elliptical?

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lucylou9701
lucylou9701 Posts: 194
in Fitness and Exercise
I am looking at investing in an elliptical machine.... For those of you have an elliptical is it a good burn? how many calories do you burn? what brand of elliptical do you have? how much did it cost you?

I am looking in the lowest possible- $400 nothing over 400 and i know that doesnt give me a good price range but i am a student and cant afford much lol :P

Replies

  • Leslietheriot
    Leslietheriot Posts: 303 Member
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    I just looked on ebay. They have some for under $200. Not sure of the condition but you should check it out ;)
  • superhippiechik
    superhippiechik Posts: 1,044 Member
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    Elliptical is the best burn in my oppinion.
  • Kambriasgranny
    Kambriasgranny Posts: 35
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    Hello....I have an eliptical machine from Sears and have had it for 3 years. I sold my treadmill because of back and knee issues and tried this at the gym before buying. If you can invest a little bit more than the $400, you will see a much sturdier product. I love this thing. It has 10 different levels and 15 different workout routines. It's never boring and I can watch TV while i workout. I cannot read on it, but it does have a built-in fan that you can point to your face. Mine gets a good use and has lasted several years and will no doubt last many more. It's a great investment....Watch your local ads for sales too. Good Luck!
  • ejohndrow
    ejohndrow Posts: 1,399 Member
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    I'm assuming you're a college student-what about the use of the campus gym? This way you can save up a bit more money and see how the elliptical works for you. Personally I like it, but I've moved around so much since I was your age that, for me, buying a large piece of exercise equipment wouldn't have been worth it.
    Also I've found that running is the best calorie burn, followed by elliptical, stair-stepper, rowing, and bike (for me anyway).
  • WifeMomDVM
    WifeMomDVM Posts: 1,025 Member
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    When I first bought an elliptical I had to make sure it did TWO things:

    1) Not become a dust magnet

    2) Not become a coat hanger

    So my first ever elliptical was purchased on Amazon.com for about $100 from a company called Confidence USA. Yes for $100 it was a POS. BUT, it met my two criteria and broke after 7 months of near daily 30 minute uses when I weighed between 150-160 lbs. it also helped me shed about 15 pounds without changing my diet.

    Once I convinced myself that I would indeed use an elliptical and not sell it in my local newspaper brand new for half price 6 months later, my husband and I invested in a Sole E95. It cost about $1500, we bought it at our local sports store, (kcid - spell it backwards and add an 's) - it keeps thinking I'm putting in a naughty word, paid cash and talked the manager down to a very competitive price. They set it up and delivered it free of charge. I've now had for almost a year, still use it and it holds up great.

    I know it's out of your price range, but my point is - make sure you are going to use one consistently before you invest in a gym quality machine, otherwise a cheapy one will get the job done. For the money, the POS $100 from Amazon was a great initial investment for us! Good luck!
  • Ashley152
    Ashley152 Posts: 10 Member
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    I love the elliptical and can usually burn a little over 10 cals a min depending on what resistance i use. but it may be a better investment to just join a gym if you havent. that way your not limited to one machine and your body wont get used to it.
  • icecrmlvr
    icecrmlvr Posts: 2
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    I like the eliptical over the treadmill. We bought and eliptical on craigs list. I'm not sure on the exact measurement but I do know that the eliptical burns more than a treadmill. That might be different though if you run on the treadmill
  • bexs74
    bexs74 Posts: 1
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    Ellipticals r awesome as far as calorie burn, and 30-40 mins go by like nothing! However, some ppl notice that ttheir feet go numb after some time (like clockwork, mine r completely numb after 17. Mins). Something I would check out before purchasing a high ticket item. Good luck!
  • yeabby
    yeabby Posts: 643 Member
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    Look on Craigslist.
  • Lisalisa_67
    Lisalisa_67 Posts: 18
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    I noticed I burn 100 calories in about 10 minutes and it takes twice the time on a treadmill. But if you can go faster you can burn more calories faster. I just started using the elliptical so I'm still slow lol
  • CoraGregoryCPA
    CoraGregoryCPA Posts: 1,087 Member
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    Ellipticals r awesome as far as calorie burn, and 30-40 mins go by like nothing! However, some ppl notice that ttheir feet go numb after some time (like clockwork, mine r completely numb after 17. Mins). Something I would check out before purchasing a high ticket item. Good luck!

