Treadmill vs. Stationary Bike

Hahaha and that's why I don't like the bike

I still like the bike more. I don't feel like my hip is going to fall off after using it.

Isn't calories burned dependent on weight? I had a hard time answering b/c of this but figure it was for a 140 pound woman...seems like the "average" that fitness magazines use?

oops...just read the answer more throughly.

Wow i got all of them right for a change! I usually do longer on the bike though.

I still like the bike better and can go faster on it for longer time, at least it's some form of exercise!

I do both....20 minutes of interval training on the treadmill...then i use the bicycle for another 20 minutes of more interval training.

Works for me.

This is why I'm bitter than my runner's knee is making me confined to the bike for now.

i completely flipflopped the answers - i knew them just put the wrong ones ...oh well - i guess my workout needs to be harder - although i use the elliptical and not the treadmill

I don't use the stationary bike, it bores me and I try to get the most out of my sometimes limited gym time.

Yah, I'm on the bike for like 10 minutes and I'm like "WTF?!" cuz it's like under a 100 calories burned...annoying. Although, I sweat like nobody's business on the bike.

I am a biking fanatic. I also have awful joints so I prefer the bike. After a run my joints start cracking. Though I hate stationary bikes, I'll bike outside in all temperatures. I just did in fact and it was 36*

i usually do 30-45 minutes on the elliptical/arc trainer in cardio mode and then 20-30 minutes on the recumbent bike in cross country mode. even though i burn more calories on the elliptical/arc trainer, i sweat way more on the bike b/c cross country is kinda hard (at my gym, it goes to a 12-14 resistance for 5 straight minutes before going back down again).

is this for a cycling bike with resistance or just a bike where you sit and pedal? i thought spinning burned more calories than running?

I hate the bike. Everytime I get on it it jsut feels like a waste of time. I don't enjoy the gym, so I want the most bang for my time there.
but I've heard spinning classes are better. Less boring. Maybe I'll try one of those one day

I hate looking at the calorie counter on the bike! Sometimes I make myself use it just to switch things up, but it's hard not to be like "25 calories! Pffft!" and leave.

Ugh. I think i'm getting runner's knee. My left knee aches after running on the treadmill each day :\ I like the bike more cuz it's easier for me, tho it does do less cals, booo, but now my knee is acting up there too. guess i really do need to get back to swimming. best workout ever but i hate the pool i go to. bleeeeeh.

I really hate the bike, but I force myself to do it to change things up. Its so frustrating to burning calories at a slower pace though.

yeah i run my tradmill all the time. If you're going to work out you might as well burn as many cals as possible

buzz - i agree! i hate the calorie counter on the bike! i will change it up sometimes and use an eliptical, but i'm a pretty dedicated treadmill girl.

Yet more reasons to dislike the bike!

i'm pretty sure i'd totally bite it on the treadmill (or the damn stair machine! that thing is scary) so i stick to the bike and the elliptical.

Stationary bikes bore me!!

Good to know! I feel better about treadmilling now. I hate stationary bikes...it's much more fun to bike outdoors.

i absolutely cannot stand the stationary bike!
its horrible, i must really suck at it, i can only stay on for 10 min. on normal speed, after that i'm dead tired.

however, on the tread mill i can stay on for 60 min on full speed running, how odd huh?

i don't like to use the stationary bike for regular cardio, but i LOVE spinning classes. fit -- do you have any estimates on how many calories you burn during a class?

I hate running so I walk on the treadmill and burn more calories on the bike ... I think.

i love spinning class too..you can burn up to 700 calories in a hour long spin class!! I hate running but if I use the machines I'll run on the treadmill or use the elliptical before i ever use the stationary bike.

wow, i got 100%! i hate the bike, i'd much rather run. if you're gonna devote 30 minutes to something, do it all the way!

urgh, I hate those bikes! Thats reason Ive never participated in a spinning class. Sure you'll sweat alot but thats about it.

stationary bikes bite. although i am top heavy and have to wear 2 sports bras when i'm on the treadmill. which sucks.

I personally would rather go out-side on a track and run... but for this I will chose the treadmill. With the bike I feel like I have to lean over too much and that causes major back cramping afterwards. My bottom area (private area) hurts like hell and my butt is aching. I also feel like I do not get my whole body to work out just my legs. On the treadmill I feel like my whole body is working out because I am using almost all the musles. My arms are swining back and forth, I can go up hill working out my glutes and hamstring and calves.

I just started my exercise program - just letting you know that I am an average person, most definitely not a fitness buff - and yet I am definitely better able to do an hour on the stationary bike (usually at more than 10 mph) than even half an hour of jogging (at whatever speed). I can do walking, but hate jogging (and the comparison here is between biking and running). I have a recumbent bike and it's actually VERY comfortable - the very first machine I can occasionally stay on for even 90 minute stretches. And I usually burn anywhere from 340-410 calories per hour while watching my favorite TV shows (for whatever psychological reason, I always seem to pedal faster during the Biggest Loser - LOL!)

