Whether in the spheres of sport, work or study, it seems a natural human tendency to make comparisons.

If we weren’t interested in who is better than who, or who is the best, then spectator sports would likely suffer a truly fatal blow in both viewership and participation. Indeed, we would suddenly become significantly less interested in pretty much anything that involves ‘getting ahead’.

It seems natural, therefore, to compare ‘things’ too and not just people. Products, services, even pieces of art come under our scrutiny.

A couple of weeks ago, I received an enticing query along these very lines. A recurrent theme seems to be, which exercise is better than which, or which machines we might choose for our home gyms or other facilities to the exclusion of others.

Thanks to this query, we have a bit of a contest on our hands today between two of the most popular exercises ever to grace cardio theatres across the world. We stack side by side, head to head, the treadmill versus the cross trainer.

Allow me to set the stage. Roderick is a runner. He runs daily on his treadmill at home. The ‘gym reaper’ has, however, finally crept up on the unsuspecting device, leaving Roderick with a busted treadmill and no means to train at home.

Before rushing out to buy a new one, Roderick is considering acquiring a cross trainer instead. He has been told more muscles are engaged and more calories are burned. So which is it to be?

What are the similarities and differences? An interesting scenario, so let’s see who might win the fight this time. My questions to Roderick or anyone in a similar predicament would be: are you already doing most of your running in conditions similar to those you compete in (such as outdoors), with your home training simply constituting extra supplementation to this? Or is the training you do at home the major part of your regimen?

If your home training represents the foundation of your regimen, then the treadmill definitely wins our first round.

Cross training adds a different stimulus for the body, challenging it in ways that differ from running

The principle of specificity tells us that the more similar your training is to the activity you are preparing for, the better your results will be. Simple enough.

If, on the other hand, you are already doing most of your running outside, or at least in competition-specific conditions, then the cross trainer gets up off the canvas and deals a compelling counter attack.

As the name of the exercise suggests, cross training adds a different stimulus for the body, challenging it in ways that differ from running, boosting interest and motivation by adding some variety to your routine. So let’s delve a little deeper for the next couple of rounds.

Both exercises are performed in a standing position, which is worth noting, because this means they are both weight-bearing, functional and target the body as one unit, forcing the muscles to work together in one concerted action. They also target the same major muscle groups, so they’re neck and neck so far.

The crucial difference is that running on a treadmill produces impact forces on the joints, while striding on a cross trainer doesn’t. Impact is good. It forces the muscles, bones and joints to adapt, but like anything else, in excess, it can do more harm than good.

So once again, if the bulk of your training is performed outdoors, you’ll want to ease impacting forces on the joints and opt for the cross trainer. If your home training is the focal point of your efforts, then you’ll want to condition your body for running with impact forces and all. Still pretty close.

OK, so how about something more measurable to set these two contestants apart? What about the calorie count? Which burns more?

Consider that burning plenty of calories depends more on the method of training you use, how intensely you work and how long your training session lasts, rather than the exercise/s you choose.

That said, stacked side by side, one could argue that the cross trainer actively engages the major upper body muscles more than running does, so more muscles in use means more calories burned, and quicker. Ouch, a cunning blow dealt by the cross trainer there.

But wait, there’s one last round. Can the treadmill claw its way back into the fight when it comes to practicality? Both machines have moving parts that cause friction and require lubrication and maintenance. I put the cross trainer ahead again here. Treadmills usually work with electricity since an electrical motor is required to revolve the belt. What’s more, the belt often sits on a bed that tends to seize up if not greased regularly.

So the final bell tolls, and as referee I suggest the cross trainer a hard-fought victor. Roderick, make sure competition-specific running is the focus of your training and, if you want extra fitness training, calorie burning and a little variety, I’d opt for the cross trainer. Good luck!

matthew.muscat.inglott@mcast.edu.mt