Exercise Physiologist Weighs in On Elliptical Workouts

Women’s Health featured insight from Alexander Rothstein, M.S., instructor and coordinator for the exercise science program, in an article comparing the elliptical machine to running. Rothstein explains that, among other factors, while both are great forms of cardio, burning a similar number of calories, the biggest difference is impact.

“The elliptical is lower impact…which is beneficial if you’re trying to decrease strain on the joints, but the higher impact of running recruits a great degree of lower-body muscles since more force is needed to propel yourself forward,” he says. He also notes that the elliptical does some propelling work for the user due to its limited range of motion and momentum, which helps push and pull the pedals.

The article also appeared on AOL.com, Yahoo.com, and MSN.com.