Who has one? Happy with it? What are the must haves and stuff not needed? If you could buy again, what would you buy? 
many thx the Rick me
many thx the Rick me
AKB: Moms wants an Elliptical for her birthday (29th) rules followed….
- Thread starter Lion Son/Husband/Father
- Start date
Who has one? Happy with it? What are the must haves and stuff not needed? If you could buy again, what would you buy?
many thx the Rick me
Why don't you just get her a vacuum? There are certain gift requests that are inherent traps that must be avoided at all costs. She wants a piece of exercise equipment? Fine, get it for her, just don't give it to her as a gift. Get her something else also and wrap it up.
If you are buying a piece of exercise equipment, buy a treadmill. Elliptical machine is for people who want the illusion of exercise without really doing anything.
Now if that fits what she's after... 🤷♂️🤣
Now if that fits what she's after... 🤷♂️🤣
I've had a Life Fitness elliptical for over 10 years. I still continue to use it and would definitely buy it again.
It’s a trap. I’m still laughing lololWhy don't you just get her a vacuum? There are certain gift requests that are inherent traps that must be avoided at all costs. She wants a piece of exercise equipment? Fine, get it for her, just don't give it to her as a gift. Get her something else also and wrap it up.
my neighbor bought his wife an Eco electric lawn mower for their 25th wedding anniversary! She stopped me this weekend and told me how much she loves it. I don't know how he did that. Retired navy officer who is having severe back problems so he can't mow the lawn but I still had to laugh.Why don't you just get her a vacuum? There are certain gift requests that are inherent traps that must be avoided at all costs. She wants a piece of exercise equipment? Fine, get it for her, just don't give it to her as a gift. Get her something else also and wrap it up.
If you think you can’t burn calories and get a sweat on, on an elliptical, you are definitely incorrect.
You can run in place and sweat while burning calories.
Is it the most efficient manner for a purchase that is going to cost $600-$3000?
Heck no.
It isn't walking. It isn't running. It isn't stair climbing. It isn't pedaling a bicycle. It's something in between that doesn't do it any better than the others.
Is it worthless? No. But go to any gym, ask any trainer, look at the people you want to look like and see how many are on the elliptical.
Maybe if you are 65+ years old and you don't want the joint impact, sure, fine substitute. Even in that case, I'd recommend a rowing machine vs an elliptical.
Personally my shoulder cannot take the rowing machine.
Elliptically are great IMO, but to your point, in gyms most of the folks on them are going about 2 mph and feel like they are accomplishing something.
To the OP. We have a Sole elliptical machine, forget model number right this moment.
My joints cannot hold up to as much running as they used to. I have a treadmill for winter but supplement it with an elliptical. I would agree that ellipticals are not as good as other types of workouts, but you can still get a good workout in if you approach it properly. I have a Life Fitness E1 and it has worked well. I did not need a fancy screen to watch tv on so if that's what you want, look elsewhere. I believe the Sole line gets pretty good reviews and are available to try at Dick's. You could also look on FB marketplace/Craigslist for a slightly used one for likely 50% the cost of new.
There is no such thing as a machine that “burns more calories” than another, per se. There are activities that, when done at certain levels of intensity, burn more calories per unit time than another activity done at a certain intensity.
It boils down to intensity, and that corresponds roughly to heart rate.
For example, for any given person running 6.0 mph on a level surface with no wind burns fewer calories per minute and can be done at a lower heart rate than the same person running 6.0 mph up a 7% incline with no wind.
For an elliptical, the load is generally lower than a treadmill set at a significant incline so you may have to go super fast to burn calories at the same rate. In fact it may be nearly impossible to burn calories at any speed on an elliptical compared to say, running a 15% incline at 6.0 mph. I suspect this is what some posters are trying to say about ellipticals.
It boils down to intensity, and that corresponds roughly to heart rate.
For example, for any given person running 6.0 mph on a level surface with no wind burns fewer calories per minute and can be done at a lower heart rate than the same person running 6.0 mph up a 7% incline with no wind.
For an elliptical, the load is generally lower than a treadmill set at a significant incline so you may have to go super fast to burn calories at the same rate. In fact it may be nearly impossible to burn calories at any speed on an elliptical compared to say, running a 15% incline at 6.0 mph. I suspect this is what some posters are trying to say about ellipticals.
Good point, as my knees can take speed and distance, but suffer with any real incline when I go run.
I have an Afg (advance fitness group) that I bought at dicks about 7 years ago. It was on sale after feb 1 for cheap and has been good so far. I bought it because it's much quieter than a treadmill when I'm on it while watching a psu game on tv.
I’m nearing a point of no return for both a shoulder and hip, but luckily for me running up a incline has always been easier on my knees. I think it’s simply that there’s virtually no drop when landing.
