Strider

Crosstrainer Buyers Guide

Ellipticals or commonly known as Crosstrainers are the fastest growing trend in fitness equipment because of their smooth easy movement and dramatically reduced impact versus walking or running. Ellipticals mimic the movement of walking or running, except rather than striking your heel with each step on a running surface, the motion continues seamlessly through and elliptical pattern with no impact to your joints. Many people who find running or walking too painful can easily complete aggressive workouts on an elliptical machine.

	Resistance: A good elliptical starts with a mechanism and flywheel that provides a smooth forward or reverse motion. Some Ellipticals feature a magnetic resistance system that provides the smoothest resistance possible with no friction and virtually silent operation. Resistance can be adjusted with a button on the console so you never have to step off the machine to change the resistance.
	Stride: Personal Trainers recommend getting an Elliptical with at least a 13" stride. Selected Ellipticals provide at least an 14" stride. Some of our most advanced Ellipticals include StrideSelect™ technology. the SpaceSaver® Series allows you to adjust your stride from 13" to 18". The Octane Series provides the longest stride length and can be adjusted from 18" to 22" long. Changing your stride length alters which muscle groups are targeted during your workout. A shorter stride attacks your Thighs where as a longer strider focuses more on the back of the legs and butt. Adjustable strides also help you find the stride that feels comfortable. Of course any stride length you choose will give you an incredible calorie burning, heart pounding workout.
	Incline: Many of today's most advanced elliptical machines include incline ramps. Adjusting the incline setting let's you alter the shape of the elliptical motion and target different muscle groups. An incline also increases the intensity of your cardio workout. The incline ramps are adjusted manually on some models and usually have 10, 20, and 30 degree settings. Higher end ellipticals have electronically adjustable inclines with controls on the console so you don't have to step off the machine to change the incline setting. Electronic incline ramps (Power Ramp) have many more incline settings usually set in 5 degree increments.
	Control Panels: Electronic feedback displays of speed, time, and distance are generally standard. Some also display calories burned, pulse and incline. Some offer preset programs. Control panels range from a simple display to fully programmable consoles with high-tech features, such as workout fans, video games, the ability to run programs from the iFIT workout cards, and sound systems with iPod attachments. Advanced features can make your workouts go by faster and encourage you to workout longer.
	SpaceSaver Design: Some Ellipticals fold up for easy storage when you're done working out. When folded our SpaceSaver Ellipticals take up just over 3 feet of floor space.
	Upper-Body: All Ellipticals have Upper-Body Arms to help you get a more complete upper-body workout. The Arms are connected to the machine's resistance so you can literally tone your upper-body while you get a great cardio workout. Most ellipticals also have stationary arms so you can give your arms a break if you need it.