Step To It

This past weekend I had the absolute worst case of food poisoning in my entire life. I'm talking going to the hospital for them to put an IV and fluids into me because I couldn't stay hydrated. No matter what I did. Yesterday, I finally was able to fully workout and eat normally again without feeling sick.

With that said I did 45 minutes of cardio on the elliptical and the stair master together. I usually do the elliptical almost every time I go to the gym, but the stair master is my worst nightmare. I decided to look up the differences between the two and this is what I found:

Elliptical:

Calorie Burning: 
Targets upper and lower body; more calories are burned on the elliptical. Can burn about 700 calories/hour.

Joints: 
Almost no impact; feet stay in contact with the pads throughout movement. Use of upper body also keeps joints mobile.

Aerobic Fitness:
Excellent cardiovascular workout. Research shows that 3 months of training, 3 days a week, improves oxygen uptake.

Muscles Worked:
Chest, triceps, biceps, hips, quads, hamstrings, calfs and lower shin.

Toned Bottom:
Targets the thighs, hips, butt. It works the bottom muscles less and targets front of thighs more.

Posture: 
Look forwarded stand tall throughout- no slouching! Place feet on center of the foot pedals.

Stair Master:

Calorie Burning:
A woman can usually burn 572 calories in an hour with good posture.

Joints:
More impact than the elliptical, but not terrible for your knees.

Aerobic Fitness:
Amazing for cardiovascular fitness.

Muscles Worked:
If good posture: calf muscles, gluteal muscles and hip flexors targeted on the stepper.

Toned Bottom:
If good technique, the stepper is excellent for firming your butt and working hip extensors muscles. Deeper your steps, the more powerful the effect on firming your butt.

Posture:

Keep your back upright and use your hands for balance, when (lightly) holding onto the handles.

http://www.superskinnyme.com/compare_elliptical_trainer_step_machine.html

As you can see, these are both awesome cardiovascular workouts and target mostly the same muscle groups. Either one is great, and for me personally, easier on my joints than running on the treadmill or outside!