    I want to know why this happens. It happens to me. I even loosened my shoe laces, thinking my shoes were too tight. It helped a little, but didn't eliminate the problem.
  • finchase
    finchase Posts: 174
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    I love the elliptical. When I first started working out at a gym a few months ago, I could literally only manage about 2 minutes on it. Now four months later I'm up to doing between 45-55 minutes per day, and I keep pushing the resistance levels up to get my heart rate higher.

    The Precor machines at the gym are so large I can't imagine having one in my home so you might want to try one out first. They are low-impact on the knees which is very important to me, and you can reverse direction on them so that you work different parts of the leg.

    I noticed a couple of people mention the feet numbness. That happens to me sometimes, too. That's very interesting. I thought it was just me and that maybe my blood circulation wasn't good enough. I'll have to ask my doctor about it the next time I see him.
  • evelyngrice
    evelyngrice Posts: 350 Member
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    In 20 mins I can burn up to 430 cals, if I work at a pretty hard intensity :)
    It works the majority of your muscles, it's amazing <3
  • maryloomis
    maryloomis Posts: 20
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    I'm so glad I came across this thread. I have thought about getting an eliptical myself and one of the things I have noticed when I have looked at them is different stride lengths, but I haven't found any information to help me determine what the appropriate stride length is for me. Does anyone know how to figure that? I'm also glad to see that I am not the only one who has had numb feet. I have had this happen to me on a treadmill too, but not for several years. I found this information online . . .

    Causes of Numbness

    When operating an elliptical trainer, the feet stay motionless in one place, unlike a treadmill or stairstepper where you pick up your feet. The constant pressure of your body weight on your feet can affect your circulation and cause the feet to feel numb or asleep. If you are wearing shoes that further restrict circulation because the shoes are too tight are ill-fittiing, that can compound the problem. Even shoes that are too loose can cause your feet to slide forward, which jams your toes and causes a similar sensation.

    Preventing Numb Feet

    First, make sure your shoes fit properly. Go to a store that specializes in sports footwear and have them measure your foot and look at your stride and pronation or supination problems so they can recommend the best pair of shoes for your feet. Second, consider custom orthotics from a podiatrist or try over-the-counter products at the drug store. Third, when using the elliptical, wiggle your toes frequently and rock back-and-forth on your feet. Using the reverse mode of the elliptical every few minutes can also provide relief. Fourth, try an incline, if your machine has that feature included. Finally, make sure you don't exercise on the elliptical too long. An optimal workout is considered to last 30 to 45 minutes.

    Read more: Why Do Feet Go Numb on the Elliptical? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5187888_do-feet-go-numb-elliptical_.html#ixzz1YxeGIF9o
  • RobinsEgg
    RobinsEgg Posts: 3,702 Member
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    Interesting subject. I JUST got an elliptical and did a lot of research, including Consumer Reports. I bought a Schwin 431, and got a used one thru Amazon at half price, and it came fully assembled. Because I am 100 lbs overweight and VERY deconditioned, I find I can only go about 2 minutes at a time and then must rest a minute, then go another minute and rest a minute, etc until I can get 5 minutes total in.
    If you go to my page I have 2 blog posts about using the elliptical and how its afffected my "non-existent" muscles and their improvement. I started with a broken foot and that , of course, affected how I could use it at first.

    I do have a knee replacement too, and this machine is the smoothest and easiest for my knees. I will be able to do more, its a matter of doing it daily and building up my muscles I do firmly believe. If you want to correspond, please feel free.
  • RobinsEgg
    RobinsEgg Posts: 3,702 Member
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    Also, I live in a tiny apt. and the elliptical fits well and can be rolled into another location if I have company.
  • BobinNC66
    BobinNC66 Posts: 192 Member
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    Personally I love them, but have never owned one. Can't run because of bad knees and starting anything high impact when you are overweight is usually not good, so the elliptical is a great choice for doing something more strenuous than walking without damaging anything.
  • mydaughterrockz
    mydaughterrockz Posts: 6
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    I recently bought one for about 400 dollars from sears it is a pro form and it is pretty sturdy

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