Buying elliptical exercise equipment? There are so many different brands and types of ellipticals out there – it can get confusing! How do you know which one is best for you and how do you avoid buying a lemon?

In order to keep things simple and have the very best buying experience, here are 3 key tips to help you choose the best elliptical exercise equipment

1 Price

If you want a quality elliptical trainer, be prepared to spend at least 800. Why? Because most ellipticals under this price point just aren’t built to stand up over the long haul.

Example My 400 elliptical that I bought from a department store several years back lasted 3 months – 4 if you count the last month it was used as a clothes hanger in my living room.

After 3 months it developed a loud squeaking noise that couldn’t be fixed – no matter how long or hard my handyman husband worked on it.

If I’d been smart enough to spend a bit more, I’d probably still have the elliptical today. In the end it was a huge waste of money and time.

So the bottom line is this If you’re really serious about getting in shape, you deserve to invest in a piece of exercise equipment that’s going to last you – so be ready to spend a bit more on your elliptical trainer. If you consider how long the elliptical will last you, you actually SAVE money over the long term.

2 Who Are You Buying It From?

While there are lots of places the sell elliptical exercise equipment – both online and off, make sure they have several years of experience and a solid return policy. If a company has experience selling elliptical equipment, this will make your transaction and shipping go much more smoothly.

A solid return policy also gives you peace of mind when buying your elliptical. For example, even if you try your elliptical out in a store, you might get it home and find that after a week it strains your arms or hurts your hips. You want to know that you can return your elliptical without a hassle.

Many specialty fitness stores will offer some kind of return policy and most experienced online elliptical stores also offer you a standard 30 day return policy. But it’s always important to check before you buy.

3 Upper Body Arms

The beauty of an elliptical trainer is that it offers you a total body workout.

Whereas treadmills and recumbent bikes tend to work mainly the lower body only, ellipticals offer you a chance to burn calories and build strength using upper body arm handles. This means more calories burned in less time.

Surprisingly enough however, not all elliptical trainers offer upper body arms with their units. Make sure you choose an elliptical with upper body workout arms included if this is an option you want.

It usually won’t cost you extra to have upper body arms however one note of caution Many of the cheaper ellipticals don’t necessarily have the coordination between the arms and legs exactly right. This can result in injury or a less efficient workout.

Rule of Thumb You should not have to lean over to use the upper body arms.

So there are three things to consider when buying elliptical exercise equipment. Keep these things in mind and you’ll save yourself time and loads of frustration!

For more buying tips and elliptical reviews visit

Most people buying a treadmill want one with an incline also called treadmill elevation.

It used to be that incline on a treadmill was a bonus feature. However today, most motorized treadmills come with an incline option. The difference seems to be in the amount of elevation available.

If you’re looking for an economy treadmill under 1000 you’ll probably find most treadmills only come with a 10-12 incline however that can be enough for most people – especially for those new to treadmill exercise.

When you get into the mid-priced treadmills 1500 you’ll start to see elevations of 12-15. And in most premium treadmills you’ll find inclines of 15.

If you’re in top shape and really want a challenge, then you’ll probably want a 15 incline. However if you just want a treadmill for gentle walking, a 10 elevation might suit you perfectly.

Of course, the mother of incline treadmills is the incline trainer. This is a treadmill that also gives you much more elevation than normal treadmills – up to 30.

You’ve probably heard about the Bowflex Treadclimber. The Bowflex Treadclimber is a hybrid stair climber and treadmill. TreadClimbers have two separate, smaller treadmill belts one for each foot that you walk on. These individual belts also move up and down, meeting every step you take.

Nordic Track also has an incline trainer available – called the Nordic Track X5. This machine has only one treadbelt like a treadmill and offers elevations of up to 30.

An incline trainer treadmill is way more than most people need. But if you want to burn as much as 500 calories in 20 minutes, you can do it with with one of these units.

While incline trainers are excellent for burning calories, the downside is you’re going to pay for them. Prices start at around 1600 for basic models. Because of this, these trainers are used mostly in commercial settings like gyms or office fitness facilities.

So why the big deal about treadmill inclines?

