Elliptical trainer, treadmill, or bike ... which is the most effective?

A cardio question that has to be the number one question I get is which is the best machine to exercise on?  There really is no definitive answer to this question because in any good program, you should vary the exercises you do for your workout.  Can you remember why?  It's because the body has a good memory, and it adapts to exercises that you do over and over again.  I already told that story of the lady I talked to at the gym who had been running on the treadmill for ages but wasn't even tired after an hour and a half of running and still was overweight.  In a case like this, the treadmill was obviously not the most effective cardio machine for her at that stage in her program.  It may have been when she first started her program, but it sure wasn't the right one a year or so later.

So before I get into this topic, realize that variety is the most effective approach to take when choosing which piece of cardio equipment to use.  Don't get caught up in the results you’re getting while using a certain piece of cardio equipment.  I guarantee that if you continue to exercise on the same machine, the results will slowly start to dwindle down to nothing.

In the simplest explanation of which is best out of the elliptical, treadmill, and stationary bike, in my opinion it goes the bike, the elliptical, and then the treadmill as the most effective for weight loss and improved cardiovascular strength.  Now, before you go and jump on a treadmill, hear me out on this.  There’s no real solid answer to which machine is best for you because the way the effectiveness of each machine is measured is about as exact as trying to fit everybody into the same shoe and size.  Just as everybody has a different foot, everybody also has a different conditioning level.  For me, running on a treadmill is no big deal, but hopping into a pool and swimming laps, right now, would cause me to really have to push myself.  Lance Armstrong was a master at road racing on a bike, but after his first marathon, he said it was the hardest thing he had ever done.¹  For most marathoners, getting on a bike and competing in the Tour de France would be the hardest thing they’ve ever done.  Modes of exercise affect people differently, so it must be taken into consideration when deciding which exercise method is best for you. 

Let’s say you know that running on a treadmill doesn’t seem too hard for you, but you’re not quite sure.  How can you figure out if what you’re doing is helping you burn the most calories off and improve your cardiovascular strength?  There are three simple and common ways to help you determine how intensely you’re exercising.  The first method is through what’s called the RPE scale; the RPE scale measures your Rating of Perceived Exertion.  The typical RPE scale goes from 6-20, and how it’s supposed to work is you determine which number corresponds to how much effort you feel you’re putting into a workout.  A 6 would mean that you feel you aren’t exerting yourself at all, and a 20 would mean you’re maximally exerting yourself.  Now if you’re like me, you’re probably wondering why in the world the scale is from 6-20.  I don’t think it makes sense to anyone.  Because of this, I like to modify the concept a bit and use a scale of 1-10.  With this scale, I tell clients that a 1 feels like no work (sitting in a chair), and a 10 feels like you’re going all out.  I typically tell my clients to try and exercise around an 8 … . Now, I said typically.  If you’re a beginner exerciser, have a heart condition, etc., there’s no way you should exercise at an 8, but for my clients who have been working out for some time and can handle exercising at this level, it’s best for them to keep the intensity up there.  The RPE scale is a great start for many people to use in order to measure their intensity level because it all has to do with how you feel; there are no readings or sensors to utilize.  It may seem too simple, but in actuality, it has been shown to be very accurate.² 

The next two methods for determining intensity are the two I like the most.  The first method is called the MET.  A MET stands for a metabolic equivalent, and one MET is equal to your body using 3.5 ml of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute; it’s basically a rating for how hard a certain level of exercise is.  The harder you’re working, the more METs the exercise is rated.  The American College of Sports Medicine has published values for how many METs certain exercises are.  For example, running at a pace of 6-minute miles has a MET rating of 16.3.  Riding a bike at 10 mph (6-minute miles) has a MET rating of 7.0.³  From this alone, you can see that running on a treadmill uses more oxygen and burns off more calories than riding a bike.  As far as the elliptical goes, there aren’t any published MET values for exercising on one, but it’s typically placed in between riding a bike and running on a treadmill.  I like it better than a bike because you’re standing on an elliptical, whereas on a bike, you’re seated.  Performing exercises that require standing generally challenge your core more than seated exercises.  Plus, an elliptical has the ability to get your entire body working, not just your lower body as the bike does. 

