Fitness & Sports Discussions

If you have knee issues, consider a good elliptical. If not, a treadmill may be more versatile and enjoyable. Also, because two people will be using it, I would recommend getting something mid-level or better, as it will have a more robust build quality (and, in the case of treadmills, a more powerful motor and wider/longer walking board). Either will give you a good workout, though.

I tell anybody who's looking to purchase a larger ticket fitness item to make sure they try it before they buy it. Since you'll be using it and spending a lot of time and money into the item be sure it's what works for YOU!

The ellipticals work both your arms and legs, while a treadmill would need to have a set of hand bars to get your arms working, similar to an eliptical.

Ellipticals and bikes are silent. Treadmills not so much.

If you decide on a treadmill, be sure to get a mat, to add cushioning and quiet the machine.

I prefer the elliptical because of it being zero impact but for some reason I do not feel like I get quite as much of a workout on it versus running on a treadmill - close but not quite.

AdamO has a great point that an elliptical can provide resistance for your arms making it more of a total body workout.

I have both, but totally agree on the treadmill noise. I can only use it when my family is up, so when I try to work out early I'm forced to use the elliptical. 

When I want a really good workout, I prefer my treadmill though. 

Hi - I'm with the Fitness Buying team.  One other thing to think about when deciding between the treadmill or elliptical is the ceiling height of the area you will have this equipment in.  While neither the treadmill or elliptical are overly tall, a shorter ceiling height may cause an issue when you workout on an elliptical.

I am looking into purchasing an elliptical after having run and walked on a treadmill for 3 years. I love my treadmill but I've had a stress fracture and a sprain both in the last 6 months. Plus I have arthritis in an ankle from a  17 year old fracture. Two dr.s have told me that they see alot of these injuries from treadmill runners and that I'm better to switch to an elliptical and run outside. Will using the elliptical increase my outside running performance? Any advice?  What should I look for in an elliptical?

Hi Soccermom72! I work in the Fitness unit we have provided a buying guide for ideas on what to look for when purchasing an elliptical: http://www.mysears.com/Ellipticals/guides/Complete-Exercise-Machine-Guide-Treadmills-Bikes-Ellipticals-Whats-Right-for-You

Let us know what you decide on, and if you decide to buy one from Sears, I'd love to get feedback and share with the buyers on my team. Good luck!

Thank you thank you thank you!! I too am looking into buying either a treadmill or an elliptical. All of your comments have been very helpful and the page AmandaSanchez posted is great! Thank you again!!

Thank you to everyone - great information!  I had not thought of the sound a treadmill might make and will most likely be working out before my daughter wakes up.  Definitely some good information on the link posted by Amanda Sanchez.  I don't have any specific injuries - but, certain joints and my back are not in an, shall we say, optimal no pain situation.  I wouldn't want to aggravate anything and cause a worse situation while trying to improve overall fitness!  I think I will go for an eliptical because of this.  Thanks again!  :) 

Ohh yeah that guide was pretty useful for me too. Thanks Amanda!

One caution I'll make is that ellipticals aren't exactly suited for everyone with bad knees/backs as they can cause discomfort, especially in the more compact, shortrer-stride models.  Another poster offered a great piece of advice: Try it before you buy.  I would never advocate purchasing fitness equipment sight unseen from Sears.com or any online retailer without trying the merchandise first, and Sears happens to be one of the best places to try equipment out!

If the treadmill beats you to death and you can't maintain straight, evenly balanced posture on ellipticals, the exercise bike is just about your last resort.  You won't burn as many calories per hour, but it's still a valid form of cardio.  As for it only working your legs: this point is invalid.

You will get a higher number of calories burned per hour from walking or using an elliptical but just because you're using your arms and core doesn't mean you burn fat from these areas.  Actually, the contrary is true: you have no way of controlling where the calories you burn are pulled from.  Essentially I'm saying that cardio is cardio when it comes to pure fat burning.

As far as strengthening is concerned, the minmal amount of work put forth on the Crosswalk Treadmills and ellipticals by your arms is going to net you basically zero strength gains.  You would see some gains in leg strength, but they would be minimal and definitely not much higher than from using the bike.

