By Natasha Vani, MSc., ATCP

Wondering which cardio machine is best for helping you meet your goals? While all are common in their design and function, each has their own advantages and disadvantages. Check our rating system to learn more about how each machine targets your body.

Rating:

Excellent *****
Good ****
Fair ***
Poor **

Treadmills

Burning calories *****
When compared to other modes of aerobic exercise (when intensity and duration are equal), running is the absolute best exercise for burning calories! Since you are fully bearing your own weight in an upright position, all the major muscles of the body are engaged.

Body toning  *****
Running tones the shoulders and arms, the legs, the postural muscles of the abs and back and, most importantly, the heart and the entire cardiovascular system.
Special Tip: When running on a treadmill, always increase the elevation to 1 or 2%. This will simulate natural running, which involves lifting the legs and propelling the body forward. Running on a treadmill with no incline only requires you to lift your legs and, therefore, can alter your natural running pattern.

Body aches **
If you suffer from any type of bone or joint pain it’s best to choose another mode of exercise. If you are a runner, be aware that increasing the duration, intensity and/or frequency too quickly can cause excessive stress on the bones and joints. Common running injuries include shin splints, stress fractures of the lower leg and foot and knee pain.
Best advice: Gradually increase your training—your bones need to adapt to the stress. Don’t forget about your stretching—before and after. And ice, ice, ice. I can’t stress enough how good ice is for treating aches and pains. Apply ice for 20 minutes after your workout.

Cross Trainers/Elliptical Machines

Burning calories ****
Elliptical machines are not quite as good as running at burning calories because momentum helps the body produce the movement. However, they still provide an excellent cardio workout because they involve most of the major muscles.
Special Tip: Keep your arms active; either hold onto the moving handles or swing your arms in a natural running style. This not only works the upper body, it also causes you to fight to keep your balance, which creates tension in the abdominal and lower back muscles.

Body aches *****
The fluid motion of these machines creates an almost stress-free environment for the bones and joints and the movement pattern simulates running more than any other form of cardio.

Cycling

Burning calories **
Why does cycling burn the fewest calories? The reason is simple: only the muscles of the lower body are working, and because you are sitting you do not have to support your body weight. While a tough cycling workout can burn a significant number of calories, understand that a considerable amount of leg strength is necessary. For this reason the average exerciser might find high intensity training difficult on the bike and most often the legs give out before the heart and lungs do.

Lower body strengthening *****
Since cycling primarily involves the buttocks and thighs, it is a great way to increase their size and strength. Hockey players use cycling as their primary training method because it conditions the leg muscles and develops the power required for their sport.

Body aches *****
Similar to elliptical machines and cross trainers, cycling is an excellent training medium for those with bone or joint problems.

Stair Climbers

Burning calories ***
Stair climbers are better than cycling for burning calories because you are forced to hold your body upright and also because you are able to pump your arms. They are not, however, as good as running because the range of motion is fairly restricted. To maximize the effectiveness of this exercise, involve the upper body by pumping your arms, if you need to hold on for balance, do so gently. If you grip the bars and lean on the machine, the workout becomes much less effective.

Lower body strengthening ***
As with cycling, stair climbers really work the muscles of the lower body.
Special Tip: To emphasize the buttocks, focus on keeping your entire foot on the platform. To develop the lower leg muscles, stand on the balls of your feet and allow your ankle to lift. Both positions will involve the muscles of the thigh.

Body aches ***
Because the legs are not pounding against the ground during a stair climbing workout, the workout is easier on the body than running. However, because of the jerky stepping motion, which is vertical versus circular (as in cycling and elliptical or cross trainer machines), stress is still placed on the knees and hips. To minimize this stress, keep the motion fluent by avoiding the end ranges of the steps.