People are choosing elliptical workouts over treadmills and cycling due to the low impact, but intensive cardiovascular workout. Focusing on lower body elliptical movement, your legs and heart muscles gain a beneficial workout. The same effect could be accomplished running in place without a machine, resulting in high impact exercising. Clearly, your body does the work of exercising, not the machine. This is why it is imperative that you choose a good quality machine that enables you to maximize the exercise you have chosen to perform on a fitness machine.

To be completely honest, running in place tends to become extremely monotonous. The cross trainers offer an impressive feature, varying resistant levels, that encourage a more intense elliptical workout. Although both inexpensive and expensive trainers are equipped with this feature, the higher priced and better quality cross trainers are preprogrammed to adjust the resistance level in random intervals during your workout. The lower priced and poor quality elliptical trainers may require you to manually change the resistance, resulting in interrupting your workout.

Compare the multiple features on the LCD displays and the monitor feedback as well. The standard monitoring featured is pulse rate, distance, duration of workout, and calories burned. All of these features, truthfully, have little or no reliability for accuracy. The chest strap heart monitor is, by far, a more efficient option offered on higher quality trainers, or available where exercise equipment is sold.

When figuring the calories burned during a workout, the monitor is essentially flawed. Your current weight and the intensity of your elliptical workout is what determines your calories. Therefore, if a person weighing 180 pounds works out at the same intensity as a person weighing 260 pounds, the higher weight person will burn more calories and unless the cross trainer is able to be programmed at your current weight, the results will be false.

Incidentally, the computerized system governing the monitoring of your calories burned, etc. would probably not function any differently on a lesser quality cross trainer than as an expensive model. It is a convenient “extra” but try not to depend on it as the determining factor in your final decision.

The stability of the machine is another leading factor that requires attention. The higher the purchase price often ensures better quality. Your height and weight will contribute to narrowing down your choices. If your are over 6 feet tall or over 175 pounds, you may want to consider a better quality cross trainer that is heavier and increases the safety usage level. Anyone under that height and weight may feel secure on a lighter cross trainer, weighing about 80 - 90 pounds.

The materials used to construct the lesser quality machines are undoubtedly low quality. The mandatory hardware, being low quality, will not perform as well. They will need additional tightening at later (possibly frequent) maintenance dates. You could opt to exchange the original hardware with better quality nuts, bolts, and washers if you care to invest your time in that way. Due to the low quality of materials involved, you will find it necessary to perform routine maintenance more often.

The warranty will also need to be carefully considered. On the lesser quality cross trainers, the customary warranty will only cover 90 days at most, as opposed to the better quality machines that offer a 1 year warranty for labor and a 3 year warranty for parts. The wisest course of action for any “noise” repairs, parts, or any malfunctions in general, would be dealing directly with the manufacturer.

Determining the amount of calories you burn in any exercise is a function of the intensity of the exercise and your current body weight. A 150 pound person will burn fewer calories per minute of exercise than a 250 pound person even if they match each other exactly in intensity. So unless the calories burned monitor on whatever elliptical trainer you buy has accounted for your current body weight it is almost certainly wrong. With the right information you can easily and accurately determine your calorie expenditure for any physical activity from a chart or with a quick calculation.

The bottom line here is that the monitoring system on a cheap elliptical trainer will probably be no worse than the monitoring system on a more expensive model, and unless you are willing to spend $2,000 plus for an elliptical trainer the monitoring system is only incidental and should not be a major consideration at all.

The primary limitation of cheap elliptical trainers then is their sturdiness, construction quality, and warranty period. If you weigh 250 pounds then you cannot reasonably expect an 80 pound elliptical trainer to feel solid under your feet. The same cheap elliptical trainer would probably feel very comfortable to a 125 pounder. Your height and body weight are the primary considerations here. An arbitrary cut off point for consideration of a cheap elliptical trainer may be more than six feet in height or more than 175 pounds of body weight.

Another primary consideration is your intended intensity of use. Most people can begin to achieve a cardio training effect at about walking speed plus half. That would be roughly equivalent to the pace of a 10 minute mile. If you do not intend to work your elliptical trainer much harder than that it will probably stand up to constant use. If you intend to pound the machine at the upper limits of your maximum safe heart rate that would probably stress a cheap elliptical trainer into breakdown.

