elliptical--causes muscle gain?

hey so i was wondering if the elliptical or treadmill was better for sliming you legs/thighs? my biggest problem beyond my stomach is my inner thighs and i was talking to someone recently and they said to not use the elliptical because it makes your muscles bigger...use the treadmill to slim your legs.

im not sure what to believe...i use the treadmill and walk on an incline(6-12) at about 4.6...or i'll use a cybex machine for 30 mins....

Steady state cardio like the eliptical machine is not only a poor way to gain muscle, it's a pretty good way to lose it if you're not doing strength training and eating at a deficit.

How on earth people thinking gaining muscle is so easy will always remain a mystery to me. Do you think body builders just roam around the gym and hop on the eliptical and look down and say OH MY GOD look at my legs, I'm all ready for competition?

Gaining muscle is VERY hard work.

Personally the elliptical has helped me tone my legs and thighs. I do the interval program and raise the resistance. Although i do strength training too.

I'm no expert, but here's my take:

I use the elliptical almost exclusively, and I've seen a huge increase in definition and muscle size (calves, quads)--note that's over like 2.5 years of use.  I tend to use really high resistance.  I kinda like my legs to look that strong, but I get that it's not for everybody.

In terms of slimming down your legs--the difference shouldn't be in whether you use treadmill vs. elliptical.  Unless you do really targeted weight training you won't get at your inner thighs by running, and even with that you won't be losing fat, you'll just be toning a little bit.  To lose fat from your inner thighs, you'll just have to keep your deficit high enough to continue losing weight.  Cardio's a great way to do that, but it's not the answer.

Original Post by spirochete:

How on earth people thinking gaining muscle is so easy will always remain a mystery to me.

 

it is one of the 8 wonders of the man

signed formerly r-n-j-t

I actually have gained a lot of muscle in my legs, especially my calves and thighs, after using the elliptical exclusively for nearly a year now. People think I'm a runner! I honestly am not crazy over having thicker legs, but I feel really strong and healthy and my elliptical is to thank for that.

As long as the resistance isn't too high or too low, it's a wonderful workout. I also found it helped strengthen the muscles in my stomach area and shoulders. I do have a muscular build though, as in I gain muscle really easily (thanks, Dad). It really depends on your body type. 

I can't use the treadmill as I have bad knees and complications from an old operation on both my legs, so I felt pretty depressed about not being able to run. But the elliptical gives me such an amazing workout without the bad effects on my legs, it's my best friend! Your thighs and knees will thank you. :)

Original Post by taehwa:

I actually have gained a lot of muscle in my legs, especially my calves and thighs, after using the elliptical exclusively for nearly a year now. People think I'm a runner! I honestly am not crazy over having thicker legs, but I feel really strong and healthy and my elliptical is to thank for that.

As long as the resistance isn't too high or too low, it's a wonderful workout. I also found it helped strengthen the muscles in my stomach area and shoulders. I do have a muscular build though, as in I gain muscle really easily (thanks, Dad). It really depends on your body type. 

I can't use the treadmill as I have bad knees and complications from an old operation on both my legs, so I felt pretty depressed about not being able to run. But the elliptical gives me such an amazing workout without the bad effects on my legs, it's my best friend! Your thighs and knees will thank you. :)

exactly what he said.  : )  

I used to run, and got great incredibly toned (lady term for muscular - some people do put on muscle really easily, and all my family are like this) all over, but also lost about 2 inches from my butt, and had a tiny waist. 

As happened with the last poster, I got injured and had leg operations, and now I use the elliptical.  And I love it!  Same sweat-inducing all-over work-out, but kinder to legs and joints.  My muscles have popped out again, but the dimensions are smaller.  I've noticed that my thigh muscles in particular aren't as big as they were when I was running. 

You asked about treadmill v elliptical, but you might find this useful also: I've noticed that cycling gives me smaller calves.  My sister swears by her stepper and stair-thing - she said it really targeted her inner thighs.  (she looks like she's had them lipo-d.  They used to touch, now they don't).

Good luck with your goals.

I think every persons body is different but for me personally, once I started using the elliptical my legs got very thick. I do Pilates to try and streamline them out. My thighs ( although strong and muscular) gained so much width that I actually went up a pants size. BUT it is better than going up a pants size over weight gain so I welcome the muscle gain.

Now I do the elliptical for 15 minutes and the tread for 40. Running and walking has always been kinder to the shape of my legs than anything else.

well it depends!but i guess u won't gain muscle using an elliptical unless you have no fat in your thighs. I myself lost 10 cms of my thighs using elliptical in about just 2 months(it was around 56 cms and now it's 46 cms! I know it's gross!!!!) and I've gained muscle in these areas!but not in an ugly way!

anyway treadmill is for burning the extra fat all over your body and u can use elliptical to lose the fat specifically in your thighs.and fat burn program is an appropriate one for u!

btw! gaining muscle is so easy for slim ppl!