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Elliptical Machine Buying Guide

Here at Elliptical Machine Advisor we hope to provide you with all the advice, information and elliptical machine product reviews you need in order to select the best product for your needs. We are well aware that elliptical machines can be a big investment so it is important to make the right choice. They are not just a financial investment but also a way to improve your overall fitness and health.

body rider elliptical machineThere are several things that need to be considered when you are comparing the various elliptical machines on the market. Price often comes up high on the list so it is worth mentioning now. As you probably know there is a wide range of prices from around $500 at the low end to nearly $2000 at the high end. While it might seem that elliptical machines are expensive products, you have to guage the price against the list of benefits that they offer. For example they are one of the few items of fitness equipment that will exercise the whole body using low impact workouts. In comparison with other equipment such as treadmills, they are much safer and healthier to use for long periods.

Regarding operation you need to consider the two ways that resistance is generated. In other words the way in which the elliptical machine offers resistance against your actions in order to increase your work rate. The two types are magnetic friction and belt friction. You will typically find belt friction on low-end models. This is not to say they should be avoided altogether but there is no doubt that they are noisier and quite unreliable. Magnetic resistance however is available using manual, motorized and eddy current brake and offers much better and reliable performance.

Stride length is important as a few extra inches can make all the difference in your workouts. You should look for 17 or 18 inches as a minimum and ideally stride length should be adjustable so that it matches your height, and your partners if you intend to share the machine.

The console displays are available as LCD, LED matrix or sometimes a combination of both. You should look carefully at the keypad options which allow you to adjust the resistance and other program options. In order to get the most out of your elliptical workouts you also want a console with a high quality display that provides you with all the information you need regarding the calories you have burned, the average pace, elapsed time and even heart rate if available.

Make sure that your chosen elliptical machine has enough programs to keep your elliptical workouts varied and interesting.

Another thing to consider is the manufacturer of the elliptical machine. There is no doubt that there are some manufacturers that provide a superior quality in their equipment.

It can take a long time to fully research all the different elliptical machines that are on the market. For this reason we have taken only the best ellipticals in each price range and written detailed reviews on their operation and performance. This will save you a lot of time when you are balancing the pros and cons of one elliptical machine model against another.

Here are some links to some of the best elliptical machine manufacturers if you are interested in more information:

Schwinn
Proform
Staminaproducts
Horizonfitness
Nautilus

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Elliptical Machines vs Treadmills – Which is Best?

When it comes to fitness equipment some machines come, only to disappear as quickly as they appeared, but elliptical machines and treadmills are certainly here to stay. Therefore it makes sense to look at the pros and cons of elliptical machines vs. treadmills in order to highlight areas where each item of equipment is better or worse than the other.

Let’s have a look at these to popular items of fitness equipment to see which one comes out on top.

Elliptical trainers are still relatively new in comparison with most other fitness equipment. They are increasing in popularity though and although treadmills are still the most popular type of fitness equipment, the rate of growth of elliptical machine sales is now easily surpassing that of treadmills.

The biggest benefit, and therefore selling point, of elliptical machines is that they allow you to burn calories at approximately the same rate as jogging but without the associated risk of injury, particularly to the knees, hips and back that plague people who spend a lot of time jogging. On elliptical machines your feet remain on the pedals and so it provides a low impact form of workout. When you exercise on a treadmill however, your body must absorb the impact of the forces of your feet meeting the ground and this can take its toll on the leg joints in particular.

nautilus elliptical machine
Elliptical machines are therefore ideally suited to those who need a low impact workout such as people who are generally unfit, overweight or recovering from injury. Treadmills on the other hand are geared to people who enjoy the two most popular forms of exercising, namely walking and running. Treadmills can be configured to provide ideal workouts whether you happen to be a serious runner or just a casual walker.

You might think that because of the elliptical motion of the feet, elliptical machines are only geared to working out the lower body. The truth is very different however because elliptical machines also work your upper body because of the action of the handlebars, which help to exercise your arms and upper body in general. Treadmills on the other hand only work on the lower body so this is something to bear in mind if you don’t want to concentrate your workouts on the lower body only.

It sounds like elliptical machines are gaining the lead in this comparison and the next feature puts them even further ahead. Due to the fact that elliptical machines act on the upper and lower body you can achieve a higher heart rate more quickly and so it takes less time to get the same results.

Both types of equipment can be adjusted to match your personal fitness level. There is one area though where elliptical machines have a secret weapon. This is the fact that several studies have shown that the body is effectively fooled into thinking that the exertion is lower when using an elliptical machine. This means you can burn calories at a higher rate without suffering from the fatigue levels you feel when using a treadmill. This trick is called the ‘Rate of Perceived Exertion,’ and it is one of the main benefits of using elliptical machines vs. treadmills.

So which of these types of fitness equipment is the best? Obviously there are personal preferences to take into account. For example if running is your thing, then it is unlikely that you would choose an elliptical machine. When all aspects are taken into account, there is no doubt that elliptical machines offer the better workouts.

You might find the following links helpful:

Staminaproducts
Horizonfitness
Schwinn
Nautilus

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Elliptical Machine Workouts – Finding Routines that Really Work

proform elliptical machine

The benefits of elliptical machines can be seen best of all in the aerobic and cardiovascular exercise that they provide. While elliptical machines might look a little intimidating to start with, you will soon get used to them and you will find that they are not only easy to use but also provide a fun [...]

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Elliptical Machines – the Benefits of Elliptical Machine Workouts

horizon fitness elliptical machine

There is no doubt that elliptical machines continue to be one of the most popular items of fitness equipment. Several million have been sold in the twenty years or so since the first ellipticals appeared on the market. The reason for their popularity stems from the fact that they provide so many benefits. Some fitness [...]

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Do Elliptical Machines Work and Help You Lose Weight?

body champ elliptical machine

If you are thinking about buying an elliptical machine you might well be asking yourself the question, “Do elliptical machines work?” This is a rather open-ended question really because people want different things from their workouts. Some want to basically get fit and develop a muscular body, while others primarily want to lose weight. Let’s [...]

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