Which would be better for overall weight loss?

[AdrianCC100]

I'm in the market to get a home exercise machine. Specifically an exercise bike or elliptical. Which one would be a better overall workout for losing weight? Or are they both equally good at helping you drop pounds? I plan on using whatever I buy an hour every day before work.

[Blueobelisk]

Cardio is cardio.

PERSONALLY I like bikes better. I burn more calories on a bike than I do a treadmill and it's not as tiring.
I used to have an elliptical but it was just so annoying. It was hard lol. Maybe I could have adjusted settings but...I didn't like it.

Correct answer: whichever one you prefer and can stick too. You should try them out and find out which one you prefer.

[Nemah]

Cardio is cardio.

Correct answer: whichever one you prefer and can stick too. You should try them out and find out which one you prefer.

Pretty much this. Anything that gets your body moving is going to be good for you. Both a bike and elliptical machine are low impact / low stress.

My personal preference is the elliptical because you get your entire body moving (though you can buy exercise bikes with moving handles I'm sure). Either way, it's hard to lose.

[Roosky]

I personally would get something besides a treadmill just because I can go for a walk/jog outside and would have a machine that I couldn't do something outside for, personal preference though whatever you like doing, if you did buy a treadmill and decide to use it a lot I would suggest making sure it's near a TV just because it could get a bit boring staring at a blank wall.

[gismo7354]

Which machine do you get more use of or better work out with at the gym? For me an elliptical gives me a much better work out. I go harder when I'm on an elliptical or treadmill. Bikes are good but I just don't seem to push myself as much on one.

I have my mountain bike setup on one of these. It sits against my wall and I use it for a quick 15 minutes of cardio in the mornings. These rollers can be a cheap alternative to the full out bike machines.

[Deleted]

Save money and dont buy cardio machines, you have roads you can run or jog on for free, spend the money saved on second hand free weights, a squat rack and a bench.

[Spectral]

Both a bike and elliptical machine are low impact / low stress.

Biking can be pretty hard on the knees. My knees are much fussier about cycling than running.

My personal preference is the elliptical because you get your entire body moving (though you can buy exercise bikes with moving handles I'm sure).

I don't know how relevant it is, but holding a good position on a road bike it actually a fair bit of upper body effort. It's not movement, but I'm not sure that matters.

[Deleted]

Cardio isn't really that good for losing weight tbh. Keeps you healthy though.

[pucGG]

Doesnt matter which one you buy, you'll stop using it after 2 weeks :P

[Badpaladin]

Biking can be pretty hard on the knees. My knees are much fussier about cycling than running.

Strange. I've always felt more pain in my knees when running than cycling (or hiking, for that matter). I've had two reconstructive knee surgeries, though.

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Cardio isn't really that good for losing weight tbh.

...what are you talking about?

[Waynhim]

Cardio is cardio.

No.

Some cardio activities involves more muscle then others and thus burn more calories.

Personally I'd go with a cross-fit routine, which you can easily do at home with minimal equipment. (Intense intervalls of body weight excercises like pull ups/push ups/mountain climbers/spiderman crawls/lunges/ball slams etc).

[Spectral]

Cardio isn't really that good for losing weight tbh.

This is really silly. A typical "serious" runner will run around 40 miles a week, which burns ~600 calories per day. Even taking in some extra food, that still creates a deficit.

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Strange. I've always felt more pain in my knees when running than cycling (or hiking, for that matter). I've had two reconstructive knee surgeries, though.

I used to have a lot more issues with running, but after having gotten accustomed to running really economically, I've definitely had more trouble biking, although that's generally only on really steep hills that drop my cadence lower than I'd like.

[SpamHealzu]

If you want to really lose weight do what Rich suggested.

A smart weight lifting regimen with a small amount of cardio from walking/jogging outside keeps your metabolism ramped up for considerably longer than using an eliptical or exercise bike. With weightlifting you don't burn as many calories i the time span working out, but your daily caloric burn will be higher due to the ramped up metabolism.

With that said, focusing on lifts that use your whole body (dead lifts, squats, cleans) coupled with excercises that specifically target muscle areas will give a full body workout that cardio just cant compete with.

If you live in the states it would be insanely easy to buy a cheap weight set from craigslist and go from there. Strict cardio workouts still has a place, but it should be a smaller portion of your exercise routine. Also if you really want to do a cardio routine that focuses on your whole body, look up some High Intensity Interval Training sessions (spartacus for example). These typically involve the use of about 8 foot x 8 foot space and a few light dummbells (10-25 lbs) and will easily give you the workout of a lifetime if you push yourself.

[Deleted]

This is really silly. A typical "serious" runner will run around 40 miles a week, which burns ~600 calories per day. Even taking in some extra food, that still creates a deficit.

I'm not saying it doesn't, but diet has a much larger impact for most people. Granted, it's harder to fix diet than to just run a few times a week. Lifting is better overall for aesthetically changing your body, while cardio is extremely important for your general health (heart, lungs etc.)

That's at least what I've been taught.

[braeldiil]

I have an eliptical which I use every day. When I travel, I often have to use an exercise bike instead. The eliptical is a much better workout (IMO). I have real difficulties getting to my target heart rate on the bikes - I have to crank the resistance up so far that I start cramping because I'm effectively either weightlifting or sprinting for a couple of miles.

You do need to get a good eliptical - solid and stable to the ground, with a comfortable stride length. The cheap compact ones are, IMO, useless. I reccomend trying several at your local sports store, and then shopping Craigslist/Amazon Warehouse Deals for a bargain on one you like.

I'd also invest in a set of dumbbells and a bench, and add in some weight work a few times a week. It doesn't need to be really heavy, but it really does make a difference.

[Deleted]

If you're losing weight for aesthetics - purely running to create a calorie defecit will make you thinner but it won't really give you a great body. Muscle creates tone - so for an athletic body you'll need to up your muscle mass and reduce fat.

Save money on machines and use the great outdoors. It's free and a hell of a lot more interesting.

[starkey]

This is all you need

[Blueobelisk]

No.

Some cardio activities involves more muscle then others and thus burn more calories.

Duh lol, but the types he's suggesting aren't different enough to say that one will make him lose weight better than another.

[Deleted]

treadmill since you can do HIIT easily or a prowler. Long slow cardio is a waste of time for good and fast weight loss. Weight training + HIIT is much much faster.

[Cyrops]

Biking can be pretty hard on the knees. My knees are much fussier about cycling than running.

Running is harder on your knees, when you run all your weight hits one knee.