Both treadmills and bikes are effective forms of cardiovascular exercises and both of these come in many sizes, designs, brands and budget ranges. Bikes and treadmills are both adjustable and customizable according to the person using them and are machines which can really help you stay fit.
But if wanted to pick one from the 2 for your daily workout session, then which one would you go for? Well, it is really a personal choice and matter of preference but to help you decide better, we have a well charted out comparison of Bikes Vs. Treadmills given below.
Machine Parts
When it comes to the machine parts, a treadmill can accommodate the size of any person whereas a bike has more stringent size requirements. A bike may not always be able to accommodate very large persons whereas this is not the case in treadmills. Also, most of the bikes require the knee to bend close to 90 degrees and this may limit people with knee conditions to make a full revolution.
Body Parts
Treadmills simulate walking on flat or inclined surface which means that you will need to apply some force through the legs onto the spine. This means that people who do not have issues with walking will feel comfortable using a treadmill. But those individuals who have special spine or lower back problems or conditions may prefer bikes as compared to treadmills.
This is true because a bike reduces the impact and stress felt on the spine, knees, ankles and the hips. A bike would also be ideal for those with upper extremity conditions as well because that part is mostly inactive on a bike.
Staying On
People often tend to fall from treadmills and this may cause an injury. When if a person holds onto the rails of a treadmill, he/she may get distracted and lose balance. Losing the footing is common on a treadmill and is one of the most common types of falls one experiences with exercise equipments. This problem is a little less common for bikes as people still have time to control the fall.
Burning Off
In general, people tend to burn off more calories while working out on a treadmill as compared to a bike. This is true because on a treadmill, a person is more weight bearing and allows you to move your torso and arms on it too. This means that it allows more calories to be burned and helps with better muscle activation.
On the other hand, on bikes, the upper part is practically inactive and they are uptight. Thus bikes do not offer as many calorie burning benefits when compared with treadmills and one can only burn lot of calories with a high intensity workout session.
Planning
When it comes to choosing between a bike and a treadmill, financial considerations are also important. Both of them can be found at affordable rates but a treadmill tends to be more expensive and also takes more space to place.
