Which is better: a treadmill or an exercise bike? Selection of the best equipment for training at home

When considering whether a treadmill or an exercise bike is better, you need to base your training goals and your own health status. If you need to quickly lose weight and intensively build muscle, a treadmill is suitable. For a more gentle exercise, especially during the rehabilitation period, it is recommended to use an exercise bike. The pros and cons of both devices are described in more detail in this material.

What's best for losing weight

Losing weight is one of the main goals of intense training. It involves active burning of fat, i.e. increased calorie consumption. If in this sense we consider what is more effective - an exercise bike or a treadmill, it is better to choose the latter option.

In fact, running on a track, like running on a hard surface, burns about 20% more calories in the same amount of time. The reason is that while exercising on an exercise bike, a person sits. The main load goes on the legs, and in the case of the track, in fact, on the entire body.

At the same time, you should not think that an exercise bike will help remove fat only from the legs, thighs or abdomen. In fact, fat is never burned only in a certain place. Thanks to intensive, regular training, it gradually leaves all deposit areas (but at different speeds).Therefore, if you figure out which exercise bike is best for your home and exercise it correctly, the effect is guaranteed.

What's better for an intense workout?

Another goal of the classes is to pump up the muscles, give them the desired relief and tone them. To do this, training must be not only systematic, but also intense.

If you are planning active activities, you should also consider a treadmill. In the case of running at a high speed of about 15-20 km/h, the load on the body is maximum. Moreover, it cannot be compared with the fastest pedaling, even if the disk between them is very heavy (20-25 kg).

It is important to understand that on both classic and modern exercise bikes the number of leg rotations per minute is still less compared to the number of leg swings during a fast run.

Pros and cons of an exercise bike

When considering what is best to choose, you should also analyze the pros and cons of each device. If you research an exercise bike, you can highlight the following advantages:

• gentle load on almost all joints (if you run too hard on the track, your knees and hip joints may suffer);
• imitation of cycling, especially in combination with music and video, helps improve your mood and get rid of the perception of training as an unpleasant procedure;
• exercises are especially useful for legs - they become more toned and attractive, which is especially useful for girls.

In connection with the last point, you may also wonder what is better - an elliptical or an exercise bike. We can say that an ellipsoid is a kind of treadmill on which a person makes smooth movements with his legs. As a result, the load is applied to the whole body, so you can burn more calories.In this sense, such a device is better.

But it is worth considering that the exercise bike also has some disadvantages. If you have diseases or back injuries, you should reduce the load. It is also advisable to use horizontal devices with a wide back.

Pros and cons of a treadmill

The treadmill also has its advantages:

• running and walking are physiologically natural loads for any person; they force almost all muscles to work;
• less stress on the back, comfort during training;
• you can set any load, including walking (especially important for overweight people during rehabilitation);
• performance increases, sleep improves.

However, when studying which is more effective - an exercise bike or a treadmill, you need to take into account its disadvantages. They are associated with a fairly heavy load on the joints. If you have injuries or too much weight, it is better to start with an exercise bike.

Thus, each device has its own advantages and disadvantages. In general, the treadmill is better for losing weight, burning fat, and also increasing endurance. But for some people, for medical reasons, only an exercise bike is suitable. If you have any doubts about your health, you should consult your doctor.