Elliptical vs Treadmill

Hi there.  When I do my cardio workouts, I usually do both the elliptical and the treadmill - but the elliptical seems so much easier, and yet the machine displays me burning calories very quickly on it.  Is there any reason for this, and is running on the treadmill better for me?  Should I stick to whatever machine burns me the most calories with the most ease, or should I keep up the running?

Thanks!

Hey there.

 I'd keep up both, First the running is hard impact exercise which is good for keeping up your bone density. The ellipicalis easier on your joints. It's good to keep your body guessing when it comes to working out, and you'll get bored less quickly. As far the calorie burning I'm not sure. Hopefully someone else can answer that for you. Hope I helped a little.

 

Ellipticals in general over estimate calories burnt, if you find the treadmill harder, that's probably because it is.  You're burning more calories on whichever you find hardest.

The treadmill is better for weight loss but I'd mix it up with a few elliptical workouts like jesrowe said.

again like jesrowe said, treadmill is a weight bearing exercise that is important for mainting/building good bone density.

Like Jesrowe and Pipanchew I agree you should keep up the treadmill for fact alone that it is a weight-bearing exercise which is vital in the battle against osteoporosis in later life.

Check your heart rate as often as you can while you're on them.  On the treadmill my heart rate gets much higher than on the elliptical.  I think it's because the only way to make myself work harder on the elliptical is to move the resistance up higher than usual (I normally keep it around 9 or 10), but then my legs get tired faster than my heart does, if that makes any sense. 

Know what else is great for bone density?

Weight training

Just sayin' :P

Although ellipticals do tend to overestimate calories, they also factor in the work (they assume) your arms are doing as well, since they involve more of your upper body than simply running does. If the elliptical is easy for you, try playing around with the resistance to make your workout more intense.

I like to alter which machines I use, but on days that I am sore the elliptical is much smoother and easier on the joints

I'm a huge fan of heart rate monitors.  If you can keep track of your heart rate and keep it in a targeted zone, you can easily adjust whatever kind of cardio you're doing to make sure your heart rate falls into your target zone.  I often have my students take their heart rates during my cycle and kickboxing classes to make sure they fall into their ideal target ranges.  Good luck!

when I first started using the elliptical I thought it seems easier too.  a trainer at the gym told me I wasn't using it correctly.  If you bounce on your toes and lean foward when you're using it, then it's easier.  Lean back some and keep your heels planted.  Then you really feel the workout.