Many of us wish for the perfect body without having to go through the pain of exercising and dieting, especially when we have to pay for a regular gym membership and go to a gym that is filled with a lot of other people who will watch you sweat away the excess fat on your body like crazy. I know I do. That’s why I chose to buy my own equipment and pay once (rather than for a monthly subscription to a jam packed gym) for a product that I can use in the privacy of my own home. I chose an elliptical machine, because they provide a different way of working out from the old, boring treadmill.
Elliptical machines have been around for several years and, as of recently, people are increasingly looking to ellipticals as a safe way to get a fantastic cardio workout, to help lose excess weight, and to tone up the entire body.
Advantages of Using an Elliptical Machine
It’s important to note that ellipticals provide an excellent full-body workout. When using an elliptical machine, you’re working your legs, back, glutes, abs, arms – just about every major muscle group. With the best ellipticals, you can tailor the workout to your desired challenge level by increasing the resistance, adjusting the incline, and moving your arms and legs faster or slower. With on-board computers that supply all the data you could ever want, you’re going to be able to track your progress. This is one of the major advantages of elliptical machines.
This is very motivating whether you’re slimming down, toning up, or just getting your heart rate up and looking to sweat out some calories. Whether your goal is to lose weight, firm muscles, increase endurance or just generally get fit and look good, elliptical trainers can help.
Using an elliptical trainer for exercise offers a powerful cardiovascular workout that is easier on the joints and lower back than pounding the pavement while running. It also works just as well for beginners as seasoned athletes. It can even be used by people who have sustained prior injuries, despite the fact that it is a weight-bearing form of exercise.
When choosing the best elliptical machine for home use in 2015, there are a few things you should keep in mind. First, you need to consider how much you are willing to spend on the machine and what types of workouts you intend to use it for. There are a few reputable brands to choose from when it comes to ellipticals. If you pick one from one of these companies, chances are less that it won’t satisfy your needs. These companies include:
Intense workouts will require a more durable machine. One often overlooked factor is the available space in your home for the elliptical. Some models now fold like treadmills, and these may be a better option if you don’t have much room to spare. Deciding which entertainment features and workout programs are important to you can also help you find the perfect machine.
Best Home Ellipticals in 2015
| Elliptical Model: | Incline Features: | Digital Features: | Storability: | Rating: | Details: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ProForm 1110 E | Yes | Yes | 3/5 | 4/5 | Click here |
Nautilus E614 | Yes | Yes | 4/5 | 4/5 | Click here |
Horizon EX-59-02 | Yes | Yes | 3/5 | 3/5 | Click here |
SOLE Fitness E95  | Yes | Yes | 3/5 | 4/5 | Click here |
ProForm 735 E | Yes | Yes | 4/5 | 5/5 | Click here |
ProForm 1110 E
The ProForm 1110 E earns a spot between some of the best elliptical for home use by offering a surprising number of features at an extremely affordable price.
This machine comes with several onboard workout programs designed to help you achieve your fitness goals. Heart rate and weight loss programs are great if you’re trying to get in better shape, and interval training is always a nice option to have.
You can also get even smarter workouts and faster results with iFit Live. Featuring workouts Powered by Google Maps, training with Jillian Michaels and automatic speed and incline controls, this wireless technology is the ultimate workout experience.
You can customize your own fitness program, receive automatic workout downloads and manage your profile. What is more, the patented, revolutionary Spacesaver Easy Lift Assist design allows your elliptical to fold vertically for storage. To make it even easier, this treadmill includes a powerful shock that will help lift the deck with an easy push. The ProForm series of ellipticals are overall the best brand for home use.
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Nautilus E614 Elliptical
The Nautilus E614 Elliptical Trainer provides an effective cardiovascular workout by combining upper and lower body flexibility and coordination into one impact-free motion and is easier on your joints.
Regular use on elliptical trainers will increase heart and lung capacity while improving your health and burning calories.
It has two DualTrack blue backlit LCD window systems to allow you to track your workout, as well as 29 programs: 12 profile, 9 heart rate controlled, 4 user profiles, 2 fitness test, 1 recovery test and Quickstart, for the best workout optimization.
