Recumbent Elliptical Bike - Benefits of the Elliptical Bike Combo Machine

You can pedal forward in the bike mode. You can also pedal/run forward while standing in the elliptical mode. And you can pedal/run backwards while in the elliptical mode.

So if you're a bit on the ADHD side when it comes to exercise, a recumbent elliptical can help you by giving you lots of different things to do during your workout time!


 * 1) 3 Great for Family Exercise

This is a great machine for families - since everyone has their own preferences when it comes to exercise. So if your teenager wants to crosstrain for the long distance running team over the winter, maybe he'll want to use the elliptical.

If your spouse wants to stay in shape - but he has a bad back, he may prefer the recumbent bike.

This is where it gets fun! You want to make sure you use your elliptical - and a machine with lots of fun console toys can make the difference between a 15 minute workout and a 45 minute workout!

Elliptical machines today come with everything from iPod docks to full-color web browsers to online fitness tracking and even built-in TVs!


 * 1) 7 Warranty

While most ellipticals come with a manufacturer warranty - by looking at the length of the warranty, you can often spot a higher quality machine!

So those are 7 things to look at when shopping for your elliptical. Keep these things in mind when shopping and you'll be able to navigate past the sales hype to find the real elliptical gems! Buying an elliptical? If so, you've probably come across the term "stride length" in your research and wondered what it means. There's lot of different sales literature on stride length, but this article will break it down for you - and cut past all the hype.

Basically stride length is the furthest distance between the elliptical pedals when you are using the elliptical.

Elliptical crosstrainers offer a range of different stride lengths - from 13 inches up to 23 inches. Some machines even offer adjustable strides where you can choose from several different stride lengths by adjusting a few settings on the machine.

So why is stride so important?

Basically stride is important because it can make the difference between a comfortable, high calorie burning workout - and an uncomfortable, jumpy-feeling, low calorie burning workout.

A stride length that is too short will give you a jumpy, jerky feel to the elliptical motion. It also makes for an unnatural feeling ride.

Shorter strides don't force you to use your leg muscles to the fullest extent. So you're also burning a lot less calories than you could be with a longer stride machine.

Given all of this, it's not hard to see why cheaper ellipticals (under $600) usually come with shorter strides.

They may seem like a good deal, but you're not actually getting the best workout bang for your buck. And over the long run, you'll wonder why you're not seeing faster results.

Longer strides feel more natural - more like the "running" motion that elliptical trainers were originally designed to give you. They use more leg muscles and subsequently you'll get better calorie burning and weight loss results.

What's the Ideal Stride Length?

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