Elliptical trainers are ideal if you're looking for a total body workout - as you work both your arms and legs during an elliptical workout.
Elliptical trainers also provide a very low impact workout which makes them great for any exerciser including those with knee problems or older athletes who don't want the impact on their joints
If you're buying an elliptical trainer, this elliptical buying guide lists the key factors to consider before buying to get the most value for your money:
Ellipticals range in price from $300 to $3000. It's up to you what you pay but just keep in mind that with elliptical trainers - price reflects quality - you get what you pay for.
Economy priced ellipticals are simply not built as well as higher quality ellipticals in the $900+ range and this can end up costing you in repairs, injury and an overall less effective workout.
You can however save money and not sacrifice on the quality of your elliptical by effectively cutting out the middleman and ordering directly from the manufacturer online. There are a few elliptical manufacturers who allow you to buy directly from them including Sole and Smooth
This is essentially the farthest distance between the pedals during the elliptical motion. Stride length ranges on ellipticals from 12 – 22 inches.
Stride length is important as a short stride length doesn’t fully work your leg muscles and doesn’t give you as effective a workout as longer stride ellipticals.
Cheaper ellipticals usually offer a 12 – 14” stride. For the average height person an 18"-20" stride is good. Taller people (over 5'8") or those who really like to pick up the pace may prefer a 20” or even a 21" stride.
Quality elliptical trainers will have a range of resistance levels. Look for a trainer that makes resistance changes simple (i.e. one-touch resistance adjustment) so that interval training sessions can be easily incorporated into your workout
Incline (also called Ramp) is not the same as resistance (almost all ellipticals have different levels of resistance.) Until a few years ago incline was only found on $4000+ commercial models however it's starting to make it's way into the home elliptical market now.
Incline allows you to automatically increase your workout slope so you work different muscle groups. This optimizes your workout and burns maximum amount of calories. Although incline isn't necessary to have, some people prefer it.
While you really don't need these for an effective workout, many people prefer them. They do help to provide resistance training for your upper body.
However make sure you don't have to lean over while using them which can diminish the effectiveness of your workout (this can happen on many of the cheaper elliptical models).
The user weight capacity can indicate the build quality of the elliptical trainer. High quality, solidly reinforced elliptical trainers will have higher user weight capacities than cheaper ones with wobbly bases.
While warranties range for different elliptical trainers, choose an elliptical with at least a one year parts warranty - preferably longer.
The length of the warranty is another indicator of the quality of parts used to build the elliptical machine.
Look for a crosstrainer that is specifically designed to stay quiet. A truly well designed elliptical trainer should be fairly quiet at all intensity levels.
While there are a range of different options here, it really depends on you. Do you want to see calories burned, speed, time, distance, incline? Do you want to see them all simultaneously?
One good rule of thumb here is to make sure the elliptical console is well lit so you can read it while you exercise.
Finally, when buying your elliptical trainer, remember to consider everyone who will be using it, their weight capacity, workout preferences and fitness goals.
By knowing these facts, you're way ahead of 99% of most elliptical buyers and well prepared to choose the best elliptical for you.
By purchasing direct from the manufacturer you can save hundreds of dollars on your elliptical trainer. For a list of our Top elliptical buys for this year, see our Best Elliptical Buys page.
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