When you’re working toward getting in the 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week bona fide gym wear recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, you might make a beeline for the cardio equipment at the gym.
And you might also be wondering, with all the options — treadmill, exercise bike, elliptical, stair climber, rower, and sometimes more — if you’re choosing the right one.
Treadmill
What It Is A machine with an endless moving belt for walking or running. “I’d call this the bread-and-butter of cardio machines,” says Araceli De Leon, an ACE-certified personal trainer and health coach.
Muscles Targeted The treadmill primarily helps build your cardiovascular endurance, says De Leon, but walking or running will also work the lower body muscles, including the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and calves, according to ACSM. It’s not the most effective way to build these muscles, but using the treadmill will help to maintain them, Summerville adds.
Perks You can adjust the speed and incline to increase intensity or perform an interval or HIIT workout, says De Leon. Compared with the elliptical and rower, a treadmill has been found to burn more fat, according to a study published in 2021 in the Journal of Sports Science & Medicine. (It’s worth noting that that study only included nine men and no women.)
Considerations Being on your phone and looking down or looking up at a TV in the gym can strain your neck, says De Leon. Also, walking too close to the console or holding onto the rails can affect your body’s walking cycle. Try to stay in the middle of the belt and avoid holding on, she says. (If you can’t safely use a treadmill without holding on, then another machine may be a better option. See below.) The treadmill can also be a higher impact activity. Though running or walking on a treadmill is not as hard on the joints as running on concrete, says Summerville, exercising on a track or turf outside will be a more joint-friendly form of exercise.
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