Comments (0)

By Toby, November 4, 2010 1:19 am

Since its release in the market the elliptical cross trainer also known as elliptical machine has become the biggest competitor of treadmills. It continues to gain popularity because it provides consumers with a good total body workout without the joint strain that is often acquired after using the treadmill. Various elliptical cross trainer manufacturers have gone with the flow of technology advancement through the innovations made with these fitness machines. At present, it’s common to encounter elliptical machines with MP3 player, adjustable stride length, and computer.

Functionality wise there’s not much difference between an elliptical cross trainer with a computer and the one without it except the additional attachment of a computer. This type of elliptical allows users to track their speed, calories, distance, and even time. This gives the consumer a better grasp and control of their workout. They can go faster or slower depending on the data provided by the computer. Because they can track the time and calories burned, they no longer have to guess how long they’ve been on the machine and how much calories they’ve lost. That definitely spells convenience. Aside from providing the client with data on speed, calories, distance, and time, an elliptical cross trainer with computer can also be used to have an individualized workout since this type of elliptical allows you to set your own workout program. Some models even have a heart rate monitor.

There are different brands in the market that offer elliptical cross trainer with computer. But most high-quality machines with this kind of feature are expensive with a price that could reach to a few thousand bucks. However, users on a tight budget who badly want this kind of elliptical can take advantage of Confidence elliptical trainer. This is one of the most affordable elliptical with computer that one can find in the market. At a price of $132.53, you could already have an elliptical cross trainer with 4-function onboard computer. Consumers though shouldn’t expect too much from this certain elliptical model as it doesn’t have the same quality offered by those brands that are way pricier.

Some individuals consider this computer add-on as merely a fancy feature, not really a necessity. But if you’re up for a brand new experience in getting fit, go ahead and splurge. Who knows, it might just be worth it.

Comments (0)

By Toby, September 1, 2010 6:00 pm

Using an elliptical trainer in the comfort and convenience of your own house can be a huge advantage over having to go to the gym. Not only does it make it easier to workout, it saves you money by avoiding the cost of fuel driving to the gym.

With that being said choosing the best elliptical trainer for home use isn’t as easy as it looks, sure you could buy one of the high end fitness club ones, but truth be told that may not be the best for your house.

Most fitness club quality elliptical trainers are simply overkill, they take up a ton of space(which is ok in a club but not at home) and they are made for nearly continuous use. Most mid range elliptical trainers are compact ellipticals and a of very good quality that can be used daily without fear of breaking down.

There are three elliptical trainer brands that I recommend for daily home use.

1) Schwinn Elliptical Trainers
2) Nordictrack Ellipticals
3) Proform Elliptical Trainers

I would highly recommend going to a local fitness store and trying out each of these brands to see which one you like best.

Each of the above have their benefits and drawbacks but for a mid level elliptical you cannot go wrong with any of these.

If you have a little more money to spend and enough room to store a little bit larger machine you could do one notch higher with an Octane elliptical trainer.

When taking price, storage size and quality into account Proform ellipticals are very reasonable and should be looked at first.

If space is at a premium, say you live in a small apartment but still would like to workout at home consider purchasing a folding elliptical trainer that will compact enough to stand in a corner or inside a closet.

Comments (0)

By Toby, July 8, 2010 2:32 pm

Consumer reports provides purchase advice and product reviews of many products including elliptical trainers. They have a buying advice guide that provides a ton of information similar to what we provide here, types of elliptical trainers, features, brands and shopping tips.

Consumer reports reviews are expected to be independent and non profit reviews, but sometimes you have to wonder if some companies have not slipped them some money to give a more favorable review to certain products over others.  Personally I think Consumer Reports is a good place to start with your elliptical review search, but you should also read other independent reviews, preferably by individuals who have owned and used the elliptical trainer for a decent amount of time.

The main advice Consumer Reports gives is to know your price range, stick to a budget, consider your space requirements and workout intensity.  After you define all of these targets you will need to review the various brands and find one that fits this criteria.

Purchasing from a well known company, and eliminating their lower end models should make sure you get a quality elliptical trainer that lasts you years to come.   Lower end elliptical trainers simply do not provide the quality workmanship as the mid range/high end elliptical do. For someone who is on a budget a mid range elliptical model is usually more than sufficient.

Some of the recommended/higher end elliptical trainers to consider:

Comments (0)

By Toby, June 16, 2010 7:24 am

Becoming familiar with consumer reviews are important before purchasing an elliptical trainer. Consumer reviews provide important details about various elliptical trainers on the market today which will help you determine which elliptical machine is best for your needs.

For example, if you are looking for a space saving or compact elliptical machine, something like the Stamina Inmotion E1000 elliptical trainer might be right for you, it fits right under your desk or easily slips into a corner of your room.

If you have some extra money to spend and want a gym quality workout then something like the Octane Elliptical Trainer might be best for you. While somewhat costly they are highly respected in the industry and will provide years of worry free workouts.

