Schwinn 431 Elliptical Trainer

Elliptical VS Treadmill

Which is Best for You?

The Schwinn 431 Elliptical Trainer gives you a great cardio workout as well as tones and strengthens, but how does it measure up to a treadmill?  Which workout is better for you?  If you are going to buy only one piece of equipment which one will give you the most flexibility of use and benefits?

Which one is right for your workout?

Elliptical Trainer VS Treadmill

Which gives the better workout?

Both machines offer a great workout for cardio and strengthening used correctly.  Results on either machine depend on how you use them.  Intensity and consistency are key to maintaining a good exercise program.

If you get on your treadmill every day at a walk and never increase the incline or pace you’re not going to make progress.  The same with your Schwinn 431 Elliptical Trainer, without changing things up on resistance and speed and movement your workout will stagnate.

Of course, a lot depends on what you want from your workout.  If you only want to maintain where you are currently, then the above is fine.  If you want to lose weight, strengthen or tone then you need to step it up a bit no matter what type of equipment you use.

Treadmills

Like elliptical trainers and bikes they come with many programs available for different workouts depending on the model you have.  Most have preprogrammed workouts, a cardio workout and/or calorie burn workout that vary the speed and incline of the treadmill.

Treadmills are motorized.  Once you set the pace the surface moves and you have to keep up.  No lollygagging, you are forced to keep the pace you’ve chosen by the surface moving beneath your feet.

What treadmills don’t do is work your upper body.  Yes, you pump and swing your arms while walking and you can carry weights to increase that workout but there is nothing integral to the machine to work the upper body.

Elliptical Trainers

Personally, I love my Schwinn 431 Elliptical Trainer.  Its fun to use and gives me a great workout at home.  I’ve had a treadmill as well, but I find I use the elliptical much more and like the workout it gives me.
For one thing an elliptical machine takes up less space than a good treadmill and unless you have a whole room devoted to nothing but exercise machines (even if you do) its a factor.

The Schwinn 431 Elliptical Trainer is also so very quiet.  I love it!  I can watch TV at a normal volume and not disturb the whole household when I work out.  No matter how quiet your treadmill is, it still has a motor that makes noise.

An elliptical trainer gives you a more varied workout than a treadmill.  There are the pre-programmed and custom workouts like a treadmill but you can also work on upper or lower body separately and together or vary how you moved on the machine.

Elliptical trainers give you a great cardio workout with little to no impact.  You are upright and your feet stay flat in the pedals throughout the workout.  The basic movement is your arms and legs working in an elliptical pattern, round and round in a fluid motion.

Let’s face it, our joints are prone to more injury as we get older and I’m talking out of our 20s older.  Joints take a lot of impact in day to day life and sports we play.  I prefer my workouts not to add to that impact, but to help strengthen those joints so I can play.

I shopped around a lot once I decided I wanted an elliptical for home use.  From what I’ve found in research and use the Schwinn 431 Elliptical Trainer gets high marks in reviews from users and is the best machine for the price for home use.

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