Treadmill
Elliptical Trainer
Safety
Falling from a treadmill could be quite serious, as the running surface (the belt) usually continues to move.
Almost all treadmills sold today have some sort of a safety device. Some are equipped with safety switches which kill the motor when you press them, others have a sort of a safety key that stops the treadmill automatically when you fall.
Most treadmills are equipped with handlebars that you can use to stabilise yourself if you need.
No safety measure can guard you against a situation where you have a power outage while you are on the machine. The motor will stop immediately while you keep on running. This is an extremely dangerous (if rare) situation.
The way the cross trainer works, it stops immediately when you stop, which reduces the risk of falling off it.
There is hardly a risk of falling from an elliptical machine. There's a remote chance of that happening when you use it in reverse, by walking backwards, as the motion feels strange the first few times you do it.
The models that have the handlebars are even a bit safer, as you have more points of contact with the elliptical - thus making it less likely you'll fall off it.
While there is always a concern with exercise machines and young children in the house, it is not a big issue with the ellipticals, as young kids would probably not be strong enough to operate it. The machines usually have a low center of gravity and are therefore not likely to tip over.
Minimal Space and Power Needs
In terms of space, treadmills usually require more space than other exercise equipment. Even the foldable ones are limited in this aspect, as the running surface must be wide and long enough to accommodate large gaits, and can not be folded in half.
Most of the models for home use do not require electricity at all, or only very little power to enable the exercise monitor.
The elliptical trainers also have small footprint and take up less floor space than other fitness equipment. This makes them a very good option for small houses.
Workout Effectiveness
While treadmills provide excellent cardiovascular workout, they only work your lower body. Treadmills do not work your back muscles or any large muscle group other than your legs. However, they are still effective as a fat burning and fitness equipment.
The downside of the workout on treadmills is that this is a high-impact exercise, as your joints, knees, shins, ankles and back absorb shocks every time you put your foot down.
The surface you run on while you exercise on a treadmill is usually cushioned and equipped with shock absorbers. This way it provides less impact than concrete, but still - your body will experience an impact up to 2.5 times your body weight every time your foot lands on the treadmill's belt.
There is an injury risk inherent to such high-impact workouts.
The exercise variety that a treadmill provides is focused around changing the incline and speed of the belt. These do not provide a lot of options, but are usually enough.
Most elliptical trainers have dual action handlebars, and together with the foot pedals they give you a total body workout, exercising both your legs and your torso.
Since your feet never leave the pedals, an elliptical cross trainer workout is low-impact. Some studies show that this lack of impact on the joints allows a very effective workout in terms of fat burning vs. perceived effort levels, meaning you will feel that you can go on for longer.
Most elliptical trainers let you change the incline, intensity and sometimes the gait length. This adds variety to the workout. Additionally, the elliptical trainers are unique in that they let you go both forward and backward. The backward motion adds lower body workout of different muscles.
The elliptical trainer is first amongst all exercise equipment in that it simultaneously works the largest number of muscle groups. That is the reason an elliptical machine is also called a cross-trainer. The workout on the elliptical uses your quadriceps, hamstrings, gluts, chest, back, triceps and biceps.
The more muscles are exercised - the more of your body gets toned, the fat burning process is accelerated, and your fitness level increases faster.
In terms of fat burning, elliptical trainers and jogging burn a similar number of calories. However, because of the impact, jogging carries a risk of injury to the back, knees, hips, or ankles. On a cross trainer your feet are always on the foot pedals. The exercise on an elliptical trainer can be compared to running in midair.
Being a low-impact workout, elliptical machines are very good for older people or for exercising when recovering from a joint injury. People who suffer from repeating shin splints also find that the cross trainer lets them get a good cardiovascular workout without over-straining their shins.
Exercising correctly on the elliptical trainer, when using the handlebars, burns lots of fat quickly. This usually shows quick results in weight loss, toned muscles - both lower and upper body, and increased level of fitness.
While a workout on the elliptical trainer can be very effective, it tends to allow momentum from bodyweight alone. This means that if you set the resistance level too low, you will not produce force and move your bodyweight yourself. Rather - the machine will use the momentum built up in the first minute or so of the workout. The risk here is that you will not actually use your muscles to move, and therefore not burn many calories. This happens more often than not.
Price
Fat Burning Efficiency
It is also worth noting that because treadmill is a high-impact workout, you are usually able to exercise for shorter durations (compared to other fitness equipment) at whichever level of fitness you are at. This means that you will not have the opportunity to burn as much fat as with other machines.
Having said that, the treadmill lets you easily perform short sprints, which contribute to burning fat in the post-workout recovery time.
This is not so simple though, because in order for this to be true, the machine has to be used correctly, that is - with no momentum. If you can achieve that, an elliptical cross trainer is probably the best fitness machine to burn fat with.
Because there's no impact, you can exercise harder on an elliptical trainer compared to high-impact exercise equipment. This is because your perceived effort is lower. This also means that you will be able to exercise for more time, and therefore, overall, burn more fat.
Some researches show that the type of energy exertion on the elliptical trainer is very effective for overweight individuals, as it burns fat more effectively.
Note that it is easy, using the elliptical cross trainer to gain bodyweight momentum. This lets the machine do most of the work for you (like with bicycle) so it loses points for easiness of self deluding.
Maintenance Considerations
All these moving parts may burn out, and are constantly in danger of wear and tear through use. Compared to other exercise equipment, treadmills are high-maintenance, especially the models that have motors.
The elliptical trainer works by means of a very low-impact motion, and does not have many moving parts. It is therefore not very likely that your cross trainer will require frequent service.
The lesser impact also means less wear and tear of the elliptical machine, which contributes to lowering maintenance needs.
Most ellipticals do not have a motor and work by using a magnetic resistance wheel. The wheel and foot rests need infrequent oiling, but as there is no motor - no serious maintenance work is usually required.
Risk Free
This impact affects the joints in your lower body (especially the knees) and the lower back. This has a direct correlation to the length and frequency of workouts, especially in the beginning, as your body will not be able to walk/run for long periods of times, and will need longer rests between workouts.
On the up side, walking is a simple form of exercise that does not require coordination, and hence a treadmill is a good choice if you have no experience at all, and need to start exercising immediately.
The cross trainers are regularly used for rehabilitation, as the elliptical workout does not involve impact at all. Your feet never leave the foot rests and so the elliptical provides exercise without abusing the joints in your lower body.
Treadmill
Elliptical Trainer
Treadmill
based on 212 customer reviews
Feel factor: 5
The tradmill is geat...
(Score 4/5)
I successfully completed the first week of running, no major problems - Squeaks while running at speeds greater than 5.8mph. I hope no other problems arise. Unfortunately, ABF promised to deliver the treadmill two days early but made me lose a whole day's pay. If you have a schedule with them don't assume they will call you. When I called around 3:30pm, I was scolded for not calling in the morning of the delivery date, and was told that I should wait for the driver to call me. Someone called around 6PM to inform me that my item will not be delivered. Fine. Unfortunately in the delivery tracker, it was reported that I was unavailable to receive the item, although I just wasted the whole day waiting for them... Just tell the truth, you couldn't deliver it due to transportation issues.
Posted on: 2010-09-20
By A A Ade
Initial Quality Problems
(Score 3/5)
The unit arrived with the internal fan housing broken and the fan dangling from the control wires. Otherwise the unit works fine and we are satisfied with the operation and performance. I'm sure this problem will ultimately be fixed by Bowflex but it is certainly a hassle.
One can't help but think the quality problems may be a result of the size and bulk of the unit. It is a very large and heavy box and it was certainly damaged by the shipping company, so perhaps better packaging is the solution.
Posted on: 2010-09-12
By Euro File
Once it got there, it was great
(Score 5/5)
Once you get the item, and get it built . . .
This product was shipped to me using a third-party delivery company. I live in a high rise apartment that has a secured lobby. When I contacted the delivery company to let them know the management office would sign for the delivery and give them access to my apartment, I was told by the dispatcher that they would only deliver across the first threshhold. In short, they wanted to leave a $1,000+, 300 pound treadmill in the lobby while I was at work. Even had I been home, I am not sure how they thought I would get the item in to my apartment. I had to go over the dispatcher's head to get someone intelligent enough to realize that their people could ride an elevator and put the item in my apartment.
That night I assembled it. It takes a bit of time and the instructions on which bolts to use are not always clear, but with a little trial and error you can figure it out. Part of the problem is I assembled it by myself when it is really a two person job. That said, I did put it together, and I am not excactly skilled in such areas.
Now the good stuff. While the initial programming takes a moment to get used to, once you figure it out, the display gives you a ton of information on calories burned, speed, incline, lap time, distance walked, and even has a counting downward timer that tells you how much time you have left. The motor and tread are quiet and smooth so you can hear a television while you are walking. The weight of the machine gives it a sturdy, solid feel. Overall it is a great machine with the ability to do a host of inclines and speeds, and really feels good to use.
I would highly recommend, but if you live in any kind of apartment building be prepared to fight with the delivery company.
Posted on: 2010-09-09
By Talston
Great Treadmill for the price...
(Score 4/5)
I am a avid shopper. I spent a while looking for a treadmill online and in stores. This treadmill was a great price on amazon. I am over 300lbs and this thing has no problem at all. Could be a little more program savy. But def. a great treadmill. I recomend this to anyone. I have read some problems online with customer service, but i was willing to take that chance. Especially since it is a great product and you might not even need customer service. There were a few treadmills in the running but when the price dropeed on this I jumped at the deal.
Posted on: 2010-08-24
By Michael T. Russi
Bowflex Series 7
(Score 1/5)
The fan was broken upon arrival. After calibrating multiple times, the MPH were still wrong. Drink holders were tilted so much that unless you had a closed top bottle it would spill. The display unit is so thick that even specially ordering a magazine holder would not work for holding reading materials.
Posted on: 2010-08-17
By Jackie
Elliptical Trainer
based on 477 customer reviews
Feel factor: 13
Great Machine
(Score 5/5)
The Schwinn 430 eliptical was very easy to put together. I am a woman and put it together by myself in a few hours. I couldn't get the electronics to work, but called customer service and they were very helpful and sent me the parts I needed. The machine is very quiet and the operation very smooth. The computer console is easy to understand and program. It's well worth the money.
Posted on: 2010-09-14
By PJ
Fantastic Value
(Score 5/5)
I am a frequent user of elliptical machines and find this machine to be a great value. The machine has good resistance levels, many options, can go in reverse and all-in-all provides an excellent workout. This machine is also (relatively) inexpensive for its type (elliptical) and is well worth the price. The machine is quiet (I exercise when my children are sleeping) and is not overly bulky. Also, the machine is not difficult to assemble (the instructions are very clear) and machine upkeep has been easy. I am very happy with this purchase!
Posted on: 2010-08-27
By Anonymous
Great machine @ great price!
(Score 5/5)
My boyfriend and I purchased this machine based on the strength of the positive reviews on Amazon...and we weren't disappointed in the least...the assembly was pretty straightforward (except for the addendum to step 7 that I discovered while half way through step 9...$%#!?&!) and, for the most part, (except for step 2) I was able to put the whole thing together by myself (I'm no engineer!) in about 2 & 1/2 hours. As soon as the machine was assembled and plugged in, I tried it out and was amazed...not only does the Schwinn 430 look great but it's also fairly compact, very sturdy, smooth, and quiet...and it came at the great price of $599! It's a great deal! I'm in love! :D
Posted on: 2010-08-26
By V. Minnett
Nice machine for the price...but a bit noisey
(Score 3/5)
This machine is a great value for the price. The machine is relatively compact compared to other similar models. Construction seems solid although it is a little noisey at low speeds.
Posted on: 2010-08-23
By Torretta
smooth and quiet
(Score 5/5)
This is a great workout machine. Very smooth and quiet in operation and can give a light or strenuous workout, depending on what one chooses. In a ten minute workout, I have been able to work up pretty heavy breathing and (sweating). As a mechanic, I consider it well designed and well constructed. The moving parts etc. do not appear likely to break with normal use. I applied lots of white lithium grease to all the joints (axles) during the "put together". Wipe the excess grease off after tightening the nut. One should pay close attention to the instructions and finish one section before going to the other. It may be difficult and time consuming for some but with diligence, can be done. Tighten all screws tightly but the axle nuts should be slightly looser. I have been using mine, now, for about a month and it is working just fine, very smooth and quiet. I did add an external fan ,though, to keep me cool.........................................
Posted on: 2010-08-06
By sploziv
