If you’re contemplating upgrading your home gym or trying to figure out which gym equipment is worth investing in, the treadmill and the Peloton exercise bike are two options that can offer an excellent workout. Each machine has its benefits and drawbacks depending on you and your goals for your training.
This article will delve into the debate of peloton vs treadmill for weight loss and will help you decide which one to choose. When selecting the best one for your needs and budget, there are several considerations to keep in mind, including workout preferences, available space, cost, and overall effectiveness for weight loss.
Peloton Bikes
The Peloton bike is a high-end indoor cycling machine that features a built-in tablet computer. It’s comparable to the spin or exercise bikes found in upscale gyms, but with the added benefit of being available for personal use whenever desired.
The pedals include clip-in systems that require specific shoes with cleats, and the seat and handlebars may be adjusted to the rider’s height and arm length.
The Peloton bike is an excellent exercise equipment for those who enjoy the competition and community of studio cycling classes and want to replicate that experience at home. However, for indoor cycling enthusiasts who are willing to invest in live and on-demand classes, the ongoing expense of Peloton may not be justified. In fact, in as little as four months, the cost of an at-home stationary bike and classes may be more economical than attending four or more Peloton-style studio classes per week.
Pros And Cons Of Peloton
When you buy a Peloton Bike, you get an exercise bike, a high-definition screen, and premium speakers to make your workouts more fun. Riders using Peloton Bikes can gain a plethora of advantages, including losing weight. Other advantages include:
Pros
Feeling Happier
You’ll feel better about yourself immediately after beginning a new exercise plan.
In the short term, physical activity of any kind can boost mood because it causes the body to produce endorphins. You can expect to feel fantastic after your session when you add an enthusiastic spin instructor.
You may find several sessions with upbeat instructors on the Peloton app that will give you the boost you need to power through your workouts. There’s numerous trainers on the app that can cater to your preferred method of exercise.
Reducing Weight
Whether you ride your Peloton for 30 days, one month, 80 days, or more, weight loss may be one of the following changes you notice after establishing a regular cycling habit.
Regular exercise and dietary restrictions should yield initial weight loss within the first month. However, losing more than a few pounds may take several months.
The road to fitness on a bike is long and winding. Losing more than 10–15 pounds should take at least 4-5 months from seeing your first effects.
The trick is to hop on the Peloton at least four times a week, if not more frequently.
Maintaining a healthy weight can be challenging. Therefore it’s crucial that your workouts last long enough.
Enhanced Lower-Body Muscle
Spinning is a fantastic option if you desire more muscular legs and a more athletic frame.
You will increase your strength and endurance by exercising your abdominal and back muscles to maintain balance and posture.
However, if you want a sculpted midsection, you won’t get it from spinning alone; you’ll also need to incorporate some core-centered classes from the Peloton.
If you commit to utilizing the Peloton regularly, you can have the summer-ready legs you want.
Longevity Improvements
Physical and mental exertion is equally crucial for maintaining stamina.
You can boost both while cycling on your Peloton, making it a fantastic cardio exercise.
A newbie cyclist’s first few rides will always result in a new personal record.
You can cycle for greater distances before your leg muscles tire after consistently exercising for a month or two.
In addition, your cardiovascular fitness will increase, and you will have less breathlessness after physical activity.
Cons
Burns Fewer Calories Minute-Per-Minute
Exercise bikes burn fewer calories than weight-bearing exercises since your upper body isn’t working as hard to propel your body forward as you pedal. However, the distinction is subtle, and a stationary bike will still help you shed pounds.
You can select the type of physical activity that best suits your interests and knowledge. If you enjoy using an exercise bike, you can expect to burn more calories with this form of exercise.
Treadmill
A treadmill is a popular fitness machine equipped with a motorized belt that rotates continuously, allowing users to walk, jog, or run in place while exercising.
Treadmills are a common sight in both commercial gyms and home gyms. Many individuals choose to purchase a treadmill to stay fit while balancing their personal and professional responsibilities, or when weather conditions or other factors prevent them from exercising outdoors. Additionally, treadmills are a staple in aerobic routines at gyms and are often used as a warm-up before strength training.
Pros And Cons Of Treadmill
The treadmill is a popular cardio machine for its convenience and practicality. It’s an excellent choice for those starting a new workout regimen since walking is easily tolerated by most people regardless of fitness level and to individuals with back issues.
That said, here are some more pros and the cons of using a treadmill:
Pros
Effective Weight Loss
The ability to shed pounds is a significant perk of treadmill training. Treadmill running is an effective way to burn more calories and trim the waistline. To burn as much as 405 calories, an adult weighing 175 pounds (79 kilograms) could run on a treadmill for 30 minutes at 6 miles per hour (9.6 kilometers per hour).
Using the treadmill’s inclination feature, you may maximize your calorie burn and push yourself to new heights. You may burn 484 calories in 30 minutes if you run at six mph while adding an incline of 5%. Adding an inclination to your workout is a great way to get a better workout without spending more time on the machine or working at a faster pace.
Low Impact Cardio Workout
Low impact jogging on a treadmill is an effective way to increase your heart rate and burn calories, while minimizing the impact on your joints. Using a treadmill for low-impact cardio workouts can also help improve cardiovascular endurance and overall fitness levels. Moreover, treadmill workouts allow for adjustable speed and incline settings, providing a customizable and challenging low-impact workout option for individuals with varying fitness levels and goals.