Without reading various articles and consumer reviews you would not be in a position to make a solid judgment of which elliptical machine would be worth investigating further as such costing you both time and money by possibly researching or purchase the wrong elliptical machine.

Some people may be unsure about what they need to meet their fitness requirements, they may not even be sure if they need an elliptical machine or a treadmill.

What important information should you look for when reading consumer reviews online?

I would first recommend you look at the date of the review, for instance if the review is a couple years old it may not apply, quality standards and materials could have change even for the same model elliptical trainer.

Next I would check that the person has actually used the elliptical machine more than a few days, many reviews on popular sites have reviews from consumers who have owned the machine for a week and only used it once. How can they give a fair an honest review?

Lastly, I would recommend you read reviews from a few different websites/sources, some webmasters are not honest with reviews so if you check with a few different sources you are more likely to notice common comments or trends which makes it more accurate.  Consumer reports is also a good place to read up on the various machines and they are well respected for their reviews and opinions.

Comments (0)

By Toby, June 9, 2010 9:38 pm

One of the biggest problems many people who want to work out at home is lack of space, nobody wants to have fitness equipment where you have to dedicate a full room in your house or apartment to store them.

Elliptical trainers provide some of the best workouts possible, but they are also space hogs, while in recent years they have become slightly smaller, even collapsing or folding to store, the Stamina Inmotion elliptical has taken ease of storage to a new level.

This elliptical fits easy into a closet, it does not have the arms or front console that standard ellipticals have.

Awesome Cardio Workout

The Stamina Inmotion E1000 is perfect for those of you who want a solid cardio workout without having to take up a lot of space.

Seeing the size of this “mini” elliptical many people are worried about losing certain important features. Some important features still available are the foot pedal direction, this elliptical offers forward and backward direction just as the standard size ones do, it also features an electronic monitor that will track your total strides per workout, calories burned and even strides per minute.

This elliptical still provides a complete workout avoiding the need for you to go jogging and risk hurting your ankles, knees and hips.

Durability

The Stamina Inmotion E1000 is comes with sturdy steel construction, non-slip pedals for safety and monitors the details of your workout.

Ease Of Use

Simply open the box and get started on your workout, the only adjustment you need to make is balancing properly the first time you use it because there are no front rails to grab onto to balance yourself.

For the best price on the Stamina Inmotion Elliptical check out our store below, for optimal customer satisfaction and ease of ordering all orders are processed and shipped by Amazon

Stamina 55-1610 InMotion E1000 Elliptical Trainer

Get an effective, low-impact workout with the innovative and uniquely compact Stamina InMotion E1000 Elliptical. This perfectly sized workout companion…

Rating: 4.0 / 5.0

Comments (0)

By Toby, May 21, 2010 7:23 pm

Probably the second most frequent question I get is which machine burns more calories.  I briefly touched upon this in the article treadmill vs elliptical trainer, but I wanted to dedicate a full article to it.

What burns more calories treadmill or elliptical? While there is an argument for either one, I believe the points below will help clarify:

Treadmills:

As you probably know treadmills have varying speeds, so if you are walking on a treadmill you are going to burn less calories than if you are running on a treadmill.  Other factors also come into place such as your level of fitness, your age and even your weight.

Walking the calorie burn is calculated by taking .30 x your weight and running is .60 x your weight. So as you can see for the most part running will burn more calories than walking.

Elliptical Trainers:

Elliptical trainers are obviously different than treadmills, they have less impact on your joints which for most people means that you can workout longer without hurting your body.  These longer workouts can help you burn much more calories.  The key here is not everyone can workout longer.

Buying the right machine and reading elliptical reviews to make sure an elliptical trainer is right for you is important.

A half hour workout on an elliptical trainer burns approximately 450 calories.

Final Say:

As you can tell there is no one answer which is best. Ultimately you have to make the decision because no matter which one you buy if you do not use it you will not burn any calories. So the question is which machine will you use more frequently and is more convenient for you to use over the long term.

If you have certain joint issues an elliptical trainer might be better for you, while if you have balance issues a treadmill might be best.

These are all things you have to consider before making your buying decision.

Comments (0)

By Toby, May 19, 2010 11:36 pm

Anyone shopping for an elliptical trainer knows that you can find prices anywhere from a couple hundred dollars to approaching $10,000 depending upon the brand of elliptical trainer you are looking for.  Most companies also produce low, mid range and high end models that target different segments of the elliptical market.

Most of the high end elliptical trainers are for fitness clubs or individuals who have the extra money to spend on a club style elliptical trainer.  For the average person who does not have the extra money to spend on an elliptical machine that could cost as much as a small car they usually settle with a mid range or lower end elliptical.  This is just fine, especially if you are new to working out.  Sadly, the vast majority of people who first start working out to not keep up with it after the first few weeks.  When you are new to it, it is best to buy a lower end machine and upgrade once you see it is something you will continue with after the first year.