Hi, just wanted to put in my two cents' worth! I am out of shape and overweight, and looking at purchasing a piece of fitness equipment for my home. I have narrowed it down to either a recumbent exercise bike (not an upright as is shown in the above photo) or a treadmill. When I used to work out at the gym, I found that because I am not that fit, I would mostly walk on the treadmill at 2.5 mph. I might occasionally go higher, into a fast walk, or maybe even jog for a couple of minutes, but usually I kept it slow. I found that it was easier to injure my knees on a treadmill than on the gym's recumbent bike.

On the other hand, on the recumbent exercise bike at the gym, I found that even on low energy days, I could get on the bike.

I wasn't sure about the calories posted here, since I never burned 700 calories on a treadmill at the gym, and that is because I wasn't running! So I did some more web research and here is what I found.

Walking on treadmill at 2.5 mph burns 106 calories per hour
Biking at 10 mph light effort 422 calories (if you weigh 155)
(I got the bicycling calorie burn from this link: http://www.bicycleman.com/health-and-fitness.htm I got the walking on treadmill at 2.5 mph calories from this link: http://www.calories-burned.buddyslim.com/treadmill-average-25-mph/ ) I am not affiliated with any of these links; they just posted the calories burned that I was looking for.

So, if I am walking on a treadmill, at my pace of 2.5 mph, I am only burning 106 calories per hour, not 700! Most people on a treadmill are not running or jogging, they are walking at various paces. But, studies have shown due to lower risk of injury, plus you can read while working out on an exercise bike and it is quieter, that you are more likely to stick to a recumbent (not an upright) exercise program.

Here is an article I read on the subject:

http://ezinearticles.com/?Exercise-Bikes-vs.-Treadmills&id=27164

Since I am mostly used to sitting on the sofa, I think I would be more likely to use the recumbent bike. I also have a lot of weight around my middle to lose, and I think that slow and steady would do the trick. I have back problems if I stand for any length of time. I think that, at least for my first phase of exercise and weight reduction, the recumbent bike is a better choice for me. The model I have chosen allows me to put my laptop on it, as it is an entirely flat surface. Not all recumbent bikes have this feature. So if I am bored, I can watch TV as it won't be too loud to overhear the TV, whereas a treadmill is much louder. Or I can read a book. Or I can even be on my laptop.

Per that article above, people are more likely to stick with a recumbent exercise bike program than a treadmill, unless you are a dedicated runner using it to supplement an outdoor exercise program. And unless you are keeping the treadmill at a very high level, you actually can burn quite a few calories on a bike. If I am more likely to stick with a recumbent bike than a treadmill, it means I will definitely burn more calories on the recumbent, because I will use the recumbent bike rather than let a treadmill gather dust.

The recumbent bike would also allow me the convenience of moving it from one room in my home to another. A treadmill, on the other hand, once you have placed it in your home, good luck moving it! So, for my purposes, I am going with the recumbent bike. Maybe if I have the room and money later I will add a treadmill for variety, but I will start with a recumbent bike for now.

Everyone has to pick the piece of equipment best for their needs. To each his own. The main goal is that we get fit!

i'm a big believer in getting your workout done in as little time as possible, and that spells running...and i love running with my ipod...HOWEVER, i find running trashes my body...even with bodybuilding to counteract the upper body muscle loss, running depletes my frame of hard earned muscle, and because of the pounding my body takes, i lose flexibility that i have to work long and patiently to get back using yoga...so the time i thought i saved with running instead forces me to spend more time in yoga and bodybuilding to counteract the neg effects of running...plus the added body recovery time needed as i'm forty-plus...

the stationary bike (i won't ride in traffic, which is slower, and fill my lungs with smog) is definitely not as intense, and more boring, but i'd rather put in a bit less time on the bike, get a bit less intense workout, but not have all the ravaging effects of running on my body...do note i'm six foot one, and about 180 pounds...maybe the pounding and gravity would not ravage a smaller runner, but for me i just can't take it any more...i also look haggered, drawn-faced like many distance runners, and have a hard pounded look from the very moderate miles i put in...with biking my body is more limber, relaxed, and i don't have the drawn, haggered look...i won't even go into the effect the pounding has had on my back...and i always used the best nike air shoes and insoles as well...

my 3 cents about why i had to give up something i loved, basically because it was so destructive on my body from the pounding

well it actually depends on what type of stationary bike you are using. some stationary bike only move the legs while some move both arms and legs so you need to specify which stationary bike we are talking about. For those who doesn't know, you can see an article here http://www.dogengine.com/used-stationary-bikes.php which discusses different types of stationary bikes. hope this helps