Question

What are your feelings on a  treadmill vs an exercise bike for doing our home gym cardio? We're looking to lose weight and shrink our midsection, what should we do?

Answer

A treadmill vs an exercise bike for shrinking your midsection? Neither will work - nor will an elliptical trainer, ab machine, home gym or anything else for that matter. You can't "shrink your midsection" or "spot reduce" in special areas by using one cardio machine vs another.

An exercise bike and a treadmill will both help you burn calories and fat when used consistently over time. To what degree your midsection will shrink depends on a number of factors including:

• how often you do cardio training
• how long you use the machine
• what zone you train in
• your VO2, AT and AB
• your daily caloric intake
• your body composition and genetics

If you want to throw out all the factors listed above and just talk about a treadmill vs an exercise bike for purely training purposes, the answers change but are not set in stone either…

Treadmill for Cardio Training

Pros: Burns more calories than exercise bike, helps with bone density, increases lower body muscle tone, variety of training options (incline, walking, running, using hand weights).

Cons: Load bearing exercise can be hard on joints, chance of injury from misuse, can be expensive, costly to repair major parts, takes up floor space, hard to move.

Exercise Bike for Cardio Training

Pros: Low impact, easy to use, less floor space than treadmill, lower price, less chance of breakdown, good for rehab and older trainers.

Cons: Not as efficient as treadmill for burning calories, limited exercise variety, upright bikes can be hard on pelvis and hips.

The bottom line is this - If you want to burn the most calories in the shortest amount of training time doing cardio and you have no injury considerations get a treadmill (see best treadmills). If you have limited floor space or joint problems and lower body injuries an exercise bike is a better choice (see best exercise bikes).

No matter which machine you choose make sure you use it at least 3-4 times a week, do some strength training 2-3 days a week and get your eating habits under control for the best results.

If none of what you've just read about treadmill and exercise bike cardio training isn't 100% clear in your mind, download my free Cardio Secrets Report for a complete step-by-step explanation of what you need to know about cardio training and weight loss at home.