Treadmills and stationary exercise bikes are both cardio exercise equipment. However, do they have the same health benefits? I examine this in this article.
What is a treadmill?
A treadmill is a piece of equipment that helps you to walk or run indoors. It does so by feeding a short belt across the top of the device, providing a moving platform. You can manually adjust the speed.
Treadmills generally have handles on both sides of the belt platform. Some types allow you to incline the entire platform for a more challenging workout that resembles running uphill.
While most treadmills are motorized, nonmotorized options are becoming popular. Nonmotorized versions typically feature a slightly curved running surface and require you to move the belt yourself to reach the desired speed.
One study by Edwards et al.(2017) found that one gets a harder cardio workout by running on a nonmotorized treadmill as against the same speed on a motorized one.
Both motorized and nonmotorized treadmills help you to train the gait the same when walking and running. On the other hand, exercise bikes look like a bicycle that helps you to perform a cycling activity.
Advantages of treadmills
Treadmills are an excellent way to add walking or running to your fitness program, as you won’t be limited by outdoor factors like too-hot or too-cold temperatures, rain, or a lack of suitable running paths or trails.
Furthermore, they let you set your speed. This can force you to maintain a certain pace to keep up, which can work as a motivating factor during your workout.
If the treadmill has an incline feature, you can add substantial challenge to your workout. Combined, the option to control both the speed and incline can make treadmill progression easier than running.
For example, while you can use a stopwatch to regulate your speed when running outdoors, a treadmill provides immediate, concrete data on your workouts. This makes workout tracking more convenient and can help you better appreciate your progress.
Although treadmills lack the views and fresh outdoor air that traditional running offers, they do allow you to set up a television or other digital experience to enhance your workout.
Pereira et al.(2020) study found that treadmills increase postural control, such as balance, in older adults. This makes them a rehabilitation option, as well as a tool for aerobic exercise.
Disadvantages of treadmills
Sung et al.(2017)study found that among younger people recovering from ankle sprains walking on traditional surfaces improved ankle range of motion and lower extremity muscle strength more than walking on a treadmill.
A previous study by Mooses et al.(2015) found that the running economy of elite running athletes was lower when they ran on a treadmill compared with a normal track. This means that for a given exercise intensity, the athletes ran slower on the treadmill.
Hooren et al(2020) review found that while the biomechanics and overall movement patterns of a treadmill and outdoor running are similar, the foot strike mechanics may differ more.
As such, if you plan to compete in nontreadmill running, you still need to routinely run on regular surfaces to train the optimal running patterns.
You also risk falling off the end of the belt if you can’t keep up. Fortunately, most treadmills feature a safety leash that turns off the machine in case you get too close to the end of the platform.
A final downside is that treadmills are used indoors. As such, you miss out on the outdoor running experience that many runners enjoy.
The pros of exercise bikes
Exercise bikes have extensive research to support them to improve fitness.
For instance, one study by Yoon et al.(2017) in young women found that 16 weeks of spin bike training improved muscle strength, body fat, resting blood pressure, and blood sugar levels, among other health and fitness parameters.
The interesting thing is that stationary spin biking improved these metrics more than outdoor riding on normal bicycles (Yoon et al. 2017).
Another review by Chavarrias et al.(2019) also found that indoor cycling enhanced aerobic capacity, blood pressure, blood fat profiles, and body composition when used both alone or combined with other exercise and nutritional interventions.
Lee et al.(2014) study in older women found that stationary cycling enhanced overall gait and balance more than using a treadmill.
Moreover, because treadmills have effects on your joints with every step, indoor cycling may be more appropriate if you have joint issues and need lower-impact exercise.
Tyler Read(2021) article explained that stationary bikes and indoor cycling offer a controlled, reliable indoor environment that isn’t affected by outdoor conditions. This allows you to exercise at night or during bad weather.
Finally, as with treadmills, stationary bike settings allow you to adjust the intensity and track your effort.
Disadvantages of stationary bikes
It appears that one of the weaknesses of stationary bikes is the effect on weight management. For instance, one study by Shanb and Youssef(2014) found that weight-bearing exercises like squats, bench presses, and leg presses more effectively improve bone mineral density (BMD) than stationary cycling.
The researchers also found that loss of BMD is a symptom of osteoporosis, a chronic condition that increases your risk of fractures and similar bone injuries. It can drastically affect your health, especially as you reach older adulthood.
On a related note, indoor cycling doesn’t provide enough stimulus for long-term muscle building, which requires higher-intensity training with weights or similar tools.
Thus, if your goal is to optimize BMD and build muscle, you should supplement your cycling with resistance and weight-bearing training.
Finally, as with treadmills, if you enjoy exercising in nature, indoor stationary biking may not be as appealing as cycling outside.
Which burns more calories?
Most people do cardio because they want to burn calories. In comparing the calorie burn from treadmills versus stationary bikes, there is a need to consider the intensity and duration of the training.
For instance, one study by Falcone et al.(2015) found that running on a treadmill burns 8.18–10.78 calories per minute, and stationary cycling burns 7.98–10.48 calories per minute.
The same study found that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on a hydraulic resistance system can burn a whopping 10.3–15 calories per minute.
Hence, HIIT-style training will burn far more calories than steady-pace running or cycling. In perspective, this makes the calorie-burn difference between treadmills and bikes negligible for shorter workout times.
Take home
Before you choose any, you need to be clear on what you aim to achieve. But virtually, they all have a positive outlook on cardio health. Stationary bikes appear less expensive as compared to treadmills.
NB:
Prof. Nyarkotey has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations to justify his write-ups. My articles are for educational purposes and do not serve as Medical advice for Treatment. I aim to educate the public about evidence-based scientific Naturopathic Therapies.
The author is a professor of naturopathic healthcare and president of Nyarkotey College of Holistic Medicine & Technology (NUCHMT)/African Naturopathic Foundation. E-mail: [email protected]. Visit-profnyarkotey.com.
