Our budget-priced cross trainer machines and home fitness products let you squeeze more benefit out of your precious exercise hours by letting you set your routines as you want them.And do it at home. Yes, a good home elliptical machine CAN be had for under $500.  When used properly, the elliptical trainer is hard to beat for its wide range of motion, mega caloric burn, weight loss properties, low to moderate cost. Not to mention, the convenience of having an exercise machine in the next room.

What is an elliptical trainer?

An elliptical trainer (also cross trainer or simply elliptical) is a stationary exercise machine used to simulate walking or running without causing excessive pressure to the joints, hence decreasing the risk of impact injuries.

What is its main attraction?

Elliptical trainers offer a non-impact cardiovascular workout that can vary from light to high intensity based on the resistance preference set by the user.

more muscle groups

Regular users confirm that varying the stride length on the elliptical trainer can recruit a larger variety of muscle groups. Studies also showed that as the stride is lengthened, more calories are burned without any higher rate of perceived exertion by the user.

similar workout to a treadmill

The exerciser can expect to get the same amount of training from an elliptical as from a treadmill, though without the pounding.

Posture advantage
By using the elliptical without holding onto the hand grips, the user can improve his or her motor fitness and balance. In this position, the core muscles are held in a state of constant tension. This hands-free position promotes better posture.

How much should I pay?
Some manufacturers produce commercial models, which focus on durability and are made to withstand the more frequent use of the fitness club environment. These units typically sell for well over $4,000 (US), offering greater durability and programming than the typical home user would ever need. Friction belt models used to be cheaper than the magnetic resistance versions but this is no longer so. Smaller machines are usually less costly than big ones, too, yet can give you the workout you need.

  More on Ellipticals
Elliptical trainers reduce the stress and strain on your legs through an elliptical motion. Your feet never leave the pedals.
Foot Pedals: To further reduce the strain to your joints, many elliptical trainers are equipped with articulating foot pedals that conform to your stride.
Weight-Bearing Exercise: In comparison to a fitness machine like a stationary bicycle, an elliptical trainer provides you some weight-bearing exercise .

Dual Action Workout  What makes an elliptical trainer unique is the combined upper and lower body workout. In fact, there is no other fitness equipment that simultaneously works as many muscle groups. That is why an elliptical is usually called a cross-trainer.
The obvious benefit from exercising more muscles is that you tone more of your body.
Programs: Like a treadmill, elliptical trainers are equipped with a variety of challenging exercise programs, including hill-climbing and interval training. Beginners can select their preferred style. But fitness buffs are strongly recommending interval training, with short, (20-min) periods, but of gradually increasing intensity. When you compare treadmills to elliptical trainers, you can't help but notice how impact free the elliptical trainer is.

Elliptical cross trainers provide an elliptical movement that reduces the stresses and impacts associated with other forms of exercise such as running, or using exercise bikes and other types of fitness equipment. Elliptical Machines offer low-impact cardio workouts comparable to the old favorite, the treadmill. What separates it from the rest is the low-impact movement that allows you to raise your heart rate without compromising your joints and bones. The trainer is a great alternative for people who need low-impact exercise or for those who want to cross-train to avoid injury and burnout.
The aim is to control your exercise, and protect you from injury.
As well as protecting joints from strain, shear and compression type injuries,  elliptical trainers are designed to ensure that any movement requires minimal co-ordination, and involves a maximum proportion of the lower body large muscle groups in order to help promote aerobic fitness gains and efficient fat burning. The outcome of design studies was an elliptical or elliptic type movement, where the feet move through the curve of an ellipse, whose long axis is aligned roughly parallel to the ground. Thus, the cross trainer was born, and with the addition of upper body handles to work the chest back and arms, it quickly evolved into the elliptical trainer!

Summary

One of the best summaries of the benefits of going for an elliptical machine was published in the Washington Post (April 10, 2002) "Ellipticals Run Ovals Around Treadmills"
"Elliptical exercisers are combination stair climber/cross-country-ski machines. Your feet are on pedals, which move in an oval shaped motion. Your hands grasp handlebars that are moved back and forth with your arms. The machine resists the motion of your arms and legs."
"Elliptical exercisers provide the following benefits as compared to other forms of exercise:

• Ellipticals have oval-shaped pedaling motion, which is much easier on joints than running on a treadmill.
• Ellipticals provide a weight-bearing workout, which helps protect bones against osteoporosis. Pedaling an exercise bike, swimming or using a rowing machine are not weight-bearing exercises.
• Ellipticals are easy to use.
• Elliptical exercise burns a similar number of calories to treadmill exercise with the same amount of effort."

"Additionally, elliptical exercise provides:

• 40 percent more gluteal involvement than traditional machines
• Excellent knee range of motion, hip flexion and extension
• A body position that minimizes the aggravation of knee injuries
• A reverse motion that emphasizes hamstrings
• A forward motion that emphasizes gluteal involvement"

"In terms of aerobic benefits:

• People who used elliptical machines had lower rates of perceived exertion (RPE) than people who used other exercise machines
• Ellipticals promote the development and maintenance of cardiovascular fitness
• Ellipticals’ reverse motion allows more calories to be burned at a given speed and resistance"

Though gyms tend to deploy more expensive and durable machines to cope with constant usage and outsized exercisers, you can still get the benefits on a lighter type of home machine. A person of average weight (up to 200lb) ought to find no difficulty with mini-trainers.

Conclusions

It is fair to assume you will not receive the same value and quality when paying $200 as opposed to paying $5000 or even $1500. However, what are the chances you are going to purchase the $5000 professional cross trainer? These are typical of public gyms, health clubs, and fitness spas. By acknowledging both the benefits as well as the shortcomings of the lower priced cross trainers, you are able to make a better selection out of the elliptical trainers available, finding the trainer best suited to your personal fitness level.

elliptical workouts versus treadmills 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.
Overcome monotony Be honest: running in place tends to become extremely monotonous. 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  elliptical trainers may require you to manually change the resistance, at risk of interrupting your workout.

Display consoles  LCD displays and the monitor feedback are desirable. The standard monitoring featured is pulse rate, distance,
duration of workout, and calories burned. All of these measures, 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. See heart rate monitor page.
HRM's take heart rates, but do not measure the calories burned during a workout.  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. It is often an excuse for increasing the price without adding much value. 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 stability of the machine is another leading factor that requires attention.  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. Heavier machines have their drawbacks, though.

The materials used to construct cheaper machines wear more quickly. Over time, the hardware, being less durable, 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 cheaper materials involved, and the generally simpler designs, 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.

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.

Lastly, is the warranty period. 90 days is probably the best you can expect. A cheap elliptical trainer may 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.