Elliptical confusion...

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1/6/13 4:51 P

The elliptical and treadmill will help build your heart muscle. The elliptical is easier if you have knee issues. You might want to use the treadmill one day and the elliptical the next. According to another site, the distance is calculated by the number of strides you take. The stride length is different from one machine to the next.

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1/6/13 4:02 P

Yeah, the elliptical won't be much help for true training for a 15k; it will help you keep yourself active, but that exercise won't necessarily translate to the road at all. You're going from no impact to high-impact!

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1/6/13 3:35 P

Thanks for the positive feedback dragonchilde. That is a good way to think of it. I guess I wrote too quickly without thinking of how others would interpret it. I do understand the vast difference of the two machines, but I do not quite understand the distance difference with the same amount of time run on each machine. But - like you said dragonchilde - calories burned are calories burned and that matters most. I was just trying to gauge the distance because I am training for a 15k. I guess I will have to wait until spring to be able to safely run on the roads again. Until then I will just be happy with doing what I am doing on the different machines.

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1/6/13 2:19 P

As the others have said, they're completely different.

Remember that the KIND of exercise you do really doesn't matter; Burn a hundred calories running, or a hundred calories on an elliptical, and you'll lose the same amount of weight.

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1/6/13 1:26 P

There is zero similarity. They are not the same method of movement at all.

Other people may find that for them, they cover more distance more easily on the elliptical rather than the treadmill. You're talking about a personal perception of how it feels, so this is going to vary for each person.

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1/6/13 12:57 P

"Is there really that much difference between ellipticals and treadmills?"

One, you are pulling your bodyweight forward (albeit less than outside due to the moving belt) and on the elliptical you are spinning your legs with zero impact. You should not compare apples and oranges.

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1/6/13 12:42 P

There are times when I run a decent pace on the elliptical for 45 minutes and it only tells me that I have run 1.5-2 miles. When I run on my mom's treadmill at what I feel is the same intensity, I get so much further in a shorter amount of time. Is there really that much difference between ellipticals and treadmills? I like the elliptical because of my knees, I messed up my left one years ago playing soccer and it still has a lot of sensitivity. Thanks for your feedback.

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