Walking on an elevation can help super-blast your calorie burn. You can burn up to twice or even 3 times the calories by walking on an incline vs. walking on a level surface.

Plus if you’re looking to build intervals into your workout, walking on an incline for 30 seconds to 2 minutes can be a great way to interval train and boost your post workout calorie burn.

So in general an elevation on a treadmill is a great tool to have. It can help you get in shape and burn calories much faster than simply walking on a level surface.

Regardless of which incline percentage you choose, just remember to wear high quality running shoes and enjoy your workout!

When I first started working in the fitness equipment industry the idea of customers buying online seemed absurd. But about 9 years ago the company I worked for built a web site and started advertising on Yahoo. Back then Google was still a concept, and pay per click advertising hadnt been conceived. Surprisingly a few people here and there would make purchases, primarily for treadmills. All sales were conducted through the phone.

Gradually sales increased, so about 6 years ago I suggested we include a shopping cart on our site. The reaction was, who would buy fitness equipment online without talking to someone first. Well, how times have changed. When I left the company over 60 of our sales were through the cart. Our minimum price item was 1,000, with our premium products exceeding 3,000.

Purchasing fitness equipment online has become a major industry. There are several benefits from buying online

There is no sales tax.
The item is delivered to your home.
The Internet is ideal for comparison shopping.
Nothing competes with the convenience of shopping from your home.
Not always, but in some instances you will save money.

Elliptical Trainers Grow in Popularity

The fastest growing fitness equipment currently is elliptical trainers. They offer the benefit of providing a low-impact, upper and lower body workout. They have become particularly attractive to the aging baby boomers. And like treadmills, many people are purchasing them online. If you are considering buying an elliptical trainer online there are several considerations

Buy a Quality Elliptical Trainer

Do not waste your money on a cheap machine, unless you plan to use it to hang clothes. How do you determine what qualifies as cheap and what merits quality? You need to do your due diligence. Check out third party reviews, customer testimonials epinions.com is a good source, and compare features and specifications. At my site you will find an elliptical trainer buyer’s guide. It explains in detail the important features of an elliptical trainer.

Buy an Elliptical Trainer that has an Adequate Warranty

When you see an elliptical trainer with a 90 parts and labor warranty, you should be concerned about the durability of that machine. It doesnt say much about the faith of the manufacturer in their products. When buying an elliptical trainer look for models that come with a one year labor warranty, and a 1-3 year parts coverage.

Buy an Elliptical Trainer from a Company with a Good Reputation

When you purchase an elliptical trainer you are not only buying the machine, but also the company that stands behind it. Although elliptical trainers require less service than a treadmill, you may still have maintenance issues and questions. You want to make sure you purchase from a company that is responsive to their customers. Once again customer reviews can be helpful. Whenever I want to get some insight into a company I will do a search on the company name and complaints. You could be surprised on the results. I was going to spend considerable money with a furniture store chain and when I did a search I was overwhelmed with the number of customer complaints. Guess what? They didnt get my business.

There are a number of advantages to buying an elliptical trainer online, but as with any purchase let the buyer beware. Become an informed consumer and make a smart buy.

Although Smooth Fitness has been selling elliptical trainers for a number of years, it is only recently that they manufactured their own models. In the past they private labeled machines from companies like Kettler. In fact, their popular Smooth CE is a Kettler built elliptical, which they have sold literally thousand.

They recently introduced three new models, the CE 2.1, CE 3.2 and CE 74, which are built at the same Taiwanese plant as their treadmills. The Smooth CE elliptical can attribute its popularity to being a solid and reliable machine. It has a very good service record. It is build with a 40 lb. flywheel and an eddy brake system. Both contribute to a fluid and smooth motion, which is what you want in an elliptical trainer.

The new Smooth ellipticals utilize the best qualities of the CE elliptical. In addition, they have improved on several important features. For example, the new models are equipped with pivotal foot pedals. The major benefit of an elliptical trainer is the low impact. The pivotal foot pedal further reduces strain and impact by aligning your feet with the elliptical motion.

