<p>Has anyone researched at home elliptical trainers? Looking for a fairly compact one. Any thoughts appreciated.</p>
<p>I had one from Costco for a while. I found that it just wasn’t as sturdy as the ones at the gym. I felt “tippy” on it at times. I also needed the step of going to the gym to actually use it. Hopefully someone else has had better luck with them.</p>
<p>The least expensive home elliptical trainers that will hold up and provide a smooth consistent action/resistance are going to cost $800 - $1000. I would look at machines at chain sporting goods stores and at exercise equipment stores. Any less than that and you are going to get something that will not last or work well and consistently over time.</p>
<p>There are some websites that seem to do a decent job of reviewing them (google ‘elliptical reviews’) and they seem to echo what MichaelnKat said regarding cost and avoiding the cheaper ones at department stores.</p>
<p>Sorry, I don’t have any advice on it but I use a ‘Life Fitness’ one at work that seems pretty sturdy and decent but might be pricy and bulky. There may be more appropriate ones for the home.</p>
<p>I bought a Nordic Track elliptical after having owned and loved my NT treadmill. I have never really likes or used it like I have the treadmill. It just wasn’t as smoothe as the gym models and didn’t assemble very well ( even though my husband is very mechanical )</p>
<p>We got a NordicTrac “Commercial” one at Costco - it’s <em>huge</em> and weighs a ton. Nothing tippy about that thing! When we sell the house, it goes along with the sale because we’ll never get it back down the stairs. Brought it up in pieces and put it together in situ. I’m 5’8" and feel like I’m climbing up on a horse when I use it. The pulse thing is useless. My heart rate is somewhere between 68 and 214 depending on the whims of the machine. It has a clunky noise from one of the footpads, but other than that, it works and feels like the ones at the health club and nobody is spreading their sweaty staph germs on it.</p>
<p>Here’s two pretty reliable review sites: [The</a> Treadmill Sensei: Treadmill and Elliptical Rating and Review: The Third Annual Treadmill Sensei 2008-2009 Ichi-Ban Best Buy Awards for Ellipticals](<a href=“http://www.treadmillsensei.com/2009/01/third-annual-treadmill-sensei-2008-2009.html]The”>http://www.treadmillsensei.com/2009/01/third-annual-treadmill-sensei-2008-2009.html)
[Elliptical</a> Reviews : Elliptical Review - TreadmillDoctor.com](<a href=“http://www.treadmilldoctor.com/Elliptical-Reviews/Elliptical-Review-Brand-Index]Elliptical”>Treadmill Repair and Maintenance Services | Treadmill Doctor)</p>
<p>I own a SportsArt E81 that I am happy with (purchased locally with delivery & set-up) and use 2-3x/week.</p>
<p>For some reason, you can find a lot of “barely used” exercise equipment on Craigslist at great prices. ;)</p>
<p>A gym membership typically costs about $10/month in our area. For that you get the machines and weights and maybe multiple sites if it is a chain. The only piece of home equipment that I would shell out money for is a Concept rowing machine. With other equipment, there’s too much of a difference between gym and home quality.</p>
<p>I have a compact home version called the Eclipse that I bought online and put together myself about 1 1/2 years ago. It isn’t perfect (the bolts loosen alot on the handle bars- easy to fix though), but for the ~ $350 I paid, and use virtually every day, it has been great.
