Elliptical Recommendations, please
- Thread starter banslug
- Start date
melanalyus
Cathlete
I like LifeFitness. I paid $2000 for mine refurbished. I hope to pass it on to my grandkids some day. 
SirenSongWoman
Cathlete
btw...fyi....don't go to dicks.com - it sure ain't sporting goods!!!
Of course, as soon as I read this I had to go look
. Oh my.clothesminded
Cathlete
I know that you guys mentioned the stride is important when looking for a machine, but what other specs does one look for?
built-in heart rate monitor?
fan?
two sliding wheels
built-in programs and the ones you can program yourself (does anyone use this feature?)?
speakers/iPod cap.?
Also, my knee is FINALLY almost healed (should be back to normal in a month, now if my broken toe would heal....). Would an elliptical be the best bet, or should I consider a bike?
built-in heart rate monitor?
fan?
two sliding wheels
built-in programs and the ones you can program yourself (does anyone use this feature?)?
speakers/iPod cap.?
Also, my knee is FINALLY almost healed (should be back to normal in a month, now if my broken toe would heal....). Would an elliptical be the best bet, or should I consider a bike?
banslug
Cathlete
Those are great questions. As I've continued my shopping the past 3 days, the one thing I know I want (not necessarily NEED) is the ;built-in speaker for my iPod.
I had the NordicTrac one that Carol listed earlier in my cart 3 times and cancelled out. Guess what....the price has gone UP $80 since Sunday! YIKES!
Gayle
Miss Lee
Cathlete
This is why going to a fitness store and trying out the different machines is so important. I went to a high end store because they had a huge variety of machines in all price ranges to choose from. There really is a big difference in how one machine feels compared to another, and some CAN hurt your knees!
If knee pain is an issue, you need to make sure that the pedals rotate in a true elliptical pattern (not all machines mimic a true ellipse), and that your knee isn't pushed past your toes at any point in the movement. I never would've known that had it not been for the salesman at the store (he was a CPT).
As for the other features -- again, you just really need to try them out to see what you like. The most important feature to me was an adjustable ramp. I don't really care about the built in fans -- I get really hot when I workout so I have TWO turbo fans aimed at me, as well as a ceiling fan.
I NEVER use the programs. I suppose it's nice to have them, but with mp3 workouts like Cardio Coach and iTrain you really don't need them, although most machines come with them.
HTH
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