If you talk to any fitness trainer about good cardio workout machines then most of them will mention the treadmill or the stationary bike (or even both!) as good options. These pieces of gym equipment can both give a range of fitness and health benefits but, which one rules?
The first thing that you need to know here is that both the treadmill and the stationary bike do share a lot of features and benefits as well as some differences. Both, for example, can be used both by beginners and experienced trainers to see quick and specific results in cardio-vascular training and health, calorie burning, body toning and stamina building.
And, both of these machines can be used in the gym or at home. It is perfectly viable to buy a home treadmill or a home exercise bike nowadays that won’t take up much room and that can give you the same benefits (with regular use of course!) as a machine used by gyms. But, there are some differences between these two types of gym machines that could have a bearing on which one you use.
For example, many people prefer to use a treadmill because it can potentially do a better job of burning calories than a bike. It also gives you specific benefits in the lower body areas than you may not see from a bike. Some people also find that the fact that you can do different types of exercise on a treadmill (such as walking, jogging, running or hill climbing) makes a difference here as well.
But, a stationary bike also comes with a lot of benefits as well. This is one of the best low impact forms of exercise so you can minimize the possibility of injury. It can also be a better option if you are short on space and want to use a bike at home. Bikes are also real easy to use and may suit some people looking to exercise better than a treadmill such as older people.
The treadmill also has some other disadvantages. It can, for example, be more likely to put undue pressure on your joints and it can be an easy cause of accident if you do not use it correctly. And, a stationary bike’s disadvantages include the fact that it doesn’t burn as much off as a treadmill can and it offers no real variety of exercises that you can do on it.
So, there are pros and cons to both machines here. At the end of the day you may well find that the decision you make between the two will simply be based on your personal preference rather than on any other factor. You may simply prefer cycling to running or vice versa, for example.
Remember, you may also see a range of different fitness benefits by using both machines as part of your overall training regime. So, unless you really can’t or won’t use one of these options then do consider them both. This could help you see the maximum fitness benefits in the shortest space of time.