Get her Jewelry. Spend the same amount an Elliptical would cost. Then you can tell her if she doesn't like the jewelry, you'll buy her the elliptical.
You'll be a hero, at least for a few weeks.
You'll be a hero, at least for a few weeks.
Strongly disagree - some people need a low impact option.
Every machine has settings. Treadmills can be set faster or slower and [some] at an incline. Ellipticals can be set at higher resistance and many have programmable workouts (ie intervals, etc).
Every single exercise machine and program is what you put into it.
I can say, from using a number of different ellipticals over the years, I like LifeFitness the best, but they geared mostly for clubs (e.g. expensive and built to be used many hours a day). Good luck!
You are fleshing out my point precisely. The guy said his wife is turning 29 (again... I know she's older, but he made no mention of physical limitations).
If you want low impact, get the elliptical.
If you don't, it's at the bottom of multiple other better choices.
When I told her about the “trap” gift response she laughed and told me “if only they could see my jewelry” lol
We paid wayyyyy too much for an early adaptor home model in mid 2000's. Like any home gym the use ebbs and flows. The rationale was that my wife dropped her YMCA membership to essentially "save" money. She initially loved it and used daily. Then she saw a mouse in the basement...and I had to take it apart and move to the Family Room.
Use in such a visible spot was sporadic...and it essentially became a coat and hat hangar over the last few years. It is great for periods of extreme heat and cold- otherwise my bride much prefers an outside walk- ideally with me.
Her biggest complaint is that it only gives her approximately 50% credit per step on her Fit Bit. Overall I'd say we got our money's worth over the 15 years. It's in the basement again...maybe I'll hop on it????
Use in such a visible spot was sporadic...and it essentially became a coat and hat hangar over the last few years. It is great for periods of extreme heat and cold- otherwise my bride much prefers an outside walk- ideally with me.
Her biggest complaint is that it only gives her approximately 50% credit per step on her Fit Bit. Overall I'd say we got our money's worth over the 15 years. It's in the basement again...maybe I'll hop on it????
I think we need to see the OP’s wife’s butt in a bikini to determine what piece of gym equipment he should get her. 😉😁🤣
FWIW, my wife and I are 60-ish and basically want to be “fit.” I used to run but my knees just can’t take it more than about once a week (if I ran), and then I have to be careful not to push it too hard. My wife used to run but got plantar fasciitis. So both of us need a low-impact option. She used an elliptical at a gym and liked it, I have also come to like it. We’ve gone thru several over the years. We had a Schwinn that gave us great service for many years. I would recommend going to a local shop that sells fitness equipment (if you have one near you) and get on them and try them. That’s what my wife and I did with our current elliptical.
As others mention, you get out of it what you put in. If what you’re looking for is to “stay fit” with low-impact, an elliptical is a good choice. You’ll get your cardio in and there is “resistance” there depending on how much you dial it up. One tip: don’t just use legs on the elliptical, be sure to push with your arms as well. That’s another thing I like about the elliptical, use it fully and you get a “full body” workout.
Oh, and while you’re at the fitness store, get a weight machine. I got one over 25 years ago, it’s a Body-Solid. I use it nearly every day (I cycle weight routines each day) and it has a lifetime warranty which they still honored not too many years ago. The guy at the fitness store told me that weights are more important than anything else, and I agree with him. Doing weights consistently is an essential key to fitness.
As others mention, you get out of it what you put in. If what you’re looking for is to “stay fit” with low-impact, an elliptical is a good choice. You’ll get your cardio in and there is “resistance” there depending on how much you dial it up. One tip: don’t just use legs on the elliptical, be sure to push with your arms as well. That’s another thing I like about the elliptical, use it fully and you get a “full body” workout.
Oh, and while you’re at the fitness store, get a weight machine. I got one over 25 years ago, it’s a Body-Solid. I use it nearly every day (I cycle weight routines each day) and it has a lifetime warranty which they still honored not too many years ago. The guy at the fitness store told me that weights are more important than anything else, and I agree with him. Doing weights consistently is an essential key to fitness.
I think a bike is better than an elliptical, but that's just my opinion (the arm motions of the elliptical don't add that much).
One consideration that might be an issue (especially if you also plan to use it is head clearance. If you plan to put it in a room, with lower ceilings (e.g. basement or top floor with sloped roof), the height of the machine itself plus the height of you might be a problem.
Only other suggestion would be that if you buy a higher end one, get the warranty. Even the best ones wear out with heavy use.
One consideration that might be an issue (especially if you also plan to use it is head clearance. If you plan to put it in a room, with lower ceilings (e.g. basement or top floor with sloped roof), the height of the machine itself plus the height of you might be a problem.
Only other suggestion would be that if you buy a higher end one, get the warranty. Even the best ones wear out with heavy use.
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