Build Muscular Stamina
Treadmill exercise is not only beneficial for your heart and your waistline, but it also helps you tone your muscles. Those who are used to a sedentary lifestyle but want to change their routine and have their leg muscle mass, strength, and endurance in check may benefit from adding treadmill workouts.
Treadmill running can increase the muscle strength in the legs, hips, and arms. Increase the gradient while running or do interval training to get the most out of your leg muscles.
Increase Your Bone Mass
Bone density measures the amount of minerals in bone tissue, and using the treadmill is a great way to increase both of these factors. Regular exercise will boost your bone mineral density.
Over time, bone density increases proportionately to a person’s mineral intake. Treadmill walking has been shown to increase bone mineral density in the lumbar spine and radius, according to a study published in 20161.
Cons
Higher Risk Of Injury
Due to the high-impact nature of treadmill running, which places more strain on joints than training on a stationary bike, the injury rate for treadmill running is higher. Because of this, it’s not a good choice for people who experience discomfort in their knees.
Additionally, unlike a stationary bike, you risk losing your balance and falling off when using this type of exercise equipment.
Bulky Equipment
Treadmills are less space-efficient than exercise bikes since they take up more floor area and weigh more. Exercise bikes are more portable and less heavy than treadmills, which typically measure 64 by 28 inches and weigh 95 kilograms.
Running on a treadmill can also be very annoying due to its noise.
Peloton vs Treadmill For Weight Loss: Weighing Differences
Burning Calories
Many people engage in cardio for calorie burning and weight reduction. Aerobic exercise on a bike or treadmill is a great way to get in shape and burn calories.
It is vital to consider the intensity and duration of your training when comparing the number of calories burned while exercising on a stationary bike or a treadmill.
Calories burned per minute while exercising on a treadmill typically exceed those burned while cycling. Evidence suggests that you can burn 7.98 to 10.48 calories per minute during stationary cycling and 8.18 to 10.78 calories per minute while running on a treadmill. The number of calories you burn is relative to your age and level of physical fitness2.
Having fun is also essential. Although you can potentially burn more calories while running on a treadmill, exercising on an exercise bike may increase the duration and frequency of your workouts and, thus, the total number of calories you burn.
Both cardio machines are great for getting in a good workout and burning fat.
Burning Belly Fat
If you want to burn body fat and lose weight, the more significant factor is how you exercise, not whatever machine you use. While both Peloton and treadmill workouts can be effective for burning belly fat, try incorporating HIIT into them.
HIIT is an acronym for high-intensity interval training, which consists of short periods of very high-intensity exercise interspersed with periods of lower-level activity. Twenty seconds of exertion followed by forty seconds of rest during a 30-minute HIIT workout can result in 30% more caloric expenditure than the same amount of time spent running or cycling constantly.
Due to EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption), you’ll continue to burn calories and fat long after your HIIT workout.
On a Peloton bike, you can incorporate HIIT by choosing classes that have intervals or sprints, or by doing your own custom workouts. Similarly, on a treadmill, you can do interval training by alternating between sprinting and walking or jogging at a moderate pace.
Workout Variability/Progression
Constant variation in your workouts is essential if you want to see steady improvement. Basically, you should always be switching up your workout routine. Otherwise, your body will become accustomed to it and eventually stop responding at all.
Which equipment, then, provides the greatest range of options? Treadmill or peloton?
Both equipment are on an equal footing. You can either pedal faster or use more resistance to get the same amount of exercise from the bike.
The treadmill not only allows you to increase the speed at which you run or walk, but also the inclination. Using this, you can easily transition from walking (or jogging) on level ground to doing so on an incline.
Both will significantly increase the challenge of the program and improve your performance.
Ease of Use
Both require motions you’ve done hundreds of times before, so there’s not much difference in how easy they are to use. Most people need some time on the treadmill before they become used to the sensation of the moving belt beneath them.
The bike is a simple device that requires little instruction other than hopping on the bike and pedaling in a circular motion. Both are simple to use and can be helpful to individuals at any level of training.
Injury Rate
The incidence of injuries must also be taken into account. Is there a higher risk of harm on one of these two devices than the other? The treadmill is likely to be the one or, it can also depend on your perspective.
Because the treadmill is high impact, as stated, you could easily lose your balance and tumble off of it. Another possibility is that you could step awkwardly and injure your ankle, which might keep you out of action for a few weeks or even months.
However, while the bike eliminates the potential for these kinds of injuries, it still comes with its own set of discomforts. Here are ways you might get hurt when using an exercise bike:
- Soreness in the butt from sitting for too long (easily remedied by wearing padded underwear).
- Knee pain from making tight circles with your legs.
- Poor posture or incorrect bike setup can lead to lower back pain.
If you take the appropriate approach, this list is small and easily manageable. Taking time off throughout the week will help reduce the likelihood of painful knees, and maintain an upright posture while cycling and make sure the bike’s seat and handlebars are positioned correctly for your body.
To reduce the risk of injury during Peloton or treadmill workouts, it’s important to gradually increase the intensity and duration of your workouts over time, and allow adequate rest and recovery time between workouts. It’s also important to wear appropriate footwear and clothing, stay hydrated, and listen to your body – if you experience persistent or severe pain or discomfort, stop your workout and consult with a healthcare professional.
Final Thoughts
Both Peloton and treadmill workouts can be effective for weight loss when combined with a healthy diet and overall active lifestyle. Choosing between the two ultimately depends on personal preferences, fitness goals, and any preexisting health conditions or injuries. It’s important to consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new exercise program, and to focus on consistency and gradual progress when working towards weight loss goals.
