Did you know elliptical machines will be the top choice for home workouts in 2024? The NordicTrack AirGlide 14i is the best overall elliptical. The NordicTrack FreeStride Trainer is the most unique, and the NordicTrack Commercial 9.9 Elliptical is the best value. This guide will show you how elliptical machines can change your home fitness routine.
Key Takeaways
- Elliptical machines offer a full-body, low-impact workout that can improve cardiovascular fitness and endurance.
- This guide covers the history, key components, and tips for choosing the right elliptical for your home gym.
- Strategies for creating an effective elliptical workout routine, including HIIT, resistance and incline variation, and targeting upper and lower body.
- Considerations for test-driving ellipticals and understanding the differences between front-drive, rear-drive, and center-drive models.
- Maintenance and safety tips to ensure your elliptical machine remains reliable and safe for long-term use.
Introducing the Elliptical Machine
The elliptical machine is now a key piece in both home and gym settings. It offers a low-impact cardio workout that works the upper and lower body. Larry Miller invented it in the early 1990s. He aimed to create a machine that gave a top-notch cardiovascular workout with less effort than other gear.
The Purpose and History of the Elliptical
Larry Miller made the elliptical to help his daughter improve her heart health without harming her joints. He noticed how she moved and built a machine that copied that motion. This motion is gentler on the knees and ankles.
Later, Precor worked with Miller to improve the elliptical. They found it gave a great cardio workout but felt easier. This made it perfect for those wanting a gentle exercise option.
| Key Facts | Details |
|---|---|
| Elliptical Origins | Invented in the early 1990s by Larry Miller |
| Elliptical History | Precor collaborated with Miller to research and develop the elliptical design |
| Low-Impact Cardio | Ellipticals provide a high-quality cardio workout with significantly lower perceived exertion |
| Precor’s Contribution | Precor’s research confirmed the benefits of the elliptical for users seeking a low-impact exercise |
| Precor Model | The Precor EFX 544 is a popular elliptical model |
The elliptical is now a top pick for those wanting to boost their heart health and fitness gently. Its special design and Precor’s thorough research have made it a trusted low-impact cardio choice.
Key Components of an Elliptical
When picking an elliptical for your home workouts, it’s key to know what makes it perform well and feel good to use. These important parts are the drive system, frame, stride length, resistance, and electronic features.
Drive System: Front vs. Rear Drive
Ellipticals have two main drive systems: front-drive and rear-drive. Front-drives make you push the flywheel, working your quads. Rear-drives make you pull the flywheel, focusing on your hamstrings and glutes. The choice affects how the workout feels and how effective it is.
Elliptical Frame Construction
The frame of an elliptical is crucial for its stability, lasting power, and how it feels to use. Good frames are made from strong materials like steel or aluminum. This ensures a solid and smooth workout.
Stride Length
Many ellipticals let you adjust the stride length to fit your body and what you like. Finding a stride length that feels right can make your workout better and more effective.
Resistance System
The resistance on an elliptical sets how hard your workout is. Top elliptical machines offer many resistance levels. This lets you change the challenge to meet your fitness goals and where you are now.
Electronic Options
Modern ellipticals often come with cool electronic features like workout programs, heart rate tracking, and data tracking. These features can make using the elliptical more fun and help you reach your fitness goals.
Knowing about these key parts of an elliptical helps you pick the best one for your home workouts.
| Feature | Front-Drive Elliptical | Rear-Drive Elliptical |
|---|---|---|
| Muscle Engagement | Quadriceps | Posterior Chain |
| Stride Length | Typically Shorter | Typically Longer |
| Stability | May be Less Stable | Generally More Stable |
| Footprint | Typically Smaller | Typically Larger |
“High-quality elliptical trainers are designed to offer a relatively low perceived exertion, encouraging users to exercise longer.”
Choosing the Right elliptical for Your Home
When picking an elliptical for your home, think about your fitness level, space, budget, and what you like. The features of an elliptical greatly affect how well it works and how you feel using it.
