Ready to Make the In-Home Fitness Leap? Compare Ellipticals With 4 Important Characteristics in Mind

You've decided to buy an elliptical for your home. Perfect! Now you won't have an excuse not to do your all-important cardio! But now for the difficult part: picking the perfect model for you. It's overwhelming how many brands of elliptical there are out there, let alone the individual models of each brand. If we organize all of the pertinent information, this process will be much less daunting, and could even turn out to be quite fun! Let's begin to compare ellipticals with a list of four important characteristics in mind.

Number one, do you want a front drive elliptical or a rear drive elliptical? When you compare ellipticals, this will be the first and most obvious thing you look at. The front drive elliptical is the most common in-home elliptical. This is due to the low cost of production and re-sale, not necessarily because it's a better system. As a matter of fact, almost every elliptical you see in a health club is a rear drive elliptical. The rear drive elliptical provides a much more natural, ergonomic feel during your training session. While the front drive system naturally tilts its user backward, the rear drive system allows the user to train comfortably in the upright position. Furthermore, the rear drive system is typically far more maintenance-free than the front drive system. When we compare ellipticals, maintenance-free comes up often and is a large contributor. In general, if you're not looking to spend tons of money, the front drive system will be sufficient. If you're willing to spend a little more, the rear drive system is going to be a better option.

Number two, what type of resistance system will work best for you? When you compare ellipticals, you'll find the type of resistance system in the spec overview of the machine. The resistance system is the component of the elliptical that exerts tension on the flywheel, forcing the user to exert more effort to walk or run. There are three main types to choose from. The least expensive is the magnetic resistance system. This system requires the user to manually alter the position of a magnet near the flywheel to alter tension. The next step up is the electromagnetic system, or particle brake. These can be altered on the fly and can respond to preset resistance programs. Unfortunately, they tend to be a tad loud and slow. It's not very noticeable, but can intrude on interval training. The ideal resistance system is the Eddy Current braking system. This system uses a U shaped magnet near the flywheel that gets closer as the user increases the resistance. This unit is completely silent and requires little to no maintenance.

Number three, which bearings will you opt for? This is one aspect that usually gets overlooked when consumers compare ellipticals, but is vital to the longevity of your elliptical. Some manufactures use bushings at the pivot points on their less expensive models. Try to stay away from bushings as they tend to break down more quickly and squeak. Your best bet is to go with ball bearings. If you can find a unit with sealed ball bearings, you've found the best option. These usually outlast the machine and require no maintenance.

Finally, number four, how long should your stride be? This could be the single most important characteristic to watch for when you compare ellipticals. Most ellipticals have a fixed stride length of somewhere between 18" and 24". A taller person would definitely want to stay away from an elliptical with a stride length of 18," and a shorter person would probably want to avoid a fixed 24" stride. Some machines, however, have a variable stride length option. This a great for changing up your workout as a shorter stride will target more quads and calves, and a longer stride will target more glutes and hamstrings.

Consider these four qualities when you begin compare ellipticals. Ideally you'll begin to form a preference in each of the areas and this will drastically reduce the amount of models to choose from. Of course there are other aspects to look at afterwards, such as display and programs, but at least we now have a more manageable list. We can now begin to compare ellipticals more critically and effectively since we have a general idea of what we want.

Recap: compare ellipticals considering
1. Front drive or rear drive?
2. Magnetic, electromagnetic, or eddy-current braking system?
3. Bushings or Ball bearings?
4. What Stride length?

Daniel Broderick is a fitness expert who maintains a website which allows consumers to comprehensively compare ellipticals.