According to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, treadmills easily outpaced an exercise bicycle, a rowing machine and a cross-country skiing machine.
A group of volunteers at the Milwaukee Veterans Administration Hospital did a series of workouts on different machines, each time exercising at what felt like the same intensity. Researchers used a special device to measure the number of calories burned. "The treadmill allowed the individuals to burn as much as 200 calories per hour more than the bicycle ergometer, which came out having the lowest energy expenditure," said Dr. Martin Hoffman of the Medical College of Wisconsin.
