Elliptical Vs Treadmill Debate: Which is the best machine for your personal needs?
There is an ongoing debate online and offline about how the elliptical vs treadmill exercise machines benefit the user and which machine is better suited. So if your thinking about buying one of these exercise machines for your home or office here are a few things you might consider to help you decide on the right elliptical trainer or treadmill.

It may interest you to know that the top two exercising pieces of equipment you can purchase for the home are in fact ellipticals and treadmills but each has it’s own advantages and disadvantages to take into consideration. As an example, if your a professional runner who wants to train indoors then a treadmill would be the item of choice as you can’t run on an elliptical machine. If however your not a runner and need something to help you keep fit or lose weight then an elleptical trainer could be just right for you.

Lets consider the advantages and disadvantages of each machine in the elliptical vs treadmill debate.
First thing to consider is your physical condition. If your a young person you can probably run fairly easy and for longer periods than a much older person and would therefor feel more benefit using a treadmill to run on. Whereas an older person who may be suffering from joint problems would benefit greatly from using an elliptical as these machines put much less stress on your joints, especially your knees.

The simple fact that your feet never leave the pedals on an elliptical means you are minimizing the impact and strain to your ankles, knees and back. which is not the case with treadmills. Although for the runner or jogger a treadmill still offers a way to minimize the impact and strain that would normally be put on the joints when running outside on conventional tracks or roads. A good make of treadmill will always have some sort of cushioning to absorb the amount of impact associated with running or jogging.

If space is a priority then you can certainly find an elliptical machine that takes up less space than a treadmill all though most of the higher priced ones tend to get bigger they still take up less room than a treadmill. Treadmills tend to be bulky and heavy which makes an elliptical more appealing to most but having said that there are some very neat fairly light treadmills available in the Horizon range. I personally use the Horizon Evolve which folds down easily and enables me to move it around the home if I ever need to. It can be stored upright against the wall, in a closet or under the bed. ( try doing that with an elliptical )