I want to love the elliptical, but my toes fall asleep and my feet get completely numb after less than five minutes. Frustrating.

I like walking on the treadmill, but I chose elliptical only because I'm scared to run on the treadmill!

is it bad that a lot of women prefer the elliptical?

neither - I like to run outdoor whenever possible.
Well - if the weather is so bad that I have no choice. I will choose treadmill.

My favorite is the treadmill. I hate running outside, either it's too cold or too warm, I hate breathing in the dirty road air, and I feel safer on the treadmill...in case sth happens I just need to get into my car and drive home 5 minutes. Oh and I love running with an incline which is easy to do on treadmills.

I prefer running outside, but when that's not an option I go for the treadmill. I feel like running on the treadmill challenges me more than being on the elliptical. I should probably use the elliptical more often so that I can work my upper body though. We are fast approaching winter in New England and running outside just won't be an option for much longer. It's not so much the cold that bothers me, it's the fear of slipping on all the ice!

I chose both, because I like to alternate depending on the day...the elliptical is easier for me though

Elliptical! My body was not made for running. It really hurts. I only used the treadmill on my cardio days for about a year and it just got more and more painful. Then we got an exercise bike and I split up the time and that helped a lot, but I hated the bike. I started going to the gym at work and using the elliptical machines there, but there's a girl there who smells really, really bad (and I'm not usually sensitive to smells, so this girl must stink) and I couldn't take it anymore. We just got an elliptical and I love it. I can get my heart rate up for longer because I'm not in pain. I still use my treadmill sometimes, but the elliptical is much better.

When I first started working out, I definitely preferred the elliptical. Now, I like the treadmill more. I just don't feel like I get as good of a workout from an elliptical anymore.

definitely the treadmill, the elliptical feels like I'm not accomplishing anything. none of my muscles feel engaged, it feels to me like such a cop out exercise.

Elliptical is my go to machine.

The elliptical for me, it's a great workout and I don't hurt my ankles. I go on the treadmill at least once a week but I never go over 4 MPH. I can't run on a treadmill.

Elliptical. If I'm going to run, I'll run outside. The elliptical definitely isn't a difficult workout, but it gets your heart rate elevated.

I prefer treadmill.I just feel like I got much better workout after running on a treadmill than elliptical machine.Plus,according to my heart rate monitor, after running for one hour (about 7 miles)on a treadmill I burn about 600 ccal. After spending one hour on elliptical I barely burn 350 ccal...so I guess treadmill gives me greater reward as well:)

What? The elliptical isn't a good workout?

I disagree. If you do it on the plain setting -- no, it's not a good workout.

I choose hill, random, and fat burning programs on the elliptical and it's very difficult. I have even run outside a couple days later and found it to be easy compared to what I did on the elliptical.

It depends who you are and if you are exhibiting the proper technique on the elliptical.

I agree laura220. It is a great workout if you use the functions they provide. that's why i love the crossramp precor. Not only can you change the ramp that you are using, but you can increase the resistance. Try to keep up your speed on resistance 10.. it's pretty impossible and your legs are burning the whole time. You can put the ramp up really high to work your cavs and bum, almost like a stair climber.

You can also do great intervals. I have two different kinds that I do throughout the week. One is a program on the machine that intervals between low and high resistance and low and high ramp elevations in 2 minute intervals, the other is something I do manually. Put it on a higher resistance. Sprint for 1 minute, go normally for 2 minutes (normal is 140-160 RPM), go backwards for 1 minute, go normally for one minute, repeat.

Elliptical, mostly because it's lower impact and I've had horrible knees for a while now.

I think the elliptical is somewhat of a copout, at least the way the average woman uses it. There's always some ostensibly overweight woman using it, reading a magazine, and barely doing anything. You have to get your heart rate up to a 60-80 percent of your max for at least 20 consecutive minutes.

Treadmill all the way. I only use the elliptical when injured.