Other features include acoustic chambered speakers for big quality sound and a 3-speed fan to keep you cool. This machine is one of the best to be used in any home around the world. This is one of the best rated home elliptical machines that we’ve been able to find period.
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Horizon EX-59-02 Elliptical
The low priced Horizon Fitness EX-59-02 Elliptical Trainer is a solid top contender among the best home elliptical machines to buy.
The EX-59 model can be used in your home gym by fitness enthusiasts of any skill level who want a low impact workout. It is a good medium duty machine, capable of handling user weight up to 275 pounds.
The EX-59-02 uses 16 levels of Magnetic Brake resistance. Magnetic resistance has the advantage of no friction, reliability, little to no maintenance costs, and quiet operation. Features include an 18 inch FLATellipse stride foot path. The COOLfit fitness fan keeps you cool as you work out and a MP3 port with built-in Sonic Surround speakers to get you rocking on your favorite tunes.
All in all, a great machine to have around your home if you want to keep healthy and fit.
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SOLE Fitness E95 Elliptical
The SOLE Fitness E95 is another machine vying for the title of the best elliptical for home use. Could it be the best home elliptical for the money? Like the other ellipticals on this list, the SOLE E95 has a good selection of workout programs to choose from, such as interval, heart rate, and fat burn programs.
Features include a 20-inch elliptical stride, built-in speakers for your iPOD or MP3 player, adjustable pedals with 10 positions, a water bottle holder and oversized, custom-designed foot pedals with durable foam cushioning. You can also keep cool with the built-in cooling fan and the Handlebar Grip and Chest Strap heart rate monitoring provides your cardio progress on the large commercial grade 9-inch LCD screen.
The E95 uses 20 levels of Magnetic ECB (Eddy Current Brake) resistance. ECB Magnetic technology has the advantage of no friction, reliability, little to no maintenance costs, and very quiet operation. ECB is usually only found on higher end elliptical trainers by SOLE and is the best form of resistance for these machines. This makes the E95 a great machine to use in your home.
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ProForm 735 E Elliptical
The ProForm 735 E Elliptical Trainer lands a place among the best elliptical machines for your home, coming in as the second best behind the ProForm 14.0 CE, due to its higher price and missing workout programs.
Despite these things, this machine still has quite a bit to offer. It comes with heart rate and interval workouts built in, in addition to the manual mode. It also has an adjustable stride for added comfort as well as powered incline up to 30 degrees. A rear drive allows for a workout experience that is more natural, like running, and a built-in console fan will help to keep you cool while you exercise.
This elliptical is also one of the best we’ve found for those of you with low ceilings. We often get the question come to us of what’s the best elliptical for low ceiling homes and this is always the suggestion we give if it fits their budget. All in all, the ProForm 990 is another machine to be put on the list when deciding on the best home elliptical.
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Schwinn 470 Elliptical Machine
The Schwinn 470 Elliptical Machine offers a whopping 29 pre-set workout programs. You can also include custom programs that you can set.
While most elliptical trainers have one or two user profiles, the Schwinn 470 has four user profiles. This is a convenient option for households with multiple people or if you want to create a custom workout for different days.
The preset programs range from cardio, fat burning and hill training with beginner or advanced options. You can adjust the programs, including five levels of incline and resistance so that your workouts can become more challenging or easier.
The incline adjustment is automatic and can change up to 10 degrees while you are actively exercising. This elliptical also offers two fitness tests, a recovery test and a quick-start option.
There are two backlit LCD consoles that display fitness data, such as how much time you have spent exercising, the distance you have traveled and the always-heartening look at the calories you have burned so far.
The dual monitors allow you to see your stats on the lower display while you use the reading rack to hold your tablet or book. This is a convenient feature, as you don’t have to try to move your device, or possibly drop it, to see how you are progressing with your workout.
The machine includes a USB charging port so you can charge your mobile devices while you use them. One of the best features of this elliptical bike is the connectivity with the MyFitnessPal app and the Schwinn Connect website. You can transfer details of your workout to both of these apps to track and share your fitness progress.
