If you are undecided on which fitness equipment you should buy then you are in the right place. This post will specifically compare the differences between treadmill vs bike vs rower. I will go over the benefits as well as the disadvantages of each to help you determine which is best for you.
All three are great pieces of fitness equipment, but one of them may benefit you more than the other two in accordance to your fitness goals. So let’s go over each thing that you should consider when choose the right equipment for your home and your family.
Contents
Toning your heart
It will be possible to satisfy your cardiovascular requirements for workouts with the help of the treadmill, the rowing machine, and indoor biking.
You should be targeting for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week. This implies that a 4 mph walk for 30 minutes on the treadmill 5 times every week or a modest effort on the rower or bike will be appropriate for you.
You will also be able to satisfy the minimum workout requirements with 60 minutes every week of vigorous activity on the bike or the rower. One type of machine will not be able to figure out the cardio benefits of exercising at high density, and all of them offer equal benefits.
Burning calories
When considering treadmill vs bike vs rower, the treadmill will be your best choice when your objective will be to burn the optimum amount of calories. In one particular study conducted by the Dublin City University, the participants were asked by the researchers to rate their perceived effort while they worked out on rowers, treadmills, and bikes.
It was found that the participants were able to burn the maximum number of calories while making use of the treadmill. In fact, they had to work much harder for burning the identical number of calories on the bike or the rower. An individual weighing 155 pounds will be able to burn approximately 300 calories in 30 minutes while jogging at a rate of 12 minutes every mile.
On the other hand, a moderate-intensity rowing or biking session will help any person to burn 260 calories. While cycling vigorously, one can burn 390 calories in half an hour and while rowing vigorously he can burn as many as 316 calories. It will be possible to burn approximately 409 calories by running a mile within 9 minutes.
Lower or upper?
Very rarely you might see a treadmill or exercise bike having moving handlebars that will enable you to work the upper body. In fact, most of these bikes and treadmills will help to work the lower body only. On the contrary, a rower will allow you to work the upper as well as the lower body at the same time. The upper-body component of the rower mainly functions the large muscles in the shoulders and the back apart from the pulling muscles in the arms.
Protection of joints
Despite the fact that walking on a treadmill is considered to be low impact, long bouts might prove to be quite aggressive for individuals suffering from sensitive ankles, knees, as well as backs. It might be imperative for fit individuals to run or jog on the treadmill so as to get a high-intensity workout, and this might prove to be more strenuous on the joints. Biking will allow attaining a high-intensity workout in a low-impact manner.
Individuals who are somewhat overweight might feel comfier while cycling. Rowing is one more low-impact workout which will not put much pressure on the joints. However, it might bother the sensitive knees in the long run. Rowing also provides a workout for the upper body. It is usually not possible to achieve this with treadmill exercise or biking.
What is the impact?
While walking on the treadmill your feet are going to leave the surface of the workout and then they will again return to it. In this way, there is not a great deal of impact on every step. Therefore, one can consider walking on a treadmill to be a low-impact workout.
On the contrary, running on a treadmill can be considered to be a high-impact workout. In case you are suffering from any condition like osteoporosis, you can be benefited from a low-impact walk on the treadmill. However, it will be a sensible idea to avoid any high-impact workout such as running on the treadmill if you are struggling with injuries or osteoporosis.
This can restrict your workout intensity while you’re using a treadmill. However, you will be able to work out as hard as you like with a bike or a rower since both of these machines offer a low-impact workout even though you might use them at high density.
The learning curve
While using a rower, the proper technique needs a powerful thrust using both the legs which is followed by a quick tilt of the upper body and even faster movement of the hand using the handle. You will be able to learn this technique and apply it for a strenuous workout with only several minutes of instruction as well as practice. Nevertheless, as compared to the bike and the treadmill, a rower nonetheless needs a greater learning curve. In fact, the treadmill and the bike actually imitate motions with which you are probably familiar since you were a child.
Final Thoughts
So which benefit will be most desirable for you? I suggest you first determine what your overall goals are, then work from there. I hope I showed you a little more about all three fitness equipment options and set you up to start your fitness journey to come.