Even with non abusive use, because a cheap elliptical trainer will by definition be built from cheaper materials, you have to expect to perform more maintenance. Supplied nuts and bolts will be lower grade, probably without adequate lock washers, and they will require occasional tightening. If you’re handy you can change out the hardware for fine thread bolts and nylon nuts during assembly. If the very idea of tightening a bolt and nut is beyond you then you must factor that into your decision making. Assume that a cheap elliptical trainer will require occasional lubrication and maintenance.

Lastly is the warranty period. 90 days is probably the best you can expect. A cheap elliptical trainer is going to be noisier to begin with than a gym model so put it through its paces early and listen for different or unusually loud noises. Deal only with a manufacturer and seller that will stand by their warranty if there is a problem.

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One of the benefits of using elliptical trainers is the amount of calories burned while working out. Because the feet never leave the foot pedals, the joints aren’t subject to impact. A running exercise with an elliptical trainer is comparable to jogging as far as the amount of calories burned, but without the jarring of the body joints. Elderly people and those with joint injuries will be greatly benefited by an elliptical trainer because of the very low impact on the body.

Another benefit of elliptical trainer is the chance to work out the whole body. As the upper body is getting worked out by moving the handle bars, the lower body is being exercised by the elliptical motion of the pedal. This will have the effect of toning flabby thighs and arms. Because the whole body is being worked out, the heart rate is increased thus higher metabolism is achieved. The elliptical trainer is programmed with different levels of training so that the user can choose the best work out routine - be it moderately easy or very intense. The elliptical trainer is safer to use because if the user stops, the elliptical motion stops too, thus eliminating the threat of a fall. This is not true with a tread mill.

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Most of my fitness equipment testing is at stores like Dick’s Sporting or Sports Authority. Testing equipment in these mass retail environments can be very revealing. That is due to the fact these machines are abused. You get a real sense of the durability of a particular model.

My experience is that the Horizon elliptical trainers do not hold up well under strenuous use. At least half the machines I tested had loose handlebars. Of course, all you have to do is tighten them, but few other machines had that problem. Some of the Horizon ellipticals developed squeaks, while others seemed less than stable. I

Small Stride Lengths

My biggest complaint about the Horizon elliptical trainers is the stride. Although this is not true with all their machines, I find many have a very small stride. I am average height, and when I get on the lower cost Horizon ellipticals, the stride seems short and restricting. It is less of an elliptical motion, and more circular. You tend to bounce. This is particularly true with the ellipticals that have the 14″ stride. They are designed for little people. The 18″ stride machines are preferable.

If you are shopping for a Horizon elliptical trainer, you will notice they have numerous models. They sell in two series, the Elite and the Horizon. On their web site, I counted 13 models. On Dick’s Sporting Goods site, I counted several more models that are not listed on the Horizon site.

If you were considering purchasing a Horizon, I would recommend staying away from the low-end models. Consider the CSE 4.6 or the EX44. Both are available at Dick’s, and have 18″ strides, with a nice range of resistance levels. Call first to see if the store in your area carries these models. You may also want to consider an extended warranty, particularly if you plan to use the machine extensively.

So should you purchase a Horizon elliptical trainer? It depends! If your budget is limited and you cannot spend more than $1,000, the Horizon is definitely a contender, and one of the better values. However, if you plan to workout regularly, and want quality and durability, you need to move up to the $1,500+ price range.

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When you a first learning how to use elliptical trainers, it is best to follow the manual that is supplied with the machinery and also to start slowly until you are sure of what you’re doing and what your tolerance levels are. Only then should you safely build up to a higher level and increase your activity. Although elliptical trainers are a very safe and low impact form of exercise, it is always best to check with your doctor before starting on the new exercise system. Elliptical trainers can subject you to a high level of aerobic activity and increased heart rate and although this is generally good for you, it is always worth checking with your doctor as to whether your health is good enough to start on a dynamic exercise program.

One of the best ways to learn how to use elliptical trainers, even if you have just bought your own machine, is to got to your local gym and use their machines. That way, you get used to using the machine into safe environment, where qualified instructors can tell you the best way to safely use the cross trainer and how to monitor your heart rate and extract the maximum benefits from your time on the machine. They can also tell you how long and what level you should start out at, how long you should exercise for, and also the best way to build up when your tolerance levels are higher and you want to progress further.