Each new model has an upgraded console and display over the older CE. The programs are a vast improvement, and provide challenging workouts. They include an Interval program that combines higher intensity routines with alternative cool downs.

Smooth offers the advantage of selling direct and only on the Internet. They are the only fitness equipment company that sells solely online. This offers two benefits. In general, you are getting a better value. You also are dealing with a company that specializes in online sales, fulfillment and service.

Regarding the discount value, obviously there is a savings when a company does not incur retail costs and the overhead from commissioned sales staff. But dont get caught up with the exaggerated mark downs on their web site. Because you are buying direct you are probably saving about 5-10, not the 30 percentage they suggest. But you also save money from not having to pay a state sales tax Exc. PA. When compared to buying in a fitness specialty store, the savings can be substantial.

If you are considering purchasing an elliptical trainer we suggest you spend a minimum of 1,000. Anything less will potentially have some service issues if used on a regular basis. The Smooth ellipticals offer a good value at the 1,000 – 2,000 price range.

Competitive bodybuilding is a sport in which athletes attempt to develop and maintain the perfect muscular body. As bodybuilding competitors show off their physique and perform with a number of poses, they are judged by a qualified panel of experts who will render the final decision as to the winner.

When it comes to bodybuilding, the appearance of a competitors physique is much more important than how much heshe can lift. The sport of bodybuilding, therefore, should not be confused with or compared to a competition of strength. Instead, it is one of visual appeal. Bodybuilding is open to both men and women with specialized categories for each.

For those who regularly compete in bodybuilding competitions, or are interested in participating, the main strategy for contest preparation includes a combination of resistance weight training, a customized nutrition plan and plenty of rest. Resistance training is very important in bodybuilding as it is this that causes an increase in muscle size. The importance of nutrition comes into play as muscles grow, are injured and repaired during the bodybuilding process. In order for the body to properly heal itself, a customized nutrition plan is a must. Generally, bodybuilding competitors will eat a larger number of meals per day, but in smaller quantities. For instance, rather than eating three normal meals a day, a bodybuilding competitor may divide their food up into six or seven small meals.

Because of the strenuous regimen required of any bodybuilder, athletes often enlist the help of a nutritionist and a professional trainer. These individuals can work together to make sure that the athlete is training properly and also receiving the proper amount of nutrition. Rather than having to figure out how much to eat, when to eat and how often to work out, the trainer and nutritionist will handle all of the details while the athlete concentrates on building muscle.

At the end of the day, which is often exhausting for many bodybuilding competitors, rest is essential. Not only for the obvious reasons, but it is during rest that the muscle growth occurs. Without eight hours of sleep every night, some bodybuilding competitors find it difficult to regain energy and rebuild strength after an exhausting workout. In addition, many competitors find that an afternoon nap may further increase their bodys ability to increase muscle.
Individuals who are interested in entering into the world of bodybuilding should consult with local trainers in their area. If there are no trainers to be found, a stop at the local gym may provide answers as to finding a qualified trainer. Bodybuilding is a sport that requires a lot of dedication and even more hard work, which is evident in the physique of most competitors.

The information in this article is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It should not be used in conjunction with, or in place of, professional medical, nutritional or training advice regarding bodybuilding as a sport or as a hobby. If you are considering a venture into the world of bodybuilding, you must consult with a physician prior to beginning any exercise andor nutritional regimen.

Even in the case of general fitness, training has its own well established rules. These rules refer to different aspects of doing the exercises dosing the number of series, repeating, intensity, rhythm, etc; but considering all these aspects is not enough. It is very important for the exercises to be performed correctly.

It is not easy at all for a beginner who has read something about fitness or to whom somebody described exactly how to do an exercise, to do it impeccably starting with the first sessions of training. Many times he has the impression that he does a movement correctly, even when he can see himself in a mirror from the gym. But only the experienced ‘eye’ of an instructor who has worked many programs for beginners is able to correct him effectively.