Look at the drive system of the elliptical. Front-drive ellipticals, like the Precor EFX 544, and rear-drive ellipticals work your muscles differently. Rear-drive ellipticals are thought to be more efficient because they work your hamstrings and glutes more.
Stride length is very important too. Elliptical strides usually range from 16 to 20 inches. A 20-inch stride fits people from 5 feet, 3 inches to 6 feet, 5 inches tall. The NordicTrack SE9i elliptical is 80 inches long but can fold up to save space.
Resistance types include air or magnetic. Magnetic resistance can cost more, depending on the system. Also, ellipticals can have programs that cost $10 to $40 a month for services like iFIT by NordicTrack and ProForm.
To pick the right elliptical for your home, try out different models if you can. Talking to experts or using virtual assistants can also help you choose the best elliptical for your workout area.
| Elliptical Model | Price | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| BowFlex Max Total 16 | $2,499 | Best elliptical overall |
| Schwinn 470 | $1,099 | Most comfortable elliptical |
| Teeter FreeStep LT3 Recumbent Cross Trainer and Elliptical | $859 | Best elliptical for knee pain |
| ProForm Carbon HIIT H7 | $1,299 | Best elliptical for smaller spaces |
| Nautilus E618 | $1,399 | Most classic elliptical |
Think about the key features and what you need to find the best elliptical for your home workouts.
Creating an Effective Elliptical Workout Routine
Creating a good elliptical workout plan is key to reaching your fitness goals. Start with 15-minute sessions if you’re new to elliptical workouts. As you get fitter, you can do 30 minutes or more. Those who are more experienced can aim for 45- to 60-minute elliptical workout routines to push their heart and muscles.
Determine Workout Length Based on Experience
- Beginner elliptical workouts: 15-30 minutes
- Intermediate and advanced elliptical workouts: 45-60 minutes
Incorporate Warm-ups and Cooldowns
Adding warm-up and cooldown periods is vital. They get your body ready for exercise and help your muscles recover. Start with a 5- to 10-minute warm-up at a low resistance. Finish with a 5-minute cooldown to make your elliptical workout routine more effective.
| Workout Phase | Duration |
|---|---|
| Warm-up | 5-10 minutes |
| Elliptical Workout | 15-60 minutes |
| Cooldown | 5 minutes |
By adding these important parts to your elliptical workout routine, you can get the most out of this low-impact exercise. This will help you reach your fitness goals with confidence.
“Elliptical workouts are a fantastic way to improve cardiovascular fitness, strengthen muscles, and burn calories, all while being easy on your joints.”
Leveraging High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
Adding high-intensity interval training (HIIT) to your elliptical workouts boosts your heart health and speeds up fat loss. HIIT mixes short, intense sprints with easy recovery periods. For example, sprint at top speed for 30 seconds, then ease up for 90 seconds. Repeat this pattern for 20-30 minutes to keep your workouts fun and effective.
Studies prove that elliptical HIIT is great for improving heart health and burning fat. It involves short, intense sprints followed by recovery periods. For instance, you might sprint for 30 seconds and then recover for 90 seconds. Elliptical HIIT can also include 20-second sprints with 40-second breaks, or 30-second sprints with 30-second breaks, and so on.
Doing elliptical HIIT a few times a week can help you overcome fitness plateaus. It mixes intense effort with active rest, making your workouts more efficient. This way, you can reach your fitness goals faster.
Choosing the Right Equipment for Elliptical HIIT
To enhance your high-intensity workout on the elliptical, pick the right gear. Here are some top choices:
- Adjustable Dumbbells: Let you change weights for different exercises and fitness levels.
- Kettlebells: Great for working out many muscles during HIIT workouts.
- Resistance Bands: Light, easy to carry, and perfect for adding intensity to exercises or strength moves.
- Treadmill: Ideal for incline runs, sprints, and brisk walks, helping burn calories during HIIT.
- Suspension Trainers: Work all muscle groups using your body weight for resistance.
- Plyometric Boxes: Improve power, speed, and heart health with explosive moves like box jumps and burpees.