Whenever I have used a gym version if we’re away at a hotel, though, I see the major difference in quality. Nevertheless, mine serves it’s purpose just fine. Since I get home so late from work often, I’d never be consistent getting to a gym- I love just hopping on the thing at home and going!</p>
<p>I’m in the office right now. I came in at 10:00 PM to run a few miles on the treadmill and get some work done. My gym closes at 10 and it doesn’t always accommodate a family schedule so the office makes an okay backup. If I don’t have time to go to the gym or office, I use a weight set at home or do an exercise video.</p>
<p>When starting to get back into shape in February, I started out with the elliptical stepper. They have Precors in the office and at the gym which was perfect - it’s nice to not have two or three UIs to work with. I reached a certain level with the stepper and then went to the treadmill - I’ve always found that the treadmill or the track is the best way to improve cardiovascular health quickly - the downside is that it’s tough on your joints.</p>
<p>We need to worry about joints at ummm–our age. I think my days of pounding the tredmill are over anyway!</p>
<p>Thanks for all of the advice and review sites. I’ll share my research when complete. Brookstone has a really compact one. I usually like their products but this is very cheap ($250) for an elliptical so I’m a bit worried. Has anyone used or seen it?</p>
<p>BC, how do those health clubs make any money charging $10/mo?</p>
<p>“how do those health clubs make any money charging $10/mo?”</p>
<p>A few chains have popped up in our area so I think that they’re taking a volume approach. Some have introductory teasers of a buck for the first month and then ten after that.</p>
<p>The thing about gym memberships is that most of the members never use it. It’s similar to home exercise equipment. Most of the stuff winds up in the basement or garage.</p>
<p>BC I wanna belong to your gym. Ours is $50 per month! Agreed re: home gym equipment. I have always had better luck forcing myself to go to the gym. I saw a couple of buyers arguing over a treadmill at a garage sale once. I turned to one of them and told her, “just get the other person who wants it’s number and in two months you can probably buy it from her.”</p>
<p>IMHO, a compact trainer isn’t worth the money unless you are very out of shape and only want a minimal workout. The problem if you’re in that category is you’re unlikely to use it at home; studies show working out in a place with other people makes you work harder and cheat on it less. I think compact trainers are best for older people who want to get their joints moving and blood pumping a little without any impact. Trainers can help with balance and endurance for older people - though not as much as Tai Chi, which I highly, highly recommend for every aging person.</p>
<p>If the goal is to lose weight, a compact trainer will have no impact at all. A gym won’t either; weight loss requires a diet. Exercise will improve strength and aerobic condition but it is not a meaningful weight loss program - unless you take it to an extreme (and even people who train for marathons don’t lose much weight unless and until they commit to becoming full time runners).</p>
<p>If you’re interested in better personal fitness, you should consider strength as well as aerobics. Strength means better, denser bones - especially important for women and the elderly. Working with light weights dramatically improves coordination, particularly on stairs and uneven surfaces, and diminishes the impact of falls.</p>
<p>Sorry for the preaching.</p>
<p>“studies show working out in a place with other people makes you work harder and cheat on it less”</p>
<p>I think that the social aspect of working out is important. When you see others at work going to the gym or fitness center then you’re more likely to go.</p>
<p>“you should consider strength as well as aerobics”</p>
<p>I find that weight training generally reduces injuries as you age.</p>
<p>“Sorry for the preaching.”</p>
<p>Good post.</p>
<p>Anyone here try p90x? It’s pretty pricey but it looks intense.</p>
<p>I appreciate all of the input. My personal goal isn’t weight loss. It’s to shift my work outs to lower impact ones. I have a healing back injury that is forcing me to give up running for now and many of the sports I was involved in. Any other thoughts in addition to the elliptical appreciated. I do work out with light weights too.</p>
<p>So I guess a five foot plus long machine is a necessity for a real work out?</p>
<p>Wise words from Lergnom. I recently lost about 20 pounds and the only way to do it is eat less and exercise more. I find that going to a class at the gym really helps to stay motivated. I do spinning but everyone has their own preference. Lots of my friends swear by yoga or pilates.<br>
On the days I don’t spin I do cardio at the gym and light weight lifting with multiple reps.</p>
<p>We have a Diamondback 1180 ER. I have no idea what it cost, we’ve had it for a few years now. I use it 4 or 5 times a week and it’s very sturdy. It’s big, though. I actually haven’t seen an elliptical that could be considered compact but I’d be wary.</p>
<p>It’s anecdotal, but I know two people who purchased ellipticals and treadmills at the same time. Both stopped using their ellipticals once they got their fitness levels up and now use their treadmills almost exclusively.</p>
<p>H and I love our treadmill. He uses it every day. I prefer to run/walk outdoors daily, but I run on the treadmill whenever the weather is bad. Treadmills are easy on the joints if you walk instead of run and you can still get an excellent workout. My dad is 80 years old and he’s been walking four miles at 3.5 on his treadmill every day for about 10 years. He’s in GREAT shape–looks and acts twenty years younger. He’s had zero joint problems.</p>
<p>As for weight training and cardio, Verizon FIOS On Demand has an option called “Exercise TV” that has dozens of free exercise programs. Many are with well-known trainers. With such a wide variety of choices, it really helps cut down on the boredom factor.</p>
<p>“It’s anecdotal, but I know two people who purchased ellipticals and treadmills at the same time. Both stopped using their ellipticals once they got their fitness levels up and now use their treadmills almost exclusively.”</p>
<p>That transition happens at gyms too and it’s exactly what happened to me at the gym.</p>
<p>“H and I love our treadmill. He uses it every day.”</p>
<p>I like the instant feedback on performance and heartrate that the treadmill provides. I store my workout history including distance, total time, average speed and average time per mile in a spreadsheet so that I can plot my progress over time.</p>