Elliptical
Trainer Buyer's Guide
Elliptical
Trainers are quickly becoming the most popular pieces of cardio
equipment for people to add to their hime gym.
What
makes a good elliptical trainer? How much should you spend
on a good elliptical trainer. I'll answer those questions and
more in my Elliptical Trainer Buyer's Guide.
Elliptical
Trainer Buyer's Guide inside tips in order of importance:
Price
(most important)
Shopping for an elliptical trainer and don't know how much to
spend? That's a common problem for most people. There are just
too many choices available today.
Unlike
treadmills, elliptical trainers are much more closely grouped
in price. Believe it or not, you can actually get a really good
elliptical trainer like Tony
Little's Gazelle elliptical trainer for around $200. If you
went into the local sporting goods store and asked to see a $200
treadmill, they'd laugh you out of the building.
To
get a quality elliptical trainer expect to spend in the neighborhood
of $300-600 dollars. That won't get you the top of the line ellipticals,
but you can do pretty well for yourself in that price range.
High
end elliptical trainers range in price anywhere from $600 to $2500
dollars. The high end machines offer very similar options and
features, so to get the best deal you really need to study each
elliptical trainer closely to figure out the pros and cons.
Comfort
and Adjustability
Most elliptical trainers don't offer much in the way of
adjustability. Some of the upper end ellipticals offer adjustable
pedals to vary your workout angle. I don't think this is a must
have feature, I have an older Nordic Track Elliptical Trainer
and haven't missed this feature at all.
One
of the features you should pay close attention to is the elliptical's
stride length. The stride lengths vary from 7" on the lower
end machines, up to about 21" on the better ellipticals.
The longer the stride length, the better. The short stride lengths
have a tendency to give a more up and down choppy ride.
I
think you'll find most of the elliptical trainers in my
reviews to provide a comfortable ride. They're definitely not
going to be as high impact as a treadmill workout.
Resistance
and Operation
Elliptical
trainers offer two forms of resistance. The first form of resistance
is the tension or friction on the flywheel. The second (and less
widely available) form of resistance is incline.
Most
elliptical trainers don't offer any incline adjustment.
So you're just left with how the elliptical machine delivers it's
resistance on the flywheel. Flywheel resistance comes in two forms:
Belt tension (cheaper models) and magentic resistance on the better
models.
Magnetic
resistance is the way to go here, it's much quieter than a belt
and will also hold up better over time. If you get an elliptical
trainer with magnetic resistance make sure to look for one with
the pushbutton magnetic resistance control. That way you can control
the resistance from the display console on the fly while your
working out.
Heart
Rate Monitor
With
the exception of the Gazelle
Freestyle, I wouldn't even consider buying an elliptical
trainer with out a heart rate monitor.
Most of the better ellipticals have a pulse grip sensor on the
upright handles so you can get a heart rate reading while your
working out. Some of the high end ellipticals even provide pulse
driven workouts that make sure you are working at your optimal
heart rate.
Display
Console and Built-in Workouts
The
display console is the heart of any elliptical trainer. A
good console can provide extra motivation and feedback while your
using your elliptical trainer.
If
you're shopping in the Under $300 price range, don't expect to
get a good console or many (if any) built-in workouts.
If
you don't think a good display console is important, take it from
someone who knows better.
My
old Nordic Track elliptical has a very minimal display (it's an
old machine) and the one gripe I have is that I can't get any
of visual cues about how my workout is progressing.
If
you have a good display console you can monitor exactly how your
workout is going and fine tune your upcoming workouts easier.
It also gives you additional motivation when you glance down at
the console and see you're almost done!
Built
in workouts are becoming a must have feature, but you won't get
any if you spend less than about $300.
The
built-in workouts are a great feature to have. You can vary your
workout based on different criteria. Some of the elliptical machines
from Icon Fitness even offer iFit compatible elliptical workouts
(see iFit detals here) you can get online.
Make
sure your elliptical trainer has built-in workouts. You'll
thank me later when you're still using your machine everyday,
while the people who bought the cheap elliptical trainers are
using them for coat racks.
That's
about all you need to know about elliptical trainers. I
hope you've found my Elliptical Trainer Buyer's Guide useful
in helping you make an informed purchase.
Go
see my Elliptical
Trainer Reviews where I review all of the most popular
ellptical trainers on today's market.
Need
Help? - requests@trainersecrets.com
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