Another good way to learn how to use elliptical trainers, if you prefer to do it at home, is to buy an instructional video. Although you usually get instructions when you buy the machine, many people are much better at learning visually, and actually seeing somebody do the exercises and showing you how to use the equipment is the best way for some to learn the correct way of doing things. This is usually relevant to the cheaper machines as many of the more expensive ones are already supplied with a video to help you get started with your workouts.

No matter what method you choose to learn from it is a good idea to get some form of instruction so that you can safely get the best possible workout from your new cross trainer exercise equipment.

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Here are the primary benefits of elliptical exercise machines.

The elliptical is a true benefit as it saves a lot of your time. There are many people who are extremely busy and don’t really have time to spend hours at the gym. For them, ellipticals are a great way to stay in good shape. This machine saves money, time, and effort. An elliptical trainer provides a full body workout in less than 30 minutes. For people who just cannot squeeze in time for their body, but badly need to do so, the elliptical machine provides a program that works.

The elliptical trainer has a low impact and the fact that you do not need to be skilled in muscular activities also adds to its popularity. The reason why it has managed to have such an impact is the fact that it has the minimum risk involved while working out on it. It has an advantage that helps in comparison with heavy weights. An elliptical machine does not demand that you perform strenuous positions or that you put in strength to use the machine. Any kind of muscular level will help you to gain the benefits. The elliptical trainer is therefore so versatile that it suits all ages and all type of bodies. One elliptical trainer at home can benefit the entire family.

The elliptical trainer provides a cardio vascular solution and helps in the loss of body weight. It can strengthen your heart and lessen the chance of further problems in future. The chances of heart attack, heart disease, and stroke can be minimized. Apart from taking care of your heart, the elliptical trainer helps to increase your metabolic rate. An increased metabolic rate helps in faster burning of calories. It puts a temporary stop to weight gain and makes weight loss uniform throughout the body. Beneficial toning occurs in your back, arms, legs, and stomach.

Because of the incredible benefits of elliptical machines, you may find this kind of a workout to be an easy way to maintain a healthy body. Whatever your age and whatever your present level of fitness, there is an elliptical machine workout for you. It is easy to understand their growing popularity. You can maintain the fitness of your body with a minimum of financial and time investment.

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1. Mass Merchant

2. Fitness Specialty Store

3. On-line Distributor

4. Used from a private individual

I would discourage you from option 4 since quite frankly, it’s very risky to purchase a used elliptical trainer. By their nature, elliptical trainers can be expensive to repair and you most probably won’t receive any kind of warranty with a used elliptical. So be careful.

A fitness specialty store will carry the higher-end ellipticals costing upwards of $1000 and well beyond. They will carry light commercial to commercial-grade elliptical trainers such as Precor, Life Fitness, SportsArt, and others. These are excellent brands and I encourage you to at least have a look at them since quality is extremely important when considering an elliptical trainer. This will also provide a basis on which to judge other elliptical trainers.

You will most likely find knowledgeable sales people in fitness specialty stores, but not always the lowest prices. The salespeople typically work on a commission basis and you may find them to be on the aggressive side. However, don’t let that deter you from test-driving and researching ellipticals at these stores. Just don’t get pressured into buying just yet.

Mass Merchants such as Wal-Mart, Sears, The Sports Authority, and Dick’s Sporting Goods carry the lower-end ellipticals. You can find some good values here, but it’s extremely important to understand exactly what you’re getting. Elliptical trainers in this price range can wind up costing you more that you expect in repairs and down time. I don’t recommend any elliptical trainer that retails for under $500.

Though it may be tempting to go for that $150 elliptical machine from Wal-Mart, you may wind up regretting it soon after you get it home. The salespeople at these stores, though typically friendly, aren’t always the most knowledgeable about elliptical trainers and the quality behind them.

If you are sold on elliptical trainers from ICON Health and Fitness such as Nordic Track, Reebok, and ProForm then I highly recommend that you purchase it from Sears. In fact, you may want to purchase it from the Sears on-line store. You can even purchase your Sears elliptical on-line and pick it up at any of their retail stores. Sears has a good reputation for handling repairs and exchanges during the warranty period.

Some of the best deals on elliptical trainers can be found on-line. Besides frequent sales, on-line distributors often provide free shipping and free extras for ellipticals over a certain price. Having the elliptical delivered right to your door can be a huge help since you won’t have to schlep a large, heavy box home as is the case if you purchase from a mass merchant.

To best answer the question — “Where Can I Get The Best Price On An Elliptical?” — is to try elliptical trainers off-line and buy on-line for the best deals.

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