Elliptical, Exercise & Fitness Articles

Ohiyo!

Here at the DOJO I get in a lot of emailing asking me what the best elliptical priced at under $1000 is on the market today. That’s always a tough question to answer because my opinion and what I see as the best may not suit everyon. I can just give you what I think is the best from what I’ve seen and from the units I’ve repaired, set up or reviewed. But you guys keep asking!

Now, based on my experience of just over 20 years now, if I have to be tied down to a single choice for best elliptical under $1000 then it’s going to have to be the Sole E25. Read More

Ohiyo!

Yes, the Treadmill Sensei is back with regular equipment reviews! I was able to hire a couple of extra young senseis to work here at the DOJO which allowed me to get back to what was important — testing and reviewing treadmills and ellipticals for YOU, my readers. Actually, later on tonight I’ll be posting some photos from the new warehouse/repair bay we’ve set up for the DOJO. More on that later.

For now I want to go over a great new elliptical choice priced under $800, the Horizon EX65 Elliptical. The EX65 is a replacement for the 2005-2006 Horizon EX33 Elliptical and is almost the same exact machine. The specifications are all the same, and the only real changes seem to be cosmetic and 2 additional programs. From the Horizon EX65 we have in the DOJO, Horizon has done an upgrade to the LCD screens since the EX33 Elliptical. The old screens were a little blurry for most users and the new screens are brighter and sharper. A very nice upgrade to an already good unit.

Since I had a bit more time on my hands today I was able to take the new Horizon EX65 for a quick work out. I just did a quick manual workout, checking out the resistance levels and unit response. Then I played around with the very spiffy reverse program.

All in all, the Horizon EX65 held up to the reputation of the unit it replaced, the EX33. Very sturdy, very responsive and loaded with features. Horizon has hit another home run with the Horizon EX65 Elliptical.

As with the unit it replaced, the Horizon EX65 gets 4.5 out of 5 golden buddahs.

The Horizon EX65 Elliptical gets a very strong 4.5 gold buddahs
out of 5 from the Sensei.

 

**UPDATE** The Horizon EX65 is no longer available for sale, so if you’re interested in a Horizon elliptical you can check out the official Horizon Fitness site and get free shipping on new models or glance at some of the older models still for sale here.

Horizon EX65 Elliptical Specifications
Stride Length: 18″
Max Weight Capacity: 275 lbs.
Resistance Levels: 10
Heart Rate Monitor: Yes
Heart Rate Control: Yes
Programs: 9
Display Type: Blue backlit LCD screen
Product Size: 56″L x 26″W x 65″H
Product Weight: 160 lbs.
Flywheel Weight: 14.5 lbs.
MSRP $999

The Treadmill Sensei has been reviewing a lot of consumer grade equipment…mainly because he knows the majority of people out there buying are looking for more information on equipment that can be purchased for a more realistic budget. And there are sooooo many treadmills and ellipticals available for under $1000 that it gets really confusing for people looking to buy. However, what I truly love is getting a chance to play with the high end, super expensive commercial units. Truthfully, the majority of the work we do here at the DOJO is on commercial equipment from gyms, fitness centers, apartment complexes and the like.

One of those high end ellipticals we have been installing a lot in gyms lately is the Star Trac Elite Elliptical. If Matrix is the Lexus of the fitness industry then this Star Trac Elite is easily the BMW (which then makes Landice the Lincoln Town Car and Noramco the Hummer!). These units are as close to perfection as you can get in an elliptical.

Let’s start with a little bit about Star Trac itself. The company has been producing treadmills since the early 1970s (1974 or 1975 from what I remember) and have always focused on producing top end equipment. Their company goals have always seemed to be: produce the best product, make it low maintenance, heavy duty and spiffy to look at. And, 99.9999% of the time they succeed. This is one of the reasons Star Trac is now the #1 name in high end commercial fitness equipment. If you’ve worked out at a good gym then you’ve worked out on Star Trac ellitpicals, treadmills or spinner bikes (Spin bikes? Indoor cycling bikes? whatever the thing are called this days).

That brings us to Star Trac’s latest offering, the Star Trac Elite Elliptical. The unit was first introduced in late 2005 and replaced Star Trac’s very popular (and excellent) Natural Runner line. Based on the name alone, you might think Star Trac is just blowing its own horn and being arrogant. Well, the Star Trac Elite is literally one of the best ellipticals out — and, in the Treadmill Sensei’s humble opinion, one of the finest ellipticals produced to date.

The first thing you’ll notice when stepping up to the Star Trac Elite is that it is a rear mounting elliptical (also known as a front drive). This may seem a bit unusual for those of you used to working on a Precor 546 or Life Fitness Rear Drive, but there is good reason for Star Trac’s design choice: ease of mounting. With the drive wheel up front, the Star Trac Elite is very easy to get on and start using…no more do you have to awkwardly step over the unit to get on to the pedals. Just walk up from behind and step up.

The second thing you’ll notice is how incredibly sturdy the Star Trac Elite Elliptical is. This comes from two things: first, the front wheel drive adds quite a bit to the stability of the unit. Second, it weights 450 pounds! Once this unit is in place, it wil not move unless you want it to. This is one of the few elliptical machines you can do a full on, near-running workout and feel comfortable it won’t tip over or fall apