Oct
27
Darshant writes in:
I want to add more cardio training to my gym workouts but my gym has limited cardio options. Which one would you recommend, treadmill, stationary bike or elliptical?
Your gym sounds like mine Darshant 
But no worries, you can still get a great workout using these machines. Let’s take a look at each one.
Stationary Bike
This is actually my least favorite machine, for a number of reasons.
- Difficult posture - Most stationary bikes force your body into an odd position which is both uncomfortable and not very good for your spine.
- Difficult to maintain speed - Unless you’re constantly looking at the readouts, your speed will tend to decrease over time. So you get into this cycle of slowing down over time, checking out the readout, picking up your speed and then starting to slow down again.
- Only works out one part of the body. Really, the only part of you which moves is your legs. The rest of you is stationary. That’s not a good workout as far as I’m concerned.
On the plus side, the stationary bike is easy to figure out and has no impact on your feet. However, these two advantages don’t outweigh the disadvantages.
Elliptical
One of the best options out there. The elliptical does suffer from the same speed maintenance problem as the stationary bike. That is, since you’re the one setting the speed and not the machine, there’s a tendency to slow down unless you’re constantly watching the readout. However, the elliptical does have a two very strong advantages that make up for this.
- Full body workout, especially if you’re using an elliptical machine with the moving poles for the arms. When you’re on an elliptical, you can really get your whole body engaged, which is much better than working out your legs alone.
- Low impact - Unlike the treadmill, the ellipitical has zero impact on your feet.
So as long as you can maintain a good pace, the elliptical is a great option.
Treadmill
Another great option. The treadmill’s strongest advantage is the ability to set a pace and follow it. Just program your desired speed into the treadmill and off it goes. At this point, you have no choice but to keep up or fall off. That means no slacking and it’s the reason why I think the treadmill provides the strongest cardio workout. However, strongest does not mean best and the treadmill does have a few disadvantages.
- Falling off - It sounds silly, but if you’re not careful, you can injure yourself on a treadmill.
- Impact - And if the falling doesn’t hurt you, the repeated impacts on your feet might. Running on a treadmill is better than running on concrete but it’s still running, which means it’s still a lot of repeated impacts on your feet and legs.
My Recommendation
Avoid the stationary bike. Instead, alternate between the elliptical and the treadmill. Personally, I work out on the treadmill every Tuesday and Thursday and on the elliptical every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. That gives me a a good variety of workouts while not being boring. I would also recommend varying things up by doing faster, shorter workout followed followed by slower, longer workouts and so on.
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Oh, and if you can, try to convince your gym owners to get a stair master. A real one, the one that looks like a small, steep escalator. Those are great! It has all the advantage of a treadmill without the impact to your feet.
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One Response to “Reader Q&A: Treadmill, Elliptical or Stationary Bike?”
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These are great suggestions, but don’t forget stepping outside the gym doors entirely and running interval sprints in or near the gym; parking lot, sidewalk, around the building, etc.