- Elliptical Trainer: Offers a low-impact, full-body HIIT workout, targeting legs, arms, and core.
- Rowing Machines: Works multiple muscle groups for a full-body workout perfect for HIIT intervals.
When choosing gear, think about versatility, space, budget, and safety. Quality equipment from trusted sellers with certified tech support ensures your elliptical HIIT workouts are safe and effective.
Gradually Increasing Resistance and Incline
To build strength and endurance on the elliptical, increase the resistance and incline levels slowly. Start with moderate levels and then challenge yourself more as you get fitter. This way, your body can adjust without getting overworked or getting hurt.
Increasing the elliptical resistance and incline helps with progressive overload. This means your muscles keep getting stronger. It makes your resistance training better and keeps you from hitting a plateau in your incline training.
You can also try interval training by switching between high and low resistance or incline levels in one workout. This keeps you from getting bored and makes sure you’re working out well. It helps your heart and your muscles stay strong.
“Gradually increasing the resistance and incline on the elliptical machine is crucial for building strength and endurance over time. It’s a key strategy for preventing plateaus and ensuring continued progress in your fitness journey.”
Always pay attention to how your body feels and adjust the elliptical resistance and incline levels as needed. Start easy and slowly make it harder as you get stronger. This lets your body keep getting better with each workout.
Engaging Upper and Lower Body
Achieving a well-rounded full-body elliptical workout means working both your upper and lower body. The elliptical targets muscles like the glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves. But, using the moving handlebars helps work your upper body elliptical too.
Keep your arms and legs moving together for a balanced workout. This way, you work out harder, build strength evenly, and lower the chance of getting hurt. This balanced elliptical training also helps with your posture, coordination, and core strength. It makes your workout more complete and effective.
To work your upper body, hold the moving handlebars firmly but not too tight. Try different hand positions like underhand, overhand, or neutral grip. This targets different muscles. You can also move the handlebars in different ways to work your upper body elliptical muscles more.
| Muscle Group | Benefits of Elliptical Workout |
|---|---|
| Lower Body | Engages the glutes, hamstrings, quads, and calves, promoting muscular strength and endurance. |
| Upper Body | Targets the pectoralis major and minor, latissimus dorsi, trapezius, rhomboids, deltoids, rotator cuff, biceps, and triceps, leading to improved muscular strength and functional fitness. |
Using these full-body elliptical techniques in your routine lets you fully benefit from this versatile machine. You’ll see the advantages of a thorough, muscle-building workout.
Varying Your Stride
Mixing up your stride on the elliptical can boost your workout. Try alternating between forward and backward strides. Or, change the stride length to work different muscles and improve coordination. This makes your workouts fun and effective.
Switching between forward and backward strides helps work the hamstrings and glutes. This complements the focus on the quadriceps in forward motion. It makes your workout more intense, supports muscle balance, and lowers the chance of injury.
Stride length matters too. Here are some guidelines based on your height:
- Under 5 feet: 11″ to 14″ stride length
- 5’4″ to 5’8″: 16″ to 20″ stride length
- 5’9″ to 6′: 18″ to 20″ stride length
- Over 6 feet: 20″ or more stride length
Choosing a longer stride can help work the glutes better. This leads to better leg tone and calorie burn during your workout.
| User Height | Recommended Stride Length |
|---|---|
| Under 5 feet | 11″ to 14″ |
| 5’4″ to 5’8″ | 16″ to 20″ |
| 5’9″ to 6′ | 18″ to 20″ |
| Over 6 feet | 20″ or more |
Changing your stride often ensures a full workout that keeps muscles working and adapting. By using elliptical stride variation, forward stride, backward stride, and adjusting stride length, you can make the most of your elliptical routine. This approach maximizes muscle engagement and workout effectiveness.
The Importance of Rest Days
Finding the right balance between hard workouts and rest days is key in fitness. The elliptical machine is great for cardio, but rest days are vital for recovery and progress. They help your body heal and grow stronger.
