This company began business in 1993 as a division of Trek Bicycle Company, one of the world's largest manufactures of quality outdoor bicycles. They pioneered the development of the smoothest and quietest exercise bikes on the market.

In 1996, Vision Fitness was spun off by the Trek Fitness management team to better focus on the specialized fitness industry. The company was re-named Vision Fitness because everyone who starts a fitness program has a vision of how they want to look after they have exercised for a period of time.

Vision Fitness elliptical trainers became the "must have brand" when they were introduced in 1998. These were patented folding elliptical trainers. The first year on the market Consumer's Digest awarded a "best buy" rating to the X6200 model.

By 1999, only three short years after Vision Fitness spun off from Trek, they had become one of the top fitness companies in the world. In 2001, Vision Fitness moved its operations to a newly constructed facility in Lake Mills, Wisconsin.

Today Vision Fitness designs and distributes award-winning fitness products, including Vision treadmills, Vision elliptical trainers, Vision fitness bikes, and strength equipment, to the home and commercial markets.

Vision Elliptical Trainers: Features and Benefits

Vision Fitness elliptical trainers offer a long list of features that make your workout experience smooth, quiet, and comfortable.

Contact heart rate grips allow you to monitor your heart rate during workouts. Motivational programs are included to keep you going strong throughout your entire workout. Each Vision elliptical trainer is equipped with large, cushioned, foot plates that give your feet plenty of space and traction for a safe and comfortable workout.

Heavyweight flywheels, extra-wide-poly-V belts, and a magnetic resistance system provide a smooth and quiet ride on every Vision elliptical trainer. In addition, every elliptical trainer has a heavy gauge steel frame that provides unmatched stability during your workout.

Sprint 8 Program

The Sprint 8 program that is found on Vision elliptical trainers was developed by Phil Campbell the author of "Ready, Set, Go! Synergy Fitness." Considered an expert in anaerobic exercise, he constantly is looking for the cure for "middle-age spread," defined as energy decline, weight gain, loss of muscle tone, and wrinkled skin.

Vision elliptical trainers are the first machines to have anaerobic exercise programming built in that promotes the natural release of human growth hormone. Yes, human growth hormone:; the most powerful body-fat-cutting, muscle-toning, anti-aging substance known to man.

Quiet Machine

Many product reviews suggest the Vision elliptical trainers are the least noisy. Silence is a great feature, since many people enjoy reading a book or watching television while they are working out on their elliptical trainer. Additionally, because of their schedule, they may have to work out in their home gym very early in the morning or very late at night and don't want to wake up the family.

The purpose of this article is to inform you the reader of the dangers of purchasing a used elliptical trainer. While it may seem like a good idea, and in some cases used elliptical trainers can be a great bargain, for the most part it is dangerous to purchase a used elliptical trainer.

Why is it a Bad Idea to Buy a Used Elliptical Trainer?

Most elliptical trainers have many moving parts and all of these parts have a certain life expectancy. When you purchase a used elliptical trainer you are essentially getting a product with a limited life span. You have no way to really know how hard a person worked their trainer and for how long, but it is best to simply assume the worst.

Most trainers can handle normal use, but if a person using the machine is in excess of two hundred and fifty pounds or uses it for extended periods, more than like 10 hours a week, this can cause significant and irreparable damage to the machine. In addition, even if it does not cause permanent damage to the machine, this added stress will decrease the overall life expectancy of the machine, meaning that it is significantly more likely that your used elliptical trainer, should you choose to ignore this advice and purchase one, will become unusable sooner and require costly repairs.

The second thing to consider when purchasing used is that for most trainers the warranty is non transferable. That means that when you purchase the unit, if it becomes damaged or breaks down then you will be responsible for the cost of all repairs. In some cases these repairs can cost more than the unit itself, especially if the unit is no longer being built and parts can be difficult to come by.

Hopefully this article has shown you some of the dangers of purchasing a used elliptical trainer. While it is not the attention of the author to convince to buy a new machine, it is however best if you are fully prepared and informed before making your decision. There are good used elliptical trainers out there, but it is very difficult to tell with certainty which are which before and in some cases even after you purchase them. Hopefully you can make an educated decision and get a piece of exercise equipment that you are satisfied with and that will function for years to come.

An elliptical trainer gets its name from the shape of the motion that you see when viewing the trainer from the side. A Trimline elliptical trainer is the same with all the other trainers in the sense that it uses this concept in making the machine work. Features and construction standards of most elliptical trainer machines are highly similar to each other which is why it can be difficult in choosing which elliptical trainers to buy. There are many reasons why a Trimline elliptical trainer stands out from other elliptical trainers of its class.

Elliptical trainers have gained popularity through the years mainly because they promote low impact exercises that result to a workout for the larger muscles of the lower body as well as a great cardiovascular workout. The Trimline elliptical trainer, as well as most other elliptical training machines, has features that include an upper body workout as well.

