subject: Which To Choose, Exercise Bike Or Elliptical Machine? [print this page] Most people purchase exercise machine to work out at home with the objective to lose weight as the main priority. It therefore makes a lot of sense to first determine what kind of machine can actually help you to lose more weight effectively before deciding to invest in an exercise bike or elliptical machine.
Stationary bikes focus mainly on the lower body. It uses mainly the hamstrings, quadriceps and abdominal muscles. Many leading health and fitness entities have benchmarked the stationary bikes at having a calorie burn rate of approximately 100 to 300 calories per hour of exercise. This number of course will vary depending on the resistance and intensity level used during the workout.
The elliptical machine generally works on the whole body, and involves more muscles groups as compared to an exercise bike. The arms, legs, abdominal, back, shoulders and the obliques are all involved in a typical workout on the elliptical trainer. Therefore it is not surprising to see that it can easily burn at least 300 calories per hour exercising on it.
The elliptical machine is clearly providing a much higher calorie burn per hour as compared to the exercise bike due to the core strengthening qualities and the usage of a larger group of muscles. One word of caution here; People will take for granted the fact that elliptical will burn more calories than the bike, and therefore they will lose weight faster working on an elliptical. This is only true if there is sufficient resistance and intensity used during the workout with a proper monitoring of your heart beat for effective weight loss. You will only see results when you do your workout consistently over a period of time with lots of self-discipline.
In summary, both the stationary bikes and elliptical machines burn calories, build aerobic fitness and lung capacity. Each has its own benefits and disadvantages. So bike or elliptical? I would say that whichever that you enjoy most and motivates you to start your workout each time, go for that one. For me, I prefer an exercise bike because it is much more comfortable during exercise and the chances of injuring yourself is lesser because you are always sitting down.
Below the pros and cons of exercise bikes and elliptical machines:
Pros of Exercise Bike
- Low impact exercise (easy on the joints)
- Able to multi tasks while exercising, e.g. reading a book while working on a recumbent bike
- Ideal for those with back and knee problems (for recumbent bikes only)
Cons of Exercise Bike
- Exercise is only focusing on the lower body
- Long workouts can become boring as only the legs are moving
- Lower calories burn rate
Pros of Elliptical Machine
- Low impact exercise (easy on the joints)
- Fun to work on
- Exercise involves much more muscle groups of the body, more efficient workout session
Cons of Elliptical Machine
- Standing position not suitable for people with back and knee problems
- Challenging for people who could not balance properly
- Movement uncomfortable and difficult to master for some, resulting in de-motivation to continue in exercise programs