Rest days let your muscles fix and get stronger. When you exercise, tiny tears happen in your muscles. These heal during rest, making your muscles stronger. Without rest, you might get burned out, perform worse, and hit a roadblock in your fitness goals.
Try to have one or two rest days a week, especially after hard workouts or tough elliptical sessions. These breaks let your body focus on recovery. This is crucial for avoiding injuries and keeping up your fitness level.
Rest days show you care about your health and fitness goals, not weakness. They help your body and mind recharge. This stops overtraining and makes you ready for your next elliptical workout with more energy and excitement.
| Workout Type | Recommended Rest Days |
|---|---|
| Moderate Intensity Elliptical | 1-2 days per week |
| High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) on Elliptical | 2-3 days per week |
| Strength Training | 1-2 days per muscle group |
Don’t think rest days mean you should sit around all day. You can do light activities like walking, swimming, or easy elliptical workouts. These help your muscles heal and get ready for harder workouts later.
“Allowing your body to rest and recover is just as important as the workout itself. A balanced approach is key to achieving your fitness goals and maintaining long-term health.”
Trying Before Buying
Buying an elliptical machine for your home gym is a big decision. It’s smart to try it out in person before you buy. Online info is helpful, but you can’t fully understand the elliptical‘s ergonomics, movement, and feel until you use it.
Many stores have elliptical showrooms or let you try them out in-store. This way, you can see if the elliptical fits your needs and likes. You can decide between an in-store elliptical purchase or online elliptical purchase based on what you prefer.
Experiencing the Elliptical in Person
An elliptical test drive is key to picking the right elliptical machine for your home. Trying it out lets you check:
- Comfort and ergonomics of the machine
- Smoothness and naturalness of the elliptical motion
- Adjustability of the stride length and resistance levels
- Overall stability and quality of the construction
This hands-on experience helps you choose the right elliptical. It makes sure the machine you pick fits your fitness goals and gives you a good workout.
“Trying out the elliptical machine in person was a game-changer for me. I was able to find the perfect fit that allowed me to work out efficiently and comfortably at home.”
Whether you buy your elliptical in-store or online, trying it first is crucial. It helps you make the best choice for your home fitness needs.
Elliptical Configurations
There are three main types of elliptical machines: front-drive, center-drive, and rear-drive. Where the elliptical’s drive system is placed affects how you work out and which muscles you use.
Front-Drive Ellipticals
Front-drive ellipticals make you push the flywheel. This targets the quadriceps muscles more. It’s great for those who want to work their quads.
Rear-Drive Ellipticals
Rear-drive ellipticals make you pull the flywheel. This works the muscles in the back of your legs, like the hamstrings and glutes. It’s good for focusing on the lower body’s back muscles.
Center-Drive Ellipticals
Center-drive ellipticals work both your upper and lower body muscles evenly. It’s a good choice if you want a full-body workout.
Knowing the differences between these elliptical configurations helps you pick the right machine for your goals. Whether you’re into quad strength, working your back muscles, or a full-body workout, the drive system’s location matters.
Factors to Consider When Choosing an Elliptical
Choosing the right elliptical machine for your home fitness needs is important. You need to look at the drive system, stride length, resistance levels, and electronic features. Each part is key to a good and fun workout.
There are two main drive systems: front-drive and rear-drive. Front-drives are stable and smooth but bigger and pricier. Rear-drives are cheaper but might not be as comfortable.
Stride length matters too. Most ellipticals have a 20-inch stride, but some adjust from 14 to 22 inches. Picking the right stride affects your comfort and workout results.
- Resistance levels are key for varied workouts, with at least 16 levels needed. Manual systems are cheaper but less precise. Electronic systems are more accurate and versatile.
- Incline adjustment, manual or electronic, adds to the challenge of your workouts. Look for at least 10 degrees of adjustment.
Don’t forget about electronic features like touchscreens, connectivity, and fitness tracking. Think about what you want from your home fitness routine.
The elliptical buying guide and factors in choosing an elliptical are crucial. Make sure you pick the elliptical selection criteria that fits your fitness goals and needs.
