Treadmill vs Elliptical Trainer for Burning Calories

Question

I'm trying to decide if I should buy a treadmill or elliptical trainer for doing my cardio at home. Which is the better choice to burn more calories and bodyfat in the shortest amount of time?

Answer

Not all exercises are created equal when it comes to burning calories and weight loss. Here are some examples that go well beyond a treadmill vs elliptical comparison for burning calories based on the duration of exercise and user weight.

Keep in mind, the number of calories listed in the charts below is only a guideline and is not an exact number you can take to the bank. There are variables in each type of exercise that will change the overall calorie expenditure of the exercise.

Here are some examples that will increase the amount of calories burned in one hour for each form of exercise:

Walking

Changing the degree of incline or decline (up and down hills), using hand weights, and/or exaggerating your arm swing will increase the number of calories burned per hour.

Treadmill

Increasing the degree of incline (up or down), increasing speed and using hand weights will increase the number of calories burned per hour.

Elliptical Trainer

Increasing the degree of incline (up or down), increasing speed and/or increasing the resistance level (while maintaining speed), and using upper body handles will increase the number of calories burned per hour.

Exercise Bike

Increasing speed and/or increasing the resistance level (while maintaining speed) will increase the number of calories burned per hour.

The following charts show the number of calories burned per hour for a 150 and 200 pound adult participating in each exercise (activity) for a duration of one hour.

Based on a 150 Pound Adult (Calories burned per hour)

Type of Activity	Calories Burned Per Hour
Walking 2.5 mph level firm surface (normal)	136
Walking 4.0 mph level firm surface (brisk)	272
Treadmill (light effort)	456
Treadmill (hard effort)	741
Elliptical Trainer (light effort)	415
Elliptical Trainer (hard effort)	591
Exercise Bike (light effort)	252
Exercise Bike (hard effort)	598

Based on a 200 Pound Adult (Calories burned per hour)

Type of Activity	Calories Burned Per Hour
Walking 2.5 mph level firm surface (normal)	182
Walking 4.0 mph level firm surface (brisk)	364
Treadmill (light effort)	610
Treadmill (hard effort)	992
Elliptical Trainer (light effort)	555
Elliptical Trainer (hard effort)	764
Exercise Bike (light effort)	337
Exercise Bike (hard effort)	801

The most important thing to remember about burning calories doing cardio is this…

It doesn't make a bit of difference which machine you use to burn calories doing cardio as long as use it consistently over the long run.

If you hate to run and you buy a treadmill because it burns more calories per hour than an elliptical you're making a huge mistake. Get a machine you enjoy using that won't end up sitting in the corner of your basement collecting dust with a pile of dirty laundry on it.

To help you avoid wasting money buying the wrong cardio equipment,  check my expert picks for best treadmill, best elliptical trainer, and best exercise bike.