Giving The Treadmill A Run For Its Money?
by Vicki Pierson, Personal Trainer
NordicTrack Ellipse
"Nice, easy feel, secure foot holds. I liked the hand/arm movement-- and the cup holder."
"It was smooth, but to me the handles are too close, which made it uncomfortable."
"Very smooth. It allows for a comfortable stride length and is a good overall machine with a very smooth leg action. But the arm handles are too close and the foot pedals are not wide enough."
"I liked this machine a lot. A very smooth, comfortable range of motion."
"This really provides both an upper- and lower-body workout. A little jerky in its movement, and the pedals are too small. But the arm handles are well-developed and comfortable. Overall it's a very good machine, it really makes you work your entire body."
"Smooth riding, comfortable stance in foot and body position, but it wasn't really challenging."
"My knees hit the front of the machine, and my feet were sliding off of the foot holders. The machine made me feel like I was falling too far forward."
"A very challenging workout, but there was too much forward lean, the foot pedals are not wide enough. The handles are hard to reach because of their short arms and the motion felt jerky."
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, compared the NordicTrack Ellipse elliptical trainer against a motorized treadmill, a stairstepper, and a cycle ergometer to see how the Ellipse compared with other modes of exercise. The study revealed no significant difference in oxygen consumption, heart rate, and calorie expenditure between treadmill running and the Ellipse. Both the treadmill and Ellipse provided the test subjects with a superior workout over the stairstepper and cycle ergometer.
The University of Wisconsin's study also revealed that the Ellipse produced impact forces similar to those of walking, while treadmill running topped the list in greatest amount of impact compared to the other activities. Lead researcher John Porcari explains, "Since the ground reaction forces on the Ellipse were less than half of those during treadmill running, this type of motion may provide a workout similar in intensity, but with less chance for orthopedic injury."
The American Council on Exercise (ACE) recently commissioned a study at the University of Mississippi, led by Dr. Len Kravitz, Ph.D., that matched four elliptical trainers head-to-head. The equipment selected for ACE's study:
- Ellipse by NordicTrack ($599.95)
- HealthRider Elliptical Crosstrainer by ICON Health and Fitness, Inc. ($499.99)
- Power Train™ by Guthy-Renker ($199.80)
- Cyclone Crosstrainer™ by Quantum Television ($399)
Seven men and seven women from the University of Mississippi tested each elliptical trainer. The four machines proved surprisingly similar when measuring the test subject's heart rate, ratings of perceived exertion, stride speed, and calorie expenditure. Ratings of perceived exertion ranged from 12.5 to 13, which correlates to a comfortable, yet challenging workout. All of the machines in ACE's study provided an effective workout for both men and women, with calorie burn equivalent to intense aerobic dancing or running an 11.5 minute mile.
The researchers at the University of Mississippi also surveyed the test subjects for their personal responses to each machine (see left column.) Overall preference from the study's 14 participants ranked their favorite to least favorite machines as the Ellipse, HealthRider, Power Train, and Cyclone. NordicTrack's Ellipse earned top billing from both the test subjects and researchers who did not encounter the problems recently reported in Consumer Reports which stated that "durability failures relegated [the Ellipse] to the list of models we don't recommend."
Dr. Kravitz and his research team had some comments of their own. Five of the seven women hit their knees on the center guard panel when using the Cyclone and the HealthRider began making a very loud metallic noise after using it for approximately one hour. Kravitz added, "To me, the PowerTrain and the Cyclone look like they are inexpensively made to be competitively priced. Clearly, the Ellipse is the most solidly built of the four products. It runs smooth, feels smooth and certainly appears to be made much more durably than the other products out there. The HealthRider appears to be a product that was launched before it was ready. When running, it was very smooth, but it was not quality tested [at least the one we received at the time of testing]. Their service, however, was highly satisfactory."
The studies from the University of Wisconsin and the University of Mississippi lend credibility to the effectiveness of the elliptical trainer. The machines appear to provide a safe, low-impact, aerobic workout. If you're thinking about purchasing an elliptical trainer, or any piece of exercise equipment, be sure to do your research, take the machine for a test workout, and evaluate your alternatives.
For more information read:
Buying Equipment For A Home Gym
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