of the lower body.”
HORIZON FITNESS PLUS
“ Pushing and pulling the handles can provide a challenge for the upper body, plus you’re really engaging your core to balance the movements between your upper and lower body,” Wratislaw says. That means you’ll save your lower-body joints from wear and tear-one study estimates that 80 percent of running injuries are caused by overuse.Īnother plus of the elliptical versus treadmill: You’re going to get a better total-body workout when using the elliptical. “The elliptical can provide a lower-impact workout for runners, because you’re constantly connected to the pedals, causing less strain on the knees and joints,” says Lee Wratislaw, a certified personal trainer for Gold’s Gym AMP app. And it is-but that can actually benefit you. You might write off using the elliptical as an easier workout than running. And maybe even more relatable, running is hard! It takes a lot of work to push yourself forward on the treadmill (even with the moving belt), which can be discouraging to some people. Of course, there’s a flip side (and a reason the treadmill is also called the “dreadmill.”) “If you don’t have a plan or a coach to guide you, going nowhere fast can be boring without that engagement in your workout,” Siik says. That same 150-pound person would burn around 340.9 calories per hour using the elliptical at a moderate effort. A 150-pound person would burn 668.2 calories per hour running. Running a 10-minute mile burns about 9.8 METs-or the “ metabolic equivalent” for a task, which is an estimate of how much energy the body uses during physical activity (sitting still is just one MET).

So if burning calories is your goal, treadmill running is a great option.


“And mile after mile, that burns a lot of extra calories,” he says. Running OutsideĮven though you’re not putting a ton of stress on your upper body, running also causes what Siik calls “natural reaction,” where your infrastructure-your muscle and cartilage-is provoked to stay strong.