If intense, heart/lung training exercise is your goal then treadmills and ellipticals are great, but for toning up exercise bikes work just as well and are often easier for beginners to keep their heart rates inside the target zone.

which of the two is better

and does the eliptical just for your arms and knees or does it burn the same amoutn of calories as the treadmill

Hi JuneyJohn, neither one is "better" it is really about personal preference. The elliptical is a bit easier on joints as it is more low impact, a lot of people like that. 

As for calories burned, this would be based on the impact level for both machines - both can be very effective.

Hope this helps!

I have to put my two cents in here. I have bad knees and weak ankles. I actually fall a couple times a year when my ankles twist. I used a treadmill for years and loved it. When I used it regularly it strengthened my knees without stressing them. I could get in and out of cars without problems. I moved two years ago and gave it to a friend. Now I'm in the market for a new one, and everyone is raving about ellipticals. I went to a hotel and tried their equipment. The first night I used their treadmill; half hour, no problems, not even sore the next day. The second night I got on the elliptical. I did not make 5 minutes before my knees were achy and sore. It's a different range of motion and you kind of have to throw your foot forward. My advice is to get to a gym for a month so you can try both and see how your body handles each of them.

I feel the same way steve.  I always choose the elliptical when looking for an extended cardio workout.  It's much less strenuous on your body and gives good results.  But when you want to push it, an ellipitical just can't take you there like a treadmill can.

But in terms of spending the family money on a piece of exercise equipment, I would choose the elliptical.

i would like to know what about these bowflex treadclimers? are they any good? but i have been looking for a treadmill any suggestions on a brand?

Ellipticals vs. treadmills?  What I would tell everyone is that you have to buy what you will use the most.  The mistake that most people make when buying fitness equipment is that they buy the cheapest make and model and then somehow wonder why they paid hundreds of dollars for a large clothes hanger.

A lot of the points brought up are valid but one very important factor is (let me use this as an example) you buy an elliptical because you feel that when you "cross train" on it that you are going to burn more calories than what you would if you purchased a recumbent bike, but what you forgot to take into account is that if you only use the elliptical only half as often (because you don't like how it feels or the motion) then buying the elliptical was the wrong decision. 

I always tell people that if you ever had a gym membership, then whatever you used the most at the gym would be a good indicator of what you would like to use at home!  At the gym there are 20 of everything and you will naturally use what YOU like best.

Last but not least, always take into consideration that when you use an elliptical you are forcing your body along a range of motion that may not be natural for all users.  Everyone does not walk or run the same way and YOUR PERCEPTION of how it feels is what matters the most.

When buying fitness equipment that you plan to use for many years, I recommend that you go to your local speacialty fitness retailer and try several models out before you buy anything.  If you do this, you will use your fitness equipment more often, and have a much better chance of reaching your goals.  Thanks, Ray

Does it make a difference how much you weigh and how much weight you would like to lose?  I have about 40 pounds to lose and I am trying to decide which would be best, treadmill or elliptical.  I have only used an elliptical a couple of times and found it very hard to do.  Does this mean it would be better or worse for me?  Thanks for any advice, Jenn

Jenn, I'm a marketing guy with NordicTrack and Proform fitness products and I am also a former NASM personal trainer.  So I have seen a  lot of people who have asked the same question.  The simple truth is both machines are effective at burning calories.  So base your decision on the product that you feel you will most likely use.  My guess is that if you didn't like the feel of the elliptical then a treadmill would be better suited for you.  And it is true that the treadmills have a greater ability to push you to higher limits.  For example,  a treadmill at 6 MPH makes you go 6 MPH.  An elliptical is self powered, so when you tire you naturally slow down.  Also remember, once you have been working out for several months, lost 30 of those 40 lbs. and your fitness level is off the charts, you will want a product that will push you to get that last 10 lbs.  I think a treadmill will do that better than anything else.  In fact, I think you should look at the Incline Trainers sold at Sears.  They go to 40% inlcine.  Now that is a product you will not outgrow.   Regards,  Brian