Top Elliptical Brands and Models
Looking for the best elliptical machine for your home gym? Several top brands and models are great choices. The NordicTrack AirGlide 14i and the Sole E25 are among the best. They have features for different fitness goals and preferences.
The NordicTrack AirGlide 14i is a favorite for those who love to work out. It costs about $1,799 and has a -5% decline to 15% incline. You can adjust the stride length to 17.8 or 18.5 inches. It also comes with a strong warranty, covering the frame, parts, and labor for a year each.
The Sole E25 elliptical is another great choice, priced around $1,200. It has a lifetime warranty on the frame and a 30-day money-back guarantee. It offers 20 resistance levels, supports up to 350 pounds, and has a big 6.5″ LCD screen.
| Elliptical Model | Price | Key Features | Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|
| NordicTrack AirGlide 14i | $1,799 | -5% decline to 15% incline, 17.8 or 18.5 inch adjustable stride length | 10-Year Frame, 2-Year Parts, 1-Year Labor |
| Sole E25 | $1,200 | 20 levels of resistance, 350-pound weight capacity, 6.5″ LCD screen | Lifetime Frame, 3-Year Parts, 1-Year Labor, 30-day money-back guarantee |
The Bowflex Max Trainer M6 is also popular for its stair-stepping design. It’s great for HIIT workouts and building muscle. But, it doesn’t have an interactive touchscreen and is pricier.
Other top elliptical brands and models include the Matrix A50 Ascent Trainer and the Life Fitness E1 Elliptical Cross-Trainer. The Spirit XE295 Elliptical and the Octane XRIDE XR6XI SEATED ELLIPTICAL are also great choices. The Precor EFX 425 and 445 Ellipticals offer a lot of features and performance for different budgets.
Maintenance and Safety Tips
Keeping your elliptical in good shape and using it safely is key. It helps your machine last longer and keeps you safe while working out. By sticking to the right maintenance steps and safety rules, you can make your elliptical last longer and have a great workout.
Maintenance Essentials
For a well-maintained elliptical, set up a regular cleaning and check-up schedule. This includes:
- Wiping down the machine after each use to remove sweat and debris.
- Checking the pedal attachments monthly for any looseness or wear.
- Lubricating the moving parts every three to six months with a silicone-based lubricant.
- Scheduling a professional service check-up at least once a year to ensure optimal performance.
Regular cleaning and lubrication stop unnecessary wear and tear. This keeps your elliptical running smoothly for a long time.
Prioritizing Safety
Using an elliptical safely is important. Here’s how to make sure your workouts are safe:
- Always read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for usage, weight capacity, and safety considerations.
- Start at a comfortable pace and resistance level, gradually increasing as your fitness level improves.
- Maintain good form to avoid strains or injuries, and be mindful of your body’s limits.
- Keep children away from the elliptical, as their smaller stature and dexterity can lead to falls or entanglement.
Putting safety first and following the best maintenance practices lets you enjoy your elliptical. It also makes sure it lasts longer and your workouts are effective and safe.
| Maintenance Frequency | Cleaning Frequency | Lubrication | Checking Bolts and Screws |
|---|---|---|---|
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By following these tips, your elliptical will work well and safely for many years. This lets you enjoy a lasting and effective home fitness routine.
Conclusion
Elliptical machines are great for your home fitness setup. They offer a low-impact, full-body workout. This can help improve your heart health, build endurance, and reach your fitness goals.
Understanding the key parts of an elliptical and how to make a good workout plan is important. It helps you use this versatile cardio equipment well in your fitness routine.
For both beginners and experienced athletes, a high-quality elliptical is a good choice. It’s a convenient and efficient way to boost your health at home. Studies show that using an elliptical can burn up to 269 calories per hour on average.
Elliptical workouts are also easy on the joints. This makes them perfect for people with joint problems or those recovering from injuries.
Adding elliptical workouts to your routine can improve your physical and mental health. The release of endorphins and serotonin can make you feel happier. So, consider getting an elliptical machine for your home fitness goals.