Home Elliptical Trainers Buying Advice

Elliptical trainers, also called cross trainers, provide you with an effective cardiovascular workout that doesn’t put excess strain on your back or joints. Home elliptical trainers range in price from $200 to over $4,000 and you want to be sure that the money you invest delivers quality, safety and long-term enjoyment.

Getting the Most From Your Workout
Before you begin looking at elliptical trainers, you’ll need to think about what kind of workout you’re looking for. If you’re looking for a full-body workout, make sure you limit your options to models that offer handgrips to work your arms and upper body in concert with your lower body. Although the vast majority of elliptical trainers include handgrips, a few don’t—even in higher price ranges.

Elliptical trainers, like other cardio machines, may also come with several pre-set programs that allow you to select a specific type of workout (pre-programmed hills, fat burning module and targeted cardio programs along with a variety of manual settings). If think that manual programming options alone won’t keep you interested, you’ll want to seek out elliptical trainers that pre-define a variety of programs for you.

Some high-end elliptical trainers, particularly those made by Precor, offer an adjustable incline option that experts say can help you focus on specific muscle groups. The final workout-specific feature that you’ll want to review against your specific needs is the number of resistance levels the elliptical trainer offers, especially if you’ll have multiple users with varying levels of fitness using the machine.

User Size
The size of the intended user(s) is especially important when purchasing an elliptical trainer. Most elliptical trainers have a maximum weight limit; lower-priced models may max out at 250 pounds while top-of-the-line elliptical trainers can bear up to 400 pounds. The more solidly constructed the elliptical trainer, the more weight it can generally hold. Several of the Precor models are so sturdy they don’t have a maximum weight limit at all.

You’ll also want to know the height of everyone who will be working out on the elliptical trainer. User height affects the stride length or lengths you’ll need the elliptical trainer to accommodate. Generally speaking, the taller the person is, the longer the stride will be. Stride lengths on elliptical trainers range from 15 inches to 20 inches. Using an elliptical trainer with an inappropriate stride will, at best feel a bit awkward and at worst, could lead to injury. If you belong to a gym, try out the models they have to get an idea of how they accommodate your stride before making a purchase decision.

Engineering and Warranty
How your elliptical trainer is designed and built will contribute both to its effectiveness and its lasting power. One of the primary reasons the budget-priced models don’t typically earn high marks in consumer and professional testing is that they’re not very sturdy and don’t last long, which is probably why engineering quality and warranty quality seem to go hand in hand. Generally, the more you spend on your elliptical trainer ($1,000+), the better the warranty.

Warranties to avoid are those good for 90 days on everything; the best elliptical trainer warranties are lifetime warranties, one year on labor. Keep in mind that there are many varieties of warranties in between these parameters, so read that fine print carefully. Also note that as with most appliances and electronics, you will probably be able to purchase an extended warranty if you want the peace of mind, but make sure you evaluate the terms and conditions carefully. Extended warranties are usually offered by companies separate from the elliptical trainer manufacturer.

Placement and Storage
Knowing where you’re going to use your elliptical trainer and whether you need to store it when it’s not in use are key points in the buying process. If your dream elliptical trainer won’t fit in your workout area or can’t be stored easily, it won’t be much good to you.

Here again, spending more gets you more: expensive, higher-quality cross trainers are the largest and heaviest and therefore may be only appropriate for a dedicated home gym or other large room (ideally on the first floor). By contrast, some mid-range and budget-priced models are smaller, lighter and may actually fold up for storage. The bottom line: be sure to check a model’s “footprint” as well as its weight before buying.

Additional Features
Now that you’ve determined what kind of workouts you want and for whom, and found some models that fit your budget and your workout space, what about extras? Many elliptical trainers offer additional value-added features for fun, more effective exercising and convenience.

These include water bottle holders, MP3 players, heart rate monitors, auto-adjusting resistance, calorie counters and dual direction training (forwards and backwards) for working different muscle groups. If you’ve got weak ankles, you can find elliptical trainers with articulating foot pedals that minimize ankle strain. If you’re willing to spend the money, it seems the sky’s the limit when it comes to value-added features.