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One of the great options when looking for home workout machines is the elliptical. Discover these 6 best elliptical machines.
How good are elliptical machines?
Ellipticals are great cardio workout machines.
Their main advantage over for example treadmills is that they are less heavy on your body. When running body parts, like your knees and back, can take a bit of a hit. The more you weigh the harder.
You can start out with less intense exercise like for example walking. However, that kind of exercise burns a lot fewer calories than spending time on an elliptical machine.
A 155-pound person can expect to burn around 335 calories by spending 30 minutes on the elliptical (1).
Like with all cardio exercises, this is a very general estimation. Intensity matters a lot.
Discover the 6 best elliptical machines to buy so you can get in a workout that has the intensity of a running workout without the intense pressure on certain body parts.
Best Overall: Schwinn 470 Elliptical Machine
Choosing the best overall elliptical machine is always a bit of balancing between how important the extra benefits are compared to the extra investment this requires.
In the end, the most important thing is that you get an awesome elliptical trainer on which you can exercise time after time. This is exactly what the Schwinn 470 elliptical machine can do for you.
The adjustability of stride and incline has some room for improvement but this does make it so the price is a lot lower than fancier brands who do include this.
What you do get is a great medium-priced elliptical machine with 25 different levels of resistance, 29 different programs, and four different user settings.
On top of that, you get BlueTooth connectivity so you can track your exercise in your favorite apps, a USB charging port, speakers, and a fan to keep you at the right temperature.
Details
- Dimensions: 70 x 28 x 71 inches
- Maximum User Weight: 300 pounds
- Weight: 186 pounds
- Incline: 0-10 degrees
- Stride: 20 inches
- Resistance Levels: 25
- Programs: 29
- Warranty: Ten years on frame, two years mechanical, one year electrical, 90 days on labor
Best Overall Runner-up: Sole Fitness E35 Elliptical Machine
The overall runner-up is the other side of the coin. It’s the best price for all the magnificent features you get.
This machine provides you with good adjustability. For example, by changing the incline you can change the muscles you focus on during your workout. You also get 16 different resistance settings and a changeable stride.
The Sole Fitness E35 Elliptical Machine is a very flexible option with all the premium features you can expect on a more higher-end machine.
Speakers, ipod plugin, strap-on heart rate monitor and cooling fan to control your temperature. You can also upload your workouts through bluetooth to your favorite smart devices to track on your workout app.
If you’re searching for a wide variety of workout programs this elliptical machine might not be right for you. It has a “small” collection of 10 workout programs.
Details
- Dimensions: 71 x 27 x 68 inches
- Maximum User Weight: 375 pounds
- Weight: 200 pounds
- Incline: 0-30 degrees
- Stride: 20-22 inches
- Resistance Levels: 16
- Programs: 10
- Warranty: Lifetime on frame, five years on parts, two years on labor
Best Under $700: Nautilus E614 Elliptical Trainer
This elliptical machine is for the people who don’t need to many bells and whistles but still want a great piece of workout equipment that will last for years to come.
The Nautilus E614 Elliptical Trainer comes with 20 different levels of resistance and 22 workout programs. Again you also get the built in speakers, usb media charging and fan with different speeds.
There is a less convenient part of this elliptical machine. If you want to change the incline level to one of the other 6 options, you will have to do this manually. All in all that’s not the end of the world but you will have to interrupt your workout for a bit if you want to do this. Other more advanced elliptical machines allow you to do this during your workouts electronically.
Details
- Dimensions: 50 x 34 x 22 inches
- Maximum User Weight: 300 pounds
- Weight: 165.3 pounds
- Incline: 0-11 degrees
- Stride: 20 inches
- Resistance Levels: 20
- Programs: 22
- Warranty: Ten years on frame, two years on parts, one year on electronics, 3 months on labor
Best Budget: Body Rider BRD2000
Money does play a role when choosing your elliptical machine. That’s why this budget option is included in the list.
The Body Rider BRD2000 is a lot more simplistic than the other elliptical machines. However, this simplicity also makes it a lot more affordable.
The electric console is not very big but it gets right to the point with time, distance, speed, and an estimation of calories burned.
Mostly taller people might experience downsides to this elliptical trainer. Users report that the arms of the device come too close to their bodies during the workout. The seat that comes with this machine is also on the hard side. If you plan on using this one as an elliptical that’s not really a problem. If you do plan on using it that way you can replace the seat if needed.
It doesn’t have the adjustable parts or the workout programs of other elliptical machines. However, this inexpensive elliptical machine will make you able to do your cardio workout that’s not too hard on certain body parts.
Details
- Dimensions: 48 x 28.5 x 59.5 inches
- Maximum User Weight: 250 pounds
- Weight: 66 pounds
- Adjustable tension knob
- Warranty: One year on frame, 90 days if used for intended purpose on parts
Best Small Space Option: Sunny SF-E905 Elliptical Machine
Not everyone has room for a spacious home gym. That’s why a smalle space elliptical machine option has to be on this list.
The Sunny SF-E905 is a great compact option to get in your cardio workout without putting a lot of pressure on your knees.
It’s not the most technologically advanced elliptical machine there is but it has the essentials. A digital monitor that shows distance and time and a heart rate monitor so you can see just how intense your workout is.
This machine also has 8 levels of resistance so you can change it up a little.
Details
- Dimensions: 28 x 17 x 57 inches
- Maximum User Weight: 220 pounds
- Weight: 61 pounds
- Adjustable tension knob
- Warranty: One year on frame, 90 days on other parts
Best Under Desk Option: Stamina In Motion E1000
For people who like the idea of an elliptical machine for a workout but don’t always have the free time for an elliptical workout there is also an option.
There are “under desk” options so you can be a little more active whenever you’re sitting down for extended periods of time.
One example of a group of people who can really benefit from this Stamina In Motion E1000 are people with a desk job. However, it’s also just great for when you’re watching tv or sitting anywhere else.
It’s true that you can also use this one standing up. However, if you’re looking to get in a complete workout this elliptical machine is not for you. The strides are on the small side and you don’t get the upper body workout of other “real” elliptical machines.
It does have a little interface with the number of strides, exercise time, and estimation of calories burned. An adjustable tension knob is also present.
All in all, a great way to get some extra movement every day.
Details
- Dimensions: 24.5 x 17 x 11.4 inches
- Maximum User Weight: 250 pounds
- Weight: 24 pounds
- Adjustable tension knob
- Warranty: One year on frame, 90 days on other parts