Now we have an idea of which method of exercise is harder than another, but remember what I said earlier, it depends on the person.  The MET values above are based on a certain type of individual, so for example, an exercise for someone who’s 30 years old would probably be more intense to someone who is 70, and an exercise for someone who weighs 180 lbs. would most likely be less intense than for someone who weighs 280 lbs.  Also, running a 6-minute mile for a poorly conditioned person would be extremely more intense than compared to a person who’s very fit, and someone who runs every day might adapt too much to running to the point where biking challenges them more because their body isn’t used to this form of exercising.   Also, intensity levels vary between male and female.  The point is, MET values are all relative to the individual, but at least they give you an idea of how much more effective a certain exercise is over another.

Another cool thing about finding out the estimated MET value for your workout is that you can then determine how long you need to exercise at that level to burn off a certain number of calories.  Use the following equation to determine this number:³

(METs x 3.5 x body weight in lbs. x 0.454)/200 = calories/minute

So for example, a 160-pound person, who exercises at 8 METs, would have an equation that looks like this: (8 METs x 3.5 x 160 lbs. x 0.454)/200 = 10 calories/minute

This means that if this person were to exercise for 30 minutes at this level, they would burn off 300 calories.  (Even though a steady-state exercise, such as this one, would burn off 300 calories in 30 minutes, if that person were to do the interval training I talked about earlier, they would be able to burn off even more calories in the long run.  Remember, from How to stay fit with a busy lifestyle, interval training produces faster fat loss results and cardiovascular improvements.  With that said, you can still use METs to figure out how many calories you would burn off, even if you do intervals that may be 16 METs one minute and 8 METs the next.)

The final form of measurement I like to use to determine intensity is exercise heart rate.  Exercise heart rate shows how hard your body is working to supply oxygen to it.  For example, exercising at a level where your pulse is 150 bpm is a lot more intense than exercising at a level of 100 bpm.  An easy way to determine what your pulse is is to take your index and middle fingers of your right hand and place them on your left wrist.  You should place your fingers about an inch below where your thumb and wrist meet on the outside edge of your wrist.  Once your fingers are positioned, slowly slide them back toward the two tendons (hard bands) in the middle of your wrist.  Just before you get to the first tendon, you should feel your pulse beating.  Once you feel your pulse, count how many times you can feel it beat for 15 seconds.  Once you get that number, multiply it by 4, and you’ll have your heart rate.  By stopping in the middle of your exercise and determining your pulse, you can figure out what your exercise heart rate is and how intensely you’re exercising.  I typically tell the clients who have been working out for some time and don’t have any limiting factors like a heart condition that exercising around 70% of their maximum heart rate (MHR) and higher is best:

220 - Age = MHR – RHR x .70 + RHR = 70% of your maximum heart rate.  For this example, let’s take a 35 year-old person with a resting heart rate (RHR) of 65.  220 - (35 years old) = 185.  For this person, they shouldn’t exercise over their MHR of 185.  Take 185 - a RHR of 65 = 120.  Take 120 and multiply that by .70 (.70 represents 70% of MHR).  This will give you 84.  Add the RHR of 65 back into 84 to get 149.  149 is considered 70% of the MHR for this person.

Note: Resting heart rate can be found by taking your pulse when you first wake up.

From this example, if that person were to stop and check for their exercise heart rate during their workout, if it isn’t 149, then they wouldn’t be exercising at 70% of their maximum heart rate; it’s that simple.  

By knowing how to use METs and EHR (exercise heart rate) to determine how hard you’re exercising, you can figure out which piece of cardio equipment produces the best results for you.  The good news about today’s technology is that most cardio machines have sensors and equations programmed into them that enable them to estimate the MET level you’re working out at and your heart rate while exercising.  My suggestion is before you start your workout, make sure you enter in your weight, age, height, whatever the machine asks for because this is what it uses to determine the METs.  Also, if the machine has heart rate sensors to hold onto, do so from time to time.  By using these two methods, along with the RPE scale, you can get a general idea of what piece of cardio equipment is getting you results fastest, and never again will you wonder which is best.  Don’t forget, though, just because one machine is best doesn’t mean that’s all you should use.  The best program is a program that varies its methods of exercising. 

References:

¹ Lewis, B. (2006, November 6). Lance: I Thought It Would Be Easier. New York Post. Retrieved September 8, 2008, from http://www.nypost.com/seven/11062006/sports/lance__i_thought_it_would_be_easier_sports_brian_lewis.htm

² Wilmore, J., & Costill, D. (2004). Physiology of sport and exercise, (3^rd ed). Champaign, Il.: Human Kinetics.

³ American Council on Exercise (2003). ACE personal trainer manual: The ultimate resource for fitness professionals, (3^rd ed). San Diego, Ca.: American Council on Exercise.

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