Advantages and Disadvantages of Elliptical Treadmills

Advantages and Disadvantages of Elliptical Treadmills

Elliptical treadmills are the most common type of cardio machines that can be found in the gym or be easily available to be bought online. These machines provide not only effective cardio training but also help in burning a good number of calories. 

Elliptical treadmills simulate a natural walking or running motion which helps in boosting your cardio fitness depending on the intensity of the workout. They have been in use since the mid-1990s and have been popular ever since as it provides a combination of running and cycling movements. Since every coin has two sides, so does the Elliptical Treadmills. Listed below are the advantages and disadvantages of it, so that you can make an informed choice.


Advantages of Elliptical Treadmills


  1. Easy on the joints:

The fact that Elliptical is a low impact machine comes as a pro for it. Due to its lesser impact on the joints, if you have difficulty tolerating the jarring motion of walking and running, it is the best option for you. It puts less stress on your joints as compared to high impact exercises and still gets the work done. 

Hence for people with health issues like knee pain, low-back pain, hip pain, arthritis or osteoporosis, it is a blessing in disguise. Although you might wonder if it is such a low impact machine, it would be fatiguing, but rest assured it still provides a good aerobic workout.

 

2. Body Maintenance post Injury

Since it is a low impact machine that gives you high intense workout and results, it is one of the best and safest options for a post-injury workout. As one might be still recovering from the injury or accident it provides just the right mix of exercise and ease that maintains the body’s level of fitness. 

Some of the Elliptical treadmills have arm handles too which further helps in getting an intense workout done for upper and lower body parts. You can push the handles back and forth simultaneously with your legs and, voila! Complete workout for your body maintenance that too after an injury.


Disadvantages of Elliptical treadmills

Although the pros are too good to ignore, Elliptical treadmills have their own demerits too. Here are some:

1. Not be the right fit for everyone

Although they are a good form of exercise, however, they still are not the right fit for everyone. Elliptical treadmills are normally safe on the knees but they might cause you knee pain if you have had a knee condition or an intense injury. In such a case, you will benefit more from a stationary bike or any different sort of workout suggested by your doctor.

2. Low muscles development

Elliptical treadmills are mostly used for a combination of running and walking, they provide low to no muscle support. There are plenty of sports and physical activities that will benefit you more if your main aim is to gain muscles. Not only this, if you are also looking for bone-strengthening or weight-bearing exercises, these are not the right choice for you. So, if you want to gain more muscles strength, you might want to add weight or strength training to your exercise regime.

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