Has anyone with knee issues had any trouble when using the elliptical? I fell while running last summer and was diagnosed with a deep bone bruise. It doesn't bother me while walking or running, just when going up/down stairs, sitting with it bent for long periods, and when the weather changes (ha). As it's getting to be winter time in NY, I am in the market for an elliptical or a treadmill. I used the heck out of an elliptical years ago, and am leaning towards going back to that for my winter training, but worry it will bother my knee. Any suggestions?

Beth, I've found the exact opposite, that treadmills give me knee issues and ellipticals aren't nearly as bad. I have patello-femoral syndrome, so my knee caps don't move correctly and I've found that my knees hurt in the same situations as yours (weather changes, bent for a long time, going up stairs). My doctor specifically said that, while I can run if I want to, I should stick to an elliptical over a treadmill whenever possible because it's lower impact.

I do the elliptical. I feel safer because I can increase my speed without messing with the settings or worrying about falling off. I alternate between that and running outdoors. I always mess with the settings, so that about every 5-8 minutes I do intervals (increase the resistance).

Lilkimbo, I also have PFS. Did your doctor tell you that you can help improve it with PT? I'm working now to strengthen my inner thighs so that my kneecaps aren't so out of whack. They're never going to be perfect, because of the way my body is put together, but my doctor and physical therapist think we can improve things quite a lot.

Yes, Sanveann, I actually did physical therapy when I was first diagnosed about 7 years ago, and you're right, it did help a ton! (Although, like you, it wasn't perfect.) I was at the point where I only really had problems when I had to walk up a ton of steps, like when I was in Paris (there are a lot of steps in that city). But, I'll admit, I've become really lazy about doing my PT exercises. Thanks for reminding me that it can help so much, though, I'll need to get myself into gear and either start doing my old exercises again or go back for another round of PT!

I prefer the treadmill because I have to keep up with whatever speed I set it to. On the elliptical I sometimes unconsciously slow down.

Kimbo,

I had PT a few years ago when I broke three ribs and pinched a nerve. I know how much it hurts! That sounds really tough having a condition like that. Good on you for staying active however you can!

Ouch, that sounds painful, spacekat!

yeah mine go numb too apparently elipticals can be really bad for some women due to the amount of seperation feet panels and the womens height. I know i've had a hard time on the eliptical.

I like the versatility of the treadmill.

I hate using the treadmill at the gym. I only use it when I work out at my house since that's all I've got. I'm planning on buying an elliptical soon - it's better for the back, knees and posture.

I can't run as much as I want to anymore because of an ankle injury, so I prefer the elliptical. I also use the treadmill, but not as much. If you put the resistance on "low" on the elliptical it is a pretty easy workout, but I do intervals where I change the resistance every couple minutes so my muscles really do get a good workout. I really wish I had a Precor of my own because I love the CrossRamps (plus, they last forever, so that's a bonus).

Elliptical, definitely. I've only used treadmills a few times but I just can't get used to them. It's too hard getting to a speed that I'm comfortable with. Plus my family has a history of bad knees so I don't want to add any undue stress to them.

I use both. I find I get a better workout when I use both, than if I use only one.

The elliptical is my best friend - it makes me burn twice as much as the treadmill and far more challenging. I do both (25 mins of elliptical and 20 mins of treadmill), daily before I get to weight training.

Elliptical... always hated the treadmill! I burn more calories in an hour on the elliptical than on the treadmill.

I prefer the treadmill.... i read an article on msn that the elliptical isn't that good of a workout b/c you use the momentum of the machine rather than your body... but it did mention if u use the elliptical on interval with strong resistance its more effective. however, on general people are more likely to use less resistance and rely on the machine too much.... just sharing 2 cents

I have had knee surgery two times and the elliptical is so much less painful. The treadmill only takes about 5 minutes to start bothering my knee, whereas with the elliptical I can go 30 minutes and not feel any pain.

I've had 5 knee surgeries...starting when I was 13 so there is no running or treadmill for me! Ellipitical is great for me. I walk on the treadmill sometimes at a pretty good incline. And I love the crosstrainers too.

I always prefer the treadmill because the workout seems to burn more calories and sends the heartrate to a higher level.

I love both because it creates a great balance for a great workout week. The treadmill I noticed, flattens my tummy, and the elliptical trims down my waitline! It's the perfect mix!