Exercise Questions - Is The Elliptical or Treadmill Better?

Exercise Question:
Is the elliptical machine or the treadmill better for losing fat in my thighs, hamstrings, obliques and abdomen area? Which one of these machines will firm and lift my glute area?

Exercise Answer:
If the intensity is the same on both machines, then the elliptical machine is much better. The reason is because you're using more muscles during the exercise, as long as you make sure to use the arm movement when you're doing the elliptical. The more major muscle groups you use doing an exercise, the more overall calories you will burn during the session. This is the reason why cross country skiing, swimming and jumping rope are such great exercises. The calories you burn during these all body movements is staggering.

When you lose body fat, it will come from all over your body. When I hear someone say, " I want to lose fat in my hips and thighs", this triggers thoughts of "spot reducing". The term "spot reducing" really does not work. You can't reduce fat from one specific area on your body. You should focus on burring calories via cardio and you will start dropping body fat from all areas.

For specifically "firming" up your thighs, hamstrings and glutes, I would recommend weight training and focusing on barbell squats for reps of 12-15. This will truly "firm" up this area because lean muscle is hard and body fat is soft, so focus on weight training to build the muscle and cardio to drop the ugly fat. You can review the barbell squat here:

• Barbell Full Squats

For your abdominals, here is one of the best exercises I recommend:

• Exercise Ball Crunches

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