Elliptical vs. Treadmill

I can run on an elliptical fast for 65 minutes and it will tell me I burned 700 calories. I will walk away and not even feel that tired. I can run on a treadmill at a medium pace for 20 minutes and it will tell me I've burned 150 calories. However, it expends SO much more effort and I feel like I've actually accomplished something difficult.

 

I'm trying to slim down and I know cardio is the key to this (with some muscle work, I do pilates 3 times a week and yoga twice) and I'm just wondering whether it's more effective to "burn more calories" on an elliptical or burn less, but feel like I put more effort into a treadmill work out. Also, I'm training to be able to run a 5k and it's pretty chilly where I live, so is the treadmill the best option for that?

I would be curious about that also.  At my gym everyone is on the elipital, you have to sometimes wait to get a machine,  but not a sole on the the treadmills.  I end up doing the treadmills because I hate waiting for anything.

S.

 

I get the same opposite effect!  I can be on a treadmill for several hours and feel great, but 15 minutes on the ellipical I'm worn out.

After starting the gym in Oct for the first time in my 50 years, I use the elliptical because I hate running and don't want the worries of potential knee/joint problems (ungrounded, but it sounds like a good excuse not to run)...even with the resistance on 16 out of 25, I burn about 400 in 35 minutes including the 5 min cool down.  My polar watch says I burn about 50-100 more, depending on what machine I am on (they are obviously NOT calibrated) and I also found compared to my heart monitor, some of the grip heart rate devices are WAY off, whereas my watch is within 1 bpm from the doctor.  Here is my theory on your fatigue level...pretty much using the same reasoning as weight machines versus free weights...I can do a lot more weight on the machines, then I can doing freeweights, most likely due to the fact that I have to use other muscles to stabilize the weight.  The machines isolate your muscles to the exercise so much, that you work that particular muscle, not the others you use to stabilize.  Now, go to the cardio machines...the elliptical is smooth and has that momentum "thing" that makes me think I am not using all the muscles/exertion I do when/IF I run...in other words, I think running is tons harder and gets me way more "out of breath" than the elliptical...not scientific, but I think that is the difference...if I didn't loathe running, I think running would be a much better workout for my body than the elliptical.  Either way, keep moving on one or the other and you will do fine!

I'd like to know the answer to this too. I was a gym rat for a few years when I lived at home, but now that I've moved in with family out of state, all I have available to me is a treadmill. I used to be an elliptical addict, and I would burn anywhere from 500-800 cals spending an hour on the elliptical, but only 400-700 running/speedwalking on the treadmill on a 3-6 incline at 3.5-8mph. Like you, I'm exhausted after my treadmill time, but always left the elliptical feeling invigorated and refreshed. I also hate running, but I guess it's the price to pay to stay in shape. It seems to make sense to think that how you feel would give you a better reading than the numbers on a machine, but hey, I'm just as clueless as the next poor schmuck trying to stay in shape!