If you've decided you are going to invest in a home workout machine for your home gym, or maybe your wondering which machine is best for helping you burn fat, then you likely are looking at choosing a cross trainer or a treadmill.
Both types of exercise machines are effective for keeping you fit and burning calories but do have there own advantages and disadvantages which might make them more suited to different types of people.
In terms of calories, a cross trainer is an estimate to help you burn around 700 calories an hour, while a treadmill could help you burn slightly more such as 700-800 within an hour. This all depends however on the intensity you are working out with and your weight.
To help make your decision between a treadmill and a cross trainer, we have put together a detailed comparison guide which will help you understand the difference between cross trainers and treadmills, which one is better for calories and other advantages/disadvantages to each machine.
So without further chat, let's get into it!
Before we can start our comparison of cross trainers and treadmills we should understand what each exercise machine is and how they work.
A cross trainer is similar to an exercise bike, except it doesn't have a saddle. The machine works by having moving handlebars and pedals which have adjustable resistance and incline from the flywheel on the machine.
You end up burning lots of calories on these elliptical machines due to the way they require you to push forward with your muscles, making them a perfect low-impact exercise to shed pounds.
Three main factors will determine how many calories you can burn on a cross-trainer; your weight, the duration of the workout and the intensity you are using the elliptical at.
Weight is a big factor with a cross trainer, if you do a 60-minute session on the elliptical and you weigh 80kg, you will end up burning much more calories than a 60kg person would performing the same workout.
Doing HIIT sessions on your cross trainer can also help you burn calories in a very short amount of time due to the high-intensity bursts and of course, you will likely burn more the longer your session goes on.
At an average ball mark, we could probably say the average person who uses a cross-trainer at medium intensity for one hour would burn anything from 600-750 calories.
To increase the burn on a cross-trainer you could try doing HIIT sessions or upping the resistance every time you workout.
A treadmill on the other hand is the best solution for runners. This device is a stationary flat machine that allows you to jog, run or walk at varying speeds or inclines you set. The track on the treadmill is typically motorised and will force you to keep up with it as you run, helping you maintain the pace.
Now your probably wondering, how many calories can I burn with a treadmill compared to a cross-trainer?
Well, as we mentioned above, this will also depend on your weight, level of fitness, session length and intensity. For example, if you run at 7mph on a treadmill for around an hour and you weigh 130 pounds, then you will burn around 720 calories, however, a 180-pound person could burn up to 1000 calories as they will have to work harder.
Ways to improve your calorie burn on a treadmill could by incorporating HIIT sessions, rising the incline and trying to increase your running/walking speed gradually through your sessions.
Now we understand what each exercise machine is, how they work and how many calories they can allow us to burn, let's compared the two machines and see how they match up to each other.
Treadmills are the more common option for home workout gyms, as they offer more speed options and allow you to build up your endurance as a runner, they are also the best if you would be looking to take your running outside as you can practice your form and consistent speed.
These exercise machines allow you to burn more calories in a shorter amount of time than you would on a cross-trainer and are great for toning the core of your body too, as well as the lower body.
If you are also short on space, a treadmill will fold up to have a smaller footprint than an elliptical would.
Drawbacks of treadmills have to be their expensive price for a quality model with fast running options, these machines are also not suited for people who have bad joints as it is very high-impact.
Using a treadmill may also feel harder for people and doesn't work your full body as a cross-trainer would. They are additionally noisier and less safe as your feet are not stable on the machine.
Cross trainers on the other hand might not burn calories as quick as treadmills do, but are argued to be better for burning fat and toning muscles as they involve your whole body when working out. Cross trainers are further very quiet to use and more affordable.
These machines have the advantage of being lighter on your joints as your feet stay in one place, meaning it's also safer as there is a low-risk of falling off the machine.
In terms of difficulty, cross trainers are much better for beginners and allow you to easily adjust the intensity of your workout via resistance.
Downfalls of cross-trainers in comparison to treadmills are that you burn fewer calories, they are also not the best for building up endurance and can take up a lot of space with their larger size.
After comparing the two machines above, we can probably say that if you have good joints, want to build up endurance and enjoy running, then a treadmill is the better choice for you.
However, if you hate running and want a cardio alternative, cross trainers can be perfect in aiding fat loss and the more suitable option to workout your full body with.
If your planning to lose weight with a cross trainer or treadmill then there are a couple of useful tips and tricks which could be worth implementing to help speed up your weight loss.
We have listed a few of the essential tips out below.
What's more expensive a cross trainer or a treadmill?
Treadmills do tend to be slightly more expensive than cross-trainers.
How many time should I do cardio a week?
You should do cardio at least three times a week as a beginner then include more sessions as your fitness grows.
What are the benefits of HIIT?
HIIT is a great workout to do on either a treadmill or a cross-trainer as it forces you to work at your maximum intensity within a short amount of time, helping you burn calories fast.
Overall, we hope you enjoyed our guide to cross trainers and treadmills, and it has helped you figure out which machine is right for you to aid with your weight loss journey.
Always remember calories burned on these machines will vary depending on the intensity and length of a session, as well as your weight.
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