This is a great way to keep yourself accountable without the hassle of manually entering data. While you are working out on this elliptical cross trainer, you can stay cool with a three-speed fan, easily drink with the accessible water bottle holder and listen to music from your MP3 player or iPod using the built-in speakers. There’s also a lighter variant of this unit, the Schwinn 420 Elliptical, for those who don’t need most of all these different features.
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Precor EFX 5.25 Elliptical Fitness Crosstrainer
The Precor EFX 5.25 Elliptical Fitness Crosstrainer is an excellent choice for home exercise. This solid, well-designed elliptical machine provides an adjustable stride length, eight pre-programmed workouts, 16 levels of resistance, an automatically adjustable ramp incline and a lifetime warranty on its frame.
You can adjust the stride length of the machine from 18.5 inches to 20 inches. Having an elliptical trainer with an adjustable stride length is useful because it can be changed to suit individuals who are tall, short or have a distinctive stride.
The Precor EFX 5.25 also lets you change the height of the elliptical path that your feet are travelling. The adjustment is automatic: just push a button and the ramp angles from 15 up to 25 degrees. This lets you single out particular muscle groups that need extra work without having to stop and dismount to manually lift the machine.
Also, this elliptical comes equipped with a backlit color LCD display that is 4 inches by 3 inches.
With the Precor EFX 5.25, you can choose a pre-set program, or get going immediately by pushing the QuickStart key. The pre-set programs you can choose from include a cross trainer, fat burner, gluteal muscles, heart rate, hill climb, interval, manual and weight loss.
You can adjust between 16 resistance levels to make your workout more or less strenuous. The basic heart rate program adjusts resistance levels as you move through your workout and then sets them once you reach your target heart rate. You also can pedal in reverse with this elliptical, giving a different set of muscles a vigorous workout.
Unfortunately this machine doesn’t have built in speakers, but it is not such an inconvenience if the only thing you care about is having an efficient workout.
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Horizon Fitness EX-69 Elliptical Trainer
This Horizon Fitness EX-69 Elliptical Trainer provides you with 10 preset workouts and 20 resistance levels that can help you vary the vigor of the exercising you do on this machine.
There also is an option to let you make on-the-fly changes in your program so your exercise sessions will not become dull and predictable.
With the Horizon EX-69 Elliptical, you get workouts that include manual, speed intervals, endurance intervals, peak intervals, cardio burn, muscle toner, strength builder, nature trail, peak descent and mountain climb. You can also monitor your heart by grasping sensors located on the elliptical’s stationary handlebars and then read it on the 2 red LED windows and an 8-digit alphanumeric window along with other key workout feedback.
The stride length is 20 inches, which is generally good for people with an average stride length. Unfortunately, the stride length on this elliptical trainer is not adjustable. You can adjust the incline, but it is not automatic – you must do it manually.
The Horizon EX-69 Elliptical provides you with several accessories to make working out less of a chore and more of an enjoyable experience. These include MP3 plug-ins, speakers, a fan, water bottle holder and reading rack. However, there is no quick start option or locking pin.
Although it lacks some good features, this machine offers just what it says: a good way to work out and keep healthy and fit.
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Exerpeutic 1000Xl Heavy Duty Magnetic Elliptical with Pulse
The Exerpeutic 1000Xl Heavy Duty Magnetic Elliptical with Pulse is a great machine which makes workouts fun and effective. It has a computer which indicates distance, calories burned, time, speed, and target zone heart rate monitoring. An interesting feature is its design, as the Natural Elliptical motion eliminates any bouncy movement that other elliptical experience.
The machine is pretty compact so it can be stored away with no problem since it has wheels to provide an easy movement. A drawback that you might experience with this machine is putting it together and making it work, but with the instructions beside you, you will eventually succeed.
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Schwinn A40 Elliptical Machine
Schwinn A40 Elliptical Machine (2013) is a fairly new elliptical machine and it has very interesting features such as an LCD console, which helps you monitor your workout progress with readouts for time, rpm, distance, pulse, speed, calories, resistance level, and course profile.
The over-sized console also includes a reading rack and a water bottle holder, both very handy for an at-home workout, as well as speakers, to make your workouts even more fun. One of its best features is a set of 7 different programs which help you optimize your workouts. It is, however, a bit more pricey, but all in all a good product.