Features of a Trimline Elliptical Trainer

Most of the Trimline elliptical trainer models promote what fitness experts call all direction resistance. This means that all movements made in the Trimline elliptical trainer results to a muscle group being moved in the form of exercise. This makes it a very efficient training machine that targets most of the muscle groups while burning the most number of calories with every movement made.

The higher models of the Trimline elliptical trainer machines are also designed with what the company calls a Precision Path motion technology for the feet. This means that your strides are naturally patterned just like your natural way of walking. There is no adjustment to different stride patterns because the machine itself can track your very own waling or running pattern and adjust itself to it. This makes the higher end of Trimline elliptical trainer models very innovative compared to others of its class.

All Trimline elliptical trainer models also have the patented Pedal Acceleration Speed technology which eliminates the friction or jerkiness of walking providing consumers with a smooth and virtually no impact exercise. This feature reduces the stress that causes damage to knees, ankles and the back which can result from other more strenuous activities.

The fluidity of movement and the targeting of most major body muscle groups make the elliptical machine from Trimline very effective as a training supplement and a weigh loss machine. On top of that, all Trimline elliptical trainer machines have a three year warranty for residential use. This makes Trimline elliptical trainers quite a catch for most homeowners.

When you are looking for something like an elliptical trainer, it can definitely be a difficult process, considering the multitude of different options that are available to you. There are some names in particular however that you just know you can trust, Sole being one.

Sole Elliptical Trainer

If you are looking for a higher end but affordable elliptical trainer, a Sole elliptical trainer may be the perfect choice for you. These elliptical trainers are manufactured by Sole Fitness, which is a relatively new company but one that has definitely proved themselves in the exercise industry time and time again.

One of the biggest advantages that you are offered with a Sole elliptical trainer is in the footpads, as they all offer proper alignment of footpads. This is very important because when you use an elliptical trainer the natural alignment of your body is thrown off. It does not matter how high quality the elliptical is, your alignment will still be thrown off, and so what matters is how well the elliptical is able to balance this out.

Every Sole elliptical trainer models have footpads which have a slight inward angle of about two degrees. What this does is help to put your body back into a neutral alignment, thereby intensifying your workout and also keeping you from experiencing unnecessary pain.

Another of the most major advantages of a Sole elliptical trainer is that it offers a heart rate monitors. All of their models do, and this is a fabulous feature because it allows you to monitor your heart rate using either the handlebars with built-in pulse sensors or the heart rate chest strap if you want to have your hands free.

This helps to keep you from going overboard, and also helps you to keep better track of your progress. The Sole Fitness Company also offers extensive warranties on all of their exercise equipment, which manes that these are some of the best elliptical trainers on the market today and really tells you something about the quality of the parts.

These elliptical trainers are absolutely some of the best on the market today, and any would be a worthy investment whether you are a novice exerciser or are just looking to add to your existing home gym. You can check out the Sole Fitness Company's selection for more details and to decide on the particular elliptical that is going to best suit your needs.

There are a few different pieces of exercise equipment that are considered as being basic staples to any home or professional gym, and the smooth elliptical trainer is right at the top of this list. A smooth elliptical trainer, also known as a cross trainer or an elliptical, is one of the most basic pieces of exercise equipment.

They work the upper and lower body and offer users a low impact cardiovascular workout that can vary from light to high intensity. This is one of the best pieces of exercise equipment if you want to burn a lot of calories in a short amount of time, and because it is such a low intensity workout it means that you do not have to worry about experiencing pain after each workout as you do with other machines.

Save Money

You can actually also save yourself money by choosing a smooth elliptical trainer, because they typically have a very reasonable cost, often even thousands of dollars under the other exercise machines that are available. A smooth elliptical trainer will offer you great durability which means that they will stand up to the wear and tear that you put them through, and also the same features that are found on the more expensive brands so you will not be missing out. There are also great warranties offered on the smooth elliptical trainer models, which allows you to relax and feel more at ease about your purchase and about using the machine.

Choosing an Elliptical

It can be difficult to decide on one particular elliptical machine, especially when you take into consideration that there are over a thousand different makes and models to choose from these days. If you want to choose and buy the best elliptical trainer there are a few things you will want to keep in mind. For one you want to think about user weight, as the weight of the users makes a huge difference in terms of how the elliptical trainer will operate.

A lot of elliptical machines tend to have vibration and noise problems after extended use, so you will want to figure out how often on average you think you will be using the machine and choose based on this. You will also want to think about the number of users that you plan to have on the machine. The number of users is one of the most critical areas to consider here, and while two people are considered normal, anything more would be too hard on the machine.