On the other hand, it is possible for the beginner to have the feeling that his modality of doing the exercises is wrong. If this is not the case, he needs, again, the instructor, to assure him his performance is correct. It is dangerous for the fitness practitioner’s health and body state to self-educate from the first sessions. There are many positions, angles, programs of the machines which could be unadvisable in different situations, determined by every person’s characteristics. Some examples of these particularities are deformations of the spine, old accidents, operations, limits of the mobility of the joints, etc.

Another advantage of working under the supervision of an instructor is a good choice of exercises, machines, movements, which helps avoiding any risk of accidents.
The role of the fitness instructor is not limited to working with beginners. Even the advanced might have the tendency to ‘cheat’ in doing some exercises or to introduce really difficult exercises, necessitating closer supervision. Also, an experienced sportsman might need, from time to time, a look ‘from the outside’, which could help him perfect his technique.

Another aspect closely related to the fitness trainer’s assistance is the conception of the training programs. While for beginners the impossibility of creating their own training programs is obvious, the advanced could lose themselves in the jungle of possible choices, getting not to see the wood for the trees. In the same case of the advanced, the dangers of routine can be avoided much easier with help from the outside.

Maintaining the motivation and the interest for training is also one of the tasks the fitness instructor must face. He needs to show tact, intelligence and even diplomacy when working with the sportsmen or with the ones who practice fitness just for pleasure or for maintaining their health.

There could be some disadvantages of the involvement of the fitness trainer. His presence might be felt as patronizing, stressing, or unpleasant. Some cultural or social incompatibility between the trainer and the practitioner could make their communication, which is so important in this relation, really difficult.

However, the benefits we can have from working with a competent trainer are much bigger than the possible disadvantages and they make the effort of the sportsman more effective.

In order to be effective, fitness training must be well assimilated and personalized. The process of learning and mastering the exercises properly takes a lot of time. Many of the movements must be practiced until they become automatisms; this way, the focus will be on the muscles that are worked out and on intensity of practice, rather than on the execution technique. But this routine of training has also some disadvantages.

One of them is monotony the exercises get to be really boring for the practitioners. On the other hand, at least 4-6 weeks are necessary for checking and proving the potential of training, developing, losing weight, etc. that a program might have. A shorter period of time will not be enough for drawing relevant conclusions on the effectiveness of the program. Thus, a certain psychological resistance to monotony is necessary from the very beginning.

Another disadvantage of routine is the fact that the muscles act under the principle of economy of effort. This means that, soon after starting the program, they do not react to the stimulus with the same effectiveness as in the beginning. A state of limitation intervenes, when, in spite of the same efforts, the sportsman will not progress any more. Stagnation of good results might be very frustrating for the sportsman, who could, finally, abandon training completely. For avoiding this, it is advisable to change the program periodically, so that the muscles will have time to ‘forget’ the first exercises; the sportsman can come back to them after getting through a few different programs.

A completely new program can have disadvantages, for example the fact that learning it demands an increased effort of attention, of focusing, and sometimes even involve mental stress, determined by the degree of difficulty of the program. However, some practitioners can see a positive aspect in this, considering the new program as a challenge, which will ‘refresh’ them psychologically.

On the other hand, a too frequent change of programs can be as ineffective as maintaining them for too long. Changing the program before benefiting of all its potential of progress is like giving up antibiotics treatment after you have the impression that the symptoms disappeared.

It is important for the sportsman to observe carefully his own reactions from one training to the next; this way he will be able to choose the best moment for taking up new routine. It is very easy to consider some temporary states of indisposition, irritability or tiredness as limitation or overtraining and to abandon, in consequence, a program which would still have a lot to offer.

This is another case in which the experience accumulated by the practitioner in months or years of training will help him take the right decision and change the program when it is best for the body. If the sportsman makes the right choice, he will feel progress even in the first sessions of training and he will not need a long period of adaptation.

In time, the sportsman can develop a conditioned reflex, meaning that the body will ask regularly, at certain intervals, for a change in the routine of the training. This way, new solutions can be anticipated for getting over the critical fazes of stagnation. Moreover, the interest for the training will remain constant.

The active breaks active recovery, which must be initiated once a trimester, a semester or a year, can submit to this rhythmic conditioning. They intrinsically belong to the training and their importance must not be underestimated.