Elliptical Trainers VS Treadmills, Which Provides the Better Workout?

I am often asked about which of the two pieces provide the best workout from customers who are looking for cardiovascular equipment along with a multitude of other questions like what is the best elliptical stride length.  According to wikipedia the first elliptical trainer was designed by a man named Larry D. Miller back in the year 2004 and was patented and marketed by Precor Fitness. The idea was to develop a machine that most closly replicated the movement of running without the impact on the joints.

 Over the past  5-6 years ellipticals have taken the fitness industry by storm and every fitness equipment manufacturer has jumped on the bandwagon to develop the next revolutionary elliptical. Initially most elliptcials only worked the lower body with the Precor being one of the few that offered a variation in ramp height which has made even the older used model Precor ellipticals remain in high demand. Many will agree that elliptical trainers have tremendous popularity almost eliminating the old StairMaster as the optional cardio training choice in today's state of the art facilities. People often ask about the  elliptical stride length also and I have found there to be little or no effect on the quality of the workout other than what feels most comfortable to the user. Most high end ellipticals for the home or commercial have anywhere from 17.5 to 21 inch stride length and will probably not make much difference unless your very short or very tall. Some low end home units can have very short stride lengths and feel unusually awkward , which is a pretty good indiction of the quality of the workout you can expect.

 Benefits Of Elliptical Trainers over Treadmills

 Elliptical Trainers create less impact on the knees, feet, hips and back and therefore reduce the stress on the joints when compared to similar intensity on a treadmill.  Today's newer ellipticals offer both lower body and upper body training which bring more muscles into action and can intensify the workout. Surprisingly to some,studies have shown that the both the treadmill and elliptical trainers  work the heart, lungs and burn calories equally. Runners  seem to prefer treadmills over ellipticals.Treadmills have been around a long time and they have proved effective at burning calories and improving cardiovascular function so for most of us it really comes down to preference. Elliptical trainers simply provide a newer type of equipment for accomplishing the same goal, as many would agree that it can get a bit mundane training on the same exercise equipment everyday and in fact can encourage the body to respond due to the varying of the exercise and intensity level. Regardless of what choice you make the benefits are there.