Wednesday, February 25, 2009

How to purchase an elliptical trainer?

By Amanda Jocks

Nowadays, more and more people have become aware of the benefits that an exercising routine can have for their health and body - but as they are too busy to go to a health club they use home fitness equipment. Therefore, the demand for this type of machines has greatly increased in the last few years, especially the demand for elliptical trainers.

Whatever your fitness goal is, an elliptical trainer will help you achieve it from the comfort of your own home - exercising whenever you want to. As there are many types on the market today, you should be very careful when choosing what you want to buy, since not all of them have the features that you might need to succeed - there are a few things to consider when making a decision.

A very important thing to consider is your budget, which will certainly influence your decision. There are many elliptical machines which range in price from $300 to $3000, but it's not necessary to buy the most expensive one - firstly because not always the most expensive product is the best one and then because your fitness goal may not need all the features that an expensive elliptical trainer offers.

However, there are some basic features that any elliptical machine should have and you should consider too. First of all, the stride length is very important because a short one does not allow you to fully work your leg muscles and it also makes your workout less comfortable than a longer stride elliptical. Usually a cheaper machine offers you a 12 - 14" stride, but for an average height person it will be proper an 18 - 20" stride and for taller people a 20" or even a 21" stride.

You should think about your progress from the very beginning, and anticipate that at some point you're going to need more resistance levels - so choose a machine that has many. The incline degree is also an important feature, since it gives you the help needed to work more muscle groups then in a normal position. Also, if you want a full body workout(and that's desirable), you should pick a model that has the upper body workout arms. Finally, you should think about the two most important features - the weight capacity(which practically tells you how strong your machine really is) and the warranty(usually the producer's opinion on the product's quality).

You should also consider some more "refined" features(offered by most quality machines), such as the display - that shows you the speed, the time elapsed, the distance and even the burned calories. In the end, you're the one making the choice based on your priorities - enjoy your benefits!

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