subject: Treadmills Versus Cross Trainers [print this page] Treadmills Versus Cross Trainers Treadmills Versus Cross Trainers
In ancient times a treadmill was a wheel used for grinding wheat. It was operated by the feet. It has passed its name on to the modern treadmill, which is used for quite a different purpose. Today this foot operated conveyor belt is used for exercise, to simulate road walking or running. As the person using it speeds up, the belt resists the movement and speeds up in the opposite direction. The more sophisticated and expensive treadmills are operated by a motor, whose speed can be programmed and controlled. In either case the machine is equipped with meters that measure speed, so that the rate of exercise can be controlled and altered.The earliest exercise treadmills were used for exercising prisoners, then later, in hospitals to monitor people with heart and lung problems. Later they were used in gyms and today they are available for private home use. They are very popular with people whose circumstances don't allow them to practise road running or speed walking on a daily basis. It is a cardio workout machine, designed for heart health rather than muscle building. Normally the person exercising holds onto a bar in front of him or her. It can be used, when not holding onto the bar in front, for increasing and improving balance.It allows impact, just as running does. This is an advantage for people with bone density issues, where impact is actually needed to strengthen the bone and increase density, but is a disadvantage for people with joint problems, where it is found that impact exacerbates the injuries. Its biggest disadvantage is that it is believed to promote a choppy stride for running and may, in the long term, spoil the athlete's style. It is very monotonous, as is exercise on a cross trainer. However, this can be overcome by the exerciser listening to music or other recordings on an ipod, or watching a DVD or TV on a screen set up a little way in front of the machine.An elliptical cross trainer is something between a cycle and a treadmill. The exerciser stands on pedals' which move in an oval motion similar to that of a bicycle. There is no seat, unlike those of spinning' machines. It is not usually motorised but increases and decreases speed according to the motion of the exerciser. The two biggest advantages with this machine are that there is no impact on troublesome joints and secondly, although this is basically also a cardio workout machine, it counts as slightly more than that. Because movement occurs throughout the whole body, when models with moving hand bars are used, it gives many of the other muscles a light workout too. These machines also usually come equipped with meters to measure calorie burn, distance, speed and heart rate.Both machines should be used by responsible people or supervised when children use them as they can cause injuries with misuse.At the end of the day, any exercise is better than none, both for your physical fitness and improved daily routine. So get into life with exercise and get fitter.Whether you are thinking of buying a cross trainer or think that treadmills are more your style, give it a go, you could even hire one to see which you prefer.