The first thing you should always do before buying anything from a manufacturer is investigate their history. If your measurement of a company's products' quality include being in business for a long time, then you are in luck with Sears.

Richard Sears was an agent of the Minneapolis and St. Louis railway station who had plenty of spare time on his hands, so he sold lumber and coal to local residents on the side to make extra money. When he received a shipment of unwanted watches on the train, he purchased them and sold them to station agents up and down the line.

In 1886 Sears started the R.W. Sears Watch Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The following year he moved his business to Chicago. In 1893, the name was changed to Sears, Roebuck and Co., after Sears brought the Roebuck, a watchmaker, into his company as a partner.

Sears.com

Sears has come a long way since then. One of the best ways to evaluate Sears' elliptical machines is to visit their website at Sears.com. Here you will not only find detailed information on product, but customer user ratings on all the models. Let's look at some of the best machines in order of ratings.

Sears Elliptical Machine – Reebok RL 1500 Elliptical

This is the only elliptical trainer to receive a five-star customer user rating. A little bit expensive at $1,800, it is worth every dollar. Features include oversized pedals, Quick Resistance, extra-long stride length, 350-pound weight capacity, step counter, Wireless Heart Rate Monitor, Multi-Window LED Display, and a lifetime warranty.

Sears Elliptical Machine – Horizon Fitness Elliptical

Receiving a customer rating of 4.5 stars, this machine runs around $1,000. Features include 18' stride length, Perfect View, easy-to-use controls, and a variety of workouts.

Sears Elliptical Machine - Schwinn Elliptical 430

A little less money at $800, this machine also receives a four-star rating. Features include 16 levels of resistance, eight workout programs, three feedback programs, LCD displays, grip heart-rate monitoring, transport wheels for easy mobility, and a 15-year warranty.

Sears Elliptical Machine – Nordic Track Elliptical Audio Strider

Also selling for around $800, this machine also receives a four-star rating. Features include Music Port, Grafixx Display, StrideMax Incline Ramp, and six personal trainer workouts.

Sears Elliptical Trainer – Nordic Track Elliptical ASR 700

This trainer sells for $900 and received a four-star rating. This machine's features include Game & Train Interactive Video Games, iPod Compatible Music Port, ifit Workout Card Technology, Digital Resistance, and Club Design Cardio Grip Heart Rate Monitor.

Sears Elliptical Machine – Nordic Track Elliptical – ASR-1000

This machine gets only 2.5 stars on the user rating scale of one to five stars. It sells for a price of around $1,000.

 

 

With the various different makes and models that are available on the market today, it is really no wonder why people often find themselves so confused and often intimidated when they go to purchase something like an elliptical trainer. There are definitely some great names to choose from these days, but if you are looking for a high quality, affordable elliptical trainer that is going to last, then you should definitely consider the Schwinn elliptical trainer.

The Specs

The Schwinn elliptical trainer is one of the most popular elliptical exercise machines on the market today, and it is really no wonder why. The Schwinn name alone is one that you can trust and rely on, and there are a few different options when it comes to elliptical trainers offered by the company.

One of the favorite Schwinn elliptical trainer models is the Schwinn 430. This elliptical trainer offers 16 different levels of resistance and was designed to be compact and to fit most body types. One of the major advantages of this machine is in its pivoting foot pedals, which help by supporting the foot and ankle's natural movement.

There are a few negative points to this Schwinn elliptical trainer, including that its front drive system undermines the smoothness of the elliptical motion. This can obviously cause some problems, especially if you are working out for an extended period of time, but the benefits are definitely still overwhelming.

Another popular Schwinn elliptical trainer is the Schwinn 418. This is one of the basic low-end elliptical exercise machines offered by the Schwinn Company, and definitely one to be considered by novice exercises. The LCD console is not backlit which is a bit of a downfall, and there are only eight levels of resistance so while this may be a great starting point for beginners, more advanced exercises will not get much use out of this bike.

The best idea, when you are trying to choose an elliptical trainer or any other piece of exercise equipment, is to test it out. You really cannot tell if it is going to be right for you unless you actually get on it and try it out firsthand.

Different equipment is better suited to different body types and it is important that you choose the one appropriate for you and your body type and also your budget. Any decent exercise store will be more than happy to let you try something out before you buy it, as they should want to ensure that you are going to be making the best buy for you and your needs.

This article is a review of what I feel is personally the best Reebok elliptical trainer on the market today. There are many different Reebok elliptical trainers available, but the Reebok RL 1500 is by far an away the best Reebok elliptical trainer that money can buy.

Features of the RL 1500

This piece of equipment shares many of the common features of all Reebok elliptical trainers, but does have some additional ones that set it apart. First off, this Reebok elliptical trainer does not look like any of the others manufactured by Reebok. It has a sleek design and unique look that right away separates from others in its class. The first feature that really stands out is the RL 1500's 20 inch stride length and aluminum glide track with reverse motion and digital quick resistance.

