How to Choose an Elliptical

There are some baseline considerations you’ll want to establish across all types of ellipticals before you buy one. Below, we outline those factors across design and specs and various features.

Size
On average, ellipticals are about 72 inches long by 30 inches wide, but the length can range from 50 to 84 inches. 

Keep in mind that during operation, the pedals may extend beyond the length of the machine. You’ll also be more elevated than you would on a treadmill, so make sure you have a space with a sufficiently high ceiling. We’ve measured step-up heights between 5 and 15 inches, with pedals reaching up to 25 inches above the floor at the apex of the elliptical cycle. 

You’ll also need a minimum of 20 inches of free space on at least one side and either the front or the back for safety.

Ergonomics
Unlike a treadmill, which allows you to move freely, an elliptical constrains you to its movement. 

Pay attention to how comfortable you feel when using one in person: You should be able to maintain an upright posture when holding on to the moving handles, the handgrips should be easy to reach and not force your wrists into an awkward position, the elliptical path should feel comfortable, pedals should generally be as close together as possible, and the moving handgrips and fixed frame components shouldn’t bump into, contort, or otherwise interfere with the natural movement of your arms, shoulders, or knees.

Intensity
All ellipticals have variable resistance. Make sure that the lowest resistance setting is easy to pedal and that it becomes challenging to pedal at about 75 percent of the highest setting. If you are challenged only at the highest resistance setting when you buy a machine, you won’t have room to grow.

You should feel a significant (but incremental) change whenever you increase or decrease the resistance. Also check to see whether your machine comes with an adjustable incline, which can offer another option for customizing the intensity of your workout.

Connectivity
Similar to treadmills and exercise bikes, ellipticals can have built-in wireless connectivity, usually via Bluetooth. This allows you to connect your machine to an app on a mobile device for workout tracking, social networks, and access to a library of exercise programs.

Programs
Exercise programs can make a workout more varied and less boring, which might get you on the machine more often. But don’t pay for frills that you don’t care about—you should be able to get by with a few basic programs that address specific types of workouts. Custom programs allow you to create your own resistance profile, if that’s important to you. Before you buy your machine, find out whether you’ll be encouraged to pay for a monthly subscription for an on-demand workout service. For some machines, this may be required to access all but the most basic exercise functions.

General Safety
Ellipticals are dangerous for children, who could get pinched or trapped in the moving parts. People with children at home (or as visitors) should make sure that the little ones can’t access the machines, by locking the door to the room, unplugging the machine, activating the machine’s software lockout feature, or inserting safety pins for the pedals after every use (if your machine provides them).

Price
High-end ellipticals cost upward of $3,000 (and even $5,000-plus), but you can get a good machine for a fraction of that. For more money, you’ll often find more features and a beefier, heavier frame (with a larger footprint, to boot).

Delivery
Ellipticals are heavy and setup can be tricky (and usually requires more than one person), so check to see whether assembly is included or available at an additional cost.

Return Policy
Confirm the store’s return policy, including how much it’ll cost to send the machine back (don’t forget about restocking fees). If you’re purchasing online, find out how return shipping is handled.

Warranty
Look for a warranty that provides three to seven years of coverage on parts and at least one year on labor. Most ellipticals have a lifetime warranty on the frame. Our surveys suggest that an extended warranty probably isn’t worth it.

Decide which extra features are important for you. Here are a few to look out for.

Stride Length
If your elliptical machine has adjustable stride length, it’s important to find a length that feels right for you.

Safety Features
Ellipticals can be equipped with features intended to help prevent injuries to children. These features are especially important if you have kids at home. They include the following.

• Pedal arm safety pin: This is a mechanical device that can prevent the elliptical from being pedaled or keep the user from increasing pedaling resistance. It is commonly found on Precor machines.
• Software lockout: A software feature that disables the keypad or display to make the machine less attractive to curious children.

We arrive at our elliptical machine recommendations through careful evaluation of each aspect of the machines.

Every elliptical that enters CR’s labs undergoes rigorous testing to assess whether it will give you a good workout without sacrificing ergonomic comfort or personal safety.

At CR, we attach an Overall Score to each elliptical machine we test, based on a calculation of its scores across a battery of tests. Our elliptical ratings make clear each elliptical’s Overall Score, as well as how it performs in specific tests.

All the ellipticals are put through a series of tests and evaluations to assess their usability. Below are a few examples of the tests that we perform on each elliptical.

• To test ergonomics, we use a figure proportioned to a man in the 95th percentile and a woman in the 5th percentile of height to evaluate comfort and reach for a wide range of users.
• To evaluate the range of exercise intensity each machine provides, we enlist a panel of people of varying fitness levels to assess how easy or challenging they find pedaling at the lowest resistance setting, at 75 percent of the maximum resistance, and at the maximum level.
• To assess user safety, we look at potential pinch points, pedal sizes, and coverings, as well as elliptical handles’ design—if positioned poorly, the handles can cause eye injuries. We also conduct static load testing, in which we load one pedal of each elliptical with 750 pounds, and record whether this causes any deformities or changes in performance.