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Body Rider Fan Elliptical Trainer
For a more affordable option, the Body Rider Fan Elliptical Trainer is a very good choice. With a fan wheel that runs smoothly and quietly and a friction belt tension control knob which lets you choose your desired workout resistance level, it is a very good solution for someone who doesn’t want to invest a fortune in reaching a good body shape.
On the other hand, it does not offer many features such as heart rate monitoring or different workout programs, but it does the job it is supposed to do.
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Gazelle Edge
The Gazelle Edge is a different type of machine, which allows you to go from a slow walk to a full run with no sudden stops, without putting undue pressure on your joints. It has a dual-action split suspension which provides a complete range of motion and freedom of movement in order to help burn calories and tone muscles.
As it does not have a wheel, it is also very quiet, so you won’t disturb anyone in your way to achieving your goals. However, it does not have many other fancy features. It is basic, but effective.
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Nautilus E616 Elliptical Trainer
The Nautilus E616 Elliptical Trainer is the most pricey one in here, but with all the features it provides, I say it is worth it. It has two DualTrack blue backlit LCD window systems to allow you to track your workout, as well as 29 programs: 12 profile, 9 heart rate controlled, 4 user profiles, 2 fitness test, 1 recovery test and QuickStart, for the best workout optimization.
Other features include acoustic chambered speakers for big quality sound and a 3-speed fan to keep you cool. Its downside is, of course, the price, but if you like using products which you know will last you a long time, then the Nautilus E616 is worth the money.
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ProForm Smart Strider Elliptical Trainer
ProForm Smart Strider Elliptical Trainer is another high-priced elliptical machine which offers 18 digital resistance levels to adjust your workout intensity. It has a Intermix Acoustics 2.0 Sound System to help you rock out while you work out with your favorite power music, as well as a large LCD window monitor which displays speed, time, distance and calories. With a revolutionary minimal assembly design, setting this machine up is a very easy task.
One downside to the ProForm Smart Strider Elliptical Trainer would be its size, as it is quite a large machine which can occupy a lot of space in your home, but it does have a space saver feature for storing it away. The price is another issue, but other than that it is a good machine which helps you keep in shape from the privacy of your own home.
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XTERRA FS 3.0 Elliptical Trainer
XTERRA FS 3.0 Elliptical Trainer provides a great, non-impact total body workout. Your body will be challenged by the 20 levels of resistance and 14 programs. Monitoring your heart rate is available by using the built in heart rate receiver or contact heart rate grips. You will be able to keep track of all of the important feedback data you need on the 5.5″ blue backlit LCD display, while listening to your favorite tunes via the audio input jack and console speakers. Although its price is neither high, nor low, this machine provides a fun way to work out.
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Concluding this Elliptical Exploration!
What you should keep in mind is that getting in shape takes time, dedication and tenacity. Why be uncomfortable or stressed at a gym when you can get fit at home with an elliptical machine? Use your research criteria to find the best elliptical machine for your needs and establish a regular exercise routine to get in shape in the comfort of your own home with the schedule you choose.
All in all I would say that the best overall elliptical machine is the Nautilus E616, because it offers so many interesting and fun features as well as a whooping number of 29 programs to best optimize your workouts. Another very good one is the Gazelle Edge, as it is so different from all the others and it provides a very effective workout without spending a lot of money on it. Without putting so much pressure on your knees and hips, this machine proves to be one of the most interesting one out there. Lastly, the Exerpeutic 1000Xl Heavy Duty Magnetic Elliptical with Pulse is a choice of mine, as it offers a great deal of interesting features without the drawbacks of having to spend fortunes on it.
Elliptical machines are a great way to exercise in a more fun way, other than running like crazy on a treadmill, especially if running is not your cup of tea. You can still get an amazing cardio workout without the fear that you may get an injury or put too much pressure on your joints. To sum it all up, if you want to get a nice, slim body and also maintain a healthy lifestyle, elliptical machines are the way, may it be from the comfort of your own home or from your local gym. Remember, being healthy is all about good diets and exercise.
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