That sentence pretty much sums up the guts of this machine. The 20 inch stride length provides maximum distance for intense workouts, with the aluminum glide track offering a smooth steady rhythm. This is the feature that truly separates this model. The most important thing when working out on an elliptical is to have the stride length be long enough to give you and intense workout.

On most machines in its price class, the stride lengths will be shorter so you can not get a full workout. In addition, you have the option of going in reverse to really work your leg muscles and the digital quick resistance ensures a quick response to changes in your program. The LED is a 6 window display that lets you track many different aspects of your workout.

The RL 1500 also comes with 2 fans to help keep you cool and comfortable while working out. Staying away from the cheap hand monitors, the RL 1500 has a chest strap sensor for excellent heart rate monitoring. This accurate monitor ties right into the display screen so you can tailor your workouts.

In addition there are 15 quick programs that let you jump on a go with some variety. Quick programs make getting a nice fast workout in easy. The variety that 15 different ones offers will also keep you interested so you are not doing the same boring routine over and over again.

Given that many of the other Reebok elliptical trainers do not even have half of these features; the RL 1500 is the obvious choice if you are serious about your workout. You can find these Reebok elliptical trainers online or at your local workout retailers.

 

There are pros and cons to purchasing a reconditioned elliptical trainer. This article will attempt to look at what some of those are so you can make an educated decision as to whether you should purchase a reconditioned elliptical trainer.

Pros

Reconditioned elliptical trainers are usually far less expensive than their new counterparts. Many have been reconditioned with new parts at the factory so are just about in as good of shape as a new machine without all the overhead. In addition to being inexpensive, they can also be more reliable than the new units.

I know that seems kind of backwards, but if you think about it once a unit has been reconditioned all of the general problems associated with it should have been discovered and fixed. While this is not always the case, you would be surprised how many new elliptical machines have minor problems that need to be fixed within their first year, then are completely fine after that. If you can get a unit for half the price that has all of these kinks already worked out, it might be in your best interests.

Cons

Many reconditioned elliptical trainers are reconditioned because something on them broke and needed to be fixed. You can never fully understand how one component breaking will affect all of the other components associated with the machine, so be careful as one broken part could be a sign of trouble to come.

In addition, reconditioned elliptical trainers have generally been used before they are sold and most elliptical trainers only have a certain life expectancy. The reconditioned elliptical trainer has used up some of that so it may not be able to last as long as you want it to.

The best way to alleviate the cons and take advantage of the pros is to purchase a reconditioned elliptical trainer with a warranty. This way you can be guaranteed that the unit will function for you, and in addition take advantage of the inexpensive price. Unfortunately, sometime these warranties can be really expensive so be careful to not pay more for a used unit than you would for a new one.

When getting a warranty call the manufacturer of the machine to make sure that they will honor the warranty as you will only want to get approved and original parts for your machine. Trying to fix and elliptical with pieces and parts not designed for it is a very bad idea as many of the components rely on each other to function properly.

Elliptical trainers are used for a whole body workout that usually works for the larger muscle groups. There are many different elliptical training machine brands that claim to have many features that can effectively address the needs and demands of consumers. Proform elliptical trainer machines are among the machines that have been noted to have a bevy of features and benefits that make it stand out among the rest of its class.

The line of Proform elliptical trainer machines that have been presented to the general public are really very durable and are also affordable for everybody. Most of the Proform elliptical trainer machines are priced around the range of $400 to $1000, which make then quite affordable. The company does have Proform elliptical trainers in the higher end category and these also have a lot of innovative features.

Many experts have classified most elliptical trainers from Proform as a light trainer and not a heavy duty one. This means that if you intend to use you trainer daily for several hours you might be better off getting another brand. This is because the Proform elliptical trainer machines are not built to withstand frequent daily use. In other words, they are not for gym use but highly recommended for home usage only for just a couple of people daily.

What Are in the Proform Elliptical Trainers?

Most, if not all, Proform elliptical trainer machines feature dual action engineering. This means that it has the capacity to offer workouts for both the lower body and the upper body as well. This feature may be common in a lot of elliptical trainers but the Proform elliptical trainer machines offer this in a smooth and non-jerky movement which saves you excessive effort and turns you effort into results.

All the Proform elliptical trainer models have well lit LCD monitors that offer a range of information and data from a heart rate monitor, speed gauge, distance covered and many others. The higher end models of Proform elliptical trainers also have a unique feature that allows the machine to be connected to a personal computer. This will allow the user to make new workout routines that better suit you.

The Proform elliptical trainer models are also lightly built. This is one of the main reasons why they are cheaper than other heavy duty models although, they are made to look like the more expensive ones. The cheaper components and materials might give you a slight problem when the 90 day warranty runs out.