Another thing to consider is are you going to by a new or slightly used machine?  While buying a new one would be nice, often you can get a used one for nearly half the price. This is great since you can usually go from being able to afford a lower end new one to a slightly used mid range one for about the same price.

Start your search on the internet, you can look on Ebay or Craigslist to search out reasonable prices on used machines. Amazon even has a section where you can find people selling used models. Prior to buying any machine it is recommended that you read elliptical reviews online.  Also keep in mind if you buy something used online you are responsible for the shipping costs, therefore it is ideal to buy something that is somewhat close to you.

Shopping local is a good idea as well, not only do you save on shipping costs but the money stays within your local economy.  Craigslist usually has a local site for your region you can start their but don’t forget to check out your local newspaper classified ad section. Cheap elliptical trainers are usually plentiful their.  Lastly, consider looking on public display boards, you often find these in the entrance ways of local stores where people can post things for sale, business cards etc.. People will often put their used fitness equipment ad on their to sell it.

Comments (0)

By Toby, March 1, 2010 2:13 am

If the belt has broke on your elliptical trainer the first step I would take is to find your owners manual. This should have a parts list that will give you the part number and description of the part you need. Sometimes elliptical replacement parts can be hard to find. I would recommend looking inside your manual to see if they give a parts hotline number. You can call this number and more than likely order the part over the phone.

If you do not have a number for the company, you can try searching online. Some companies do not sell replacement parts directly to the consumer, you have to go through a fitness equipment repair shop. Repair shops are few and far between, so if you do not live in a large city you may have to go outside your local area to find one.

Another option is searching online. If you search for elliptical repair parts you should be able to find a decent selection for most brand elliptical trainers.

Some really low end ellipticals simply do not have any replacement parts, that is part of the reason you should buy a slightly higher end elliptical trainer.

The costs of these repair parts can be fairly significant because the companies know there are limited places to obtain them.

Once you track down the belt for your elliptical trainer you need to order it and have it shipped to you. In most cases if time is limited you can have it overnighted.

Once your receive the belt take the side foot platform off and then the side panel. Remove the old belt and compare it with the new one to make sure it is similar. The old one might be slightly large as they wear out and stretch over time.

Gently place the new belt on the spindle and attach the other side to a pulley looking part.  It may take a little struggle because it will fit really tight.  Once it is on replace the side panel and foot platform.

Remember to always check for specific related to your brand elliptical trainer, each one is slightly different.

Comments (0)

By Toby, January 26, 2010 1:34 am

Ironman elliptical trainers are some of the most durable elliptical trainers on the market today. They are well respected by individuals who own them as well as fitness professionals who swear by them.

Currently IronmanFitness produces five different elliptical models, the 1811, 1815, 1840, 1850 and 1860.  Each model offers a different combinations of benefits and features for a very affordable price.

Ironman 1811 Elliptical Trainer

The complete value machine the 1811 offers a compact design and high end electronics for an affordable price. This machine is great for home owners because of its compact nature it does not require a whole room.

The compactness is available because it offers a front drive design that takes up a very small footprint but allows for a smooth and very fluient use.

Do not let it’s compact size fool you, it offers thicker than normal frame, industrial strength belt drive system and frictionless magnetic resistance.

Features:

16″ Stride

LCD Electronics

Textured Foot Pedals

8 Resistance Levels

250 Weight Limit

Comments (0)

By Toby, January 8, 2010 5:07 am

If you have been working out for a decent amount of time you are sure to find that daily use of a treadmill can produce a lot of pain in your ankles and knew joints.

Say hello to elliptical trainers!  Elliptical trainers are the solution to avoiding pain in both your knees and your ankles.

That is a really important thing to consider when thinking about a treadmill vs elliptical trainer.

How is there a difference you ask?

Treadmills your foot leaves the treadmill  belt and then comes back down striking the belt over and over as your workout continues. While on an elliptical trainer your foot always remains in contact with the elliptical foot rest.  This means by using an elliptical trainer you are getting very little if any impact on your joints.

That is why elliptical trainers are great for people with bad knees(maybe from a sport injury), or older people who suffer from chronic joint pain.

Treadmills are also easy to get injured on if you are not careful and stumble, the treadmill will throw you right off. Elliptical trainers because your feet are staying in one spot it is nearly impossible to fall of the elliptical machine.

If you are experiencing knee pain you should immediately stop any activity that causes the pain and make an appointment to discuss with your doctor. By avoiding the doctor or continuing to workout you could cause serious injuries that may require surgery and or physical therapy.

Which will delay your ability to work out and may even have consequences that prevent you from ever feeling completely the same again.

If you have any questions please feel free to ask below in the comments section I am more than happy to answer any questions you may have.  Take care everyone!