A very popular discussion as of late in the fitness world, is which machine is better for you? In short it all comes down to personal preference and workout goals. For instance if your goal is to run a marathon it is more ideal to train on a treadmill as the running and propelling motion is more similar to that of actually running.
In contrast if your goal is to get more of a full body workout, an elliptical may be the way to go as most are equipped with arm bars that move simultaneously with your lower body movement.Elliptical
Pictured below is the E-7 Elliptical.
Pros: Ideal for people with arthritis or people who may be nursing injuries. This is obviously from the low-impact conditioning that a user feels when training on an Elliptical.
Cons: The none-weight bearing effect will not help build bone density and while training on an elliptical you will not burn calories as fast as you would when using a treadmill.
Pros: Diversity. While a treadmill can largely be seen as a one trick pony, Ellipticals have the ability to train your upper body as well as using a reverse stride motion and as any avid workout fiend knows. In order to achieve the best results you must be constantly changing your workouts.
Cons: Less efficient. As mentioned the treadmill burns calories at a higher rate just due to the motion. With Ellipticals many people use momentum so the perceived workout is much greater than the results you aim to achieve.
Treadmill
Pictured below is the T101 Treadmill, perhaps the most widely used Treadmill.
Pros: Weight bearing effect. If you cant run outside for one reason or another and you are an avid runner then you should probably invest in a Treadmill. There is a reason this machine has stayed relatively unchallenged for workout cardio king. By emulating natural movements it’s essentially just as good as running in terms of fitness goals.
Cons: Believe it or not it’s probably the most dangerous machine in ay gym. This though is primarily to due to operator ignorance. As in people running at a level where their legs cannot keep up;.
Pros: While treadmills aren’t necessarily better for your joints, the workout motion does a better job of emulating the act of running. In the act of running you are essentially propelling yourself forward from the force of your body weight hitting the ground in a stride motion. This motion strengthens the tendons, ligaments and joints as a whole. It also helps increase bone density.
Cons: Because you dot have to watch where you run. Consistently running on a Treadmill can lead to poor posture when running and a very awkward style. Essentially you would look very goofy to outsiders.
The Bottom Line
As mentioned previously it all comes down to personal preference as well as goals. Use discretion before deciding which one to go with and consult as many blogs and other resources as possible. If you do have a history of knee issues it’s definitely best to use a zero impact type of conditioning. If you are worried about which one to use you can always consult your doctor.