Not all cardio equipment is the same. Each has its own benefits and demerits. Therefore, before deciding on any cardio machine, you need a better understanding of these machines. When looking at the exercise bike vs treadmill, there are a few main differences to know about.

The treadmill provides intense workout, burns loads of calories, but puts the user at a high risk of injury in many circumstances. This exercise bike doesn’t burn as many calories but sustains a lower injury risk factor and provides better strength benefits.

So, which would be ideal for you? Let’s find out.

When looking at the exercise bike vs treadmill, there are various factors to consider.

Exercise Bike vs Treadmill:

Calorie Burn

You need to burn more calories than you intake in order to lose body weight. So any exercise that helps you lose more calories will be great for you. The more calories you burn in the given time frame, the more beneficial the exercise is.

Here, the treadmill beats the exercise bike. With a treadmill, you can burn up to 600 or, in some cases, even 700 calories per hour, provided you are walking or jogging at a higher incline using an efficient pace.

On the other hand, with an exercise bike, if you are going at a pretty intense rate, you should be able to burn 400 calories or maybe 500 calories per hour if you really push yourself to the limit.

Ease of Use

Both of these require natural movement patterns, so when it comes to ease of use, these machines should come to you naturally. This means there are no real differences. However, for most people, the treadmill does take a bit of getting used to as they learn the feel of the belt moving under them.

An exercise bike is typically a hop on and go type of machine. So, there is not much to learn. Both are quite user-friendly, making them great for beginners as well as advanced trainees.

Workout Progression/ Variability

For continual progression with your workouts, constant variability is an important element. Basically, you regularly need to alter something with your workout. Otherwise, the body will adapt, and before you know it, it will stop responding entirely.

So which one offers the best variability? Exercise bike vs treadmill?

It is almost similar for both. With exercise bikes, you can increase the total amount of resistance you use, or you can increase the speed you ride at.

With a treadmill, you can also increase the speed at which you ride, but besides that, you can also raise the incline. This allows you to walk and jog on flat ground as well as on hill.

Both offer great ways to enhance the intensity of the program and gives good results.

Injury Rate

When it comes to getting injured while exercising on these machines, unfortunately, the treadmill wins the race. The treadmill is high impact and also creates a chance of you losing balance and falling off the machine. Or, you could step on your foot funny, which could lead to a sprained ankle.

With an exercise bike, these injury risks are not an issue. However, you could feel pain in your knee because of the constant circular rotations made with the legs or shoulder or back pain from being hunched over for so long.

All in all, if you take the right approach, these injuries are generally manageable. Make sure you take enough days off during the week, which will help minimize the chances of sore knees. And try to keep a good posture on the bike and consider getting massaged on your neck and shoulder to minimize the pain and discomfort.

The injuries from treadmill are more severe and less preventable. So, if you are already suffering from injuries or you are concerned about getting injured, you should choose an exercise bike over a treadmill.

Machine Durability

When it comes to durability, the treadmill is likely to be the less durable option. There are many things that can go wrong with a treadmill such as the motor, belt, and the ability to incline.

Exercise bikes rarely break down, if ever. So it’s not common for exercise bikes to need servicing. This is something you really need to consider, as this will add to the total cost of the machine.

Space

Regarding the needed space for the machine, an exercise bike is the clear winner here. It takes less space than a treadmill. So if you are exercising in a tight place, you will find an exercise bike to be a more suitable choice.

That being said, you can overcome the space issue of treadmill if you choose to get a folding treadmill, something to keep in mind.

Conclusion

So when it comes to exercise bike vs treadmill, exercise bike has a slight edge as it is easy to use, provides greater machine durability, and reduced risk of injury.

However, if you want to put maximum effort into your exercise and loss weight or fat, and can be careful to avoid injury, then the treadmill could be a better option for you.

Give the question exercise bike vs treadmill some thought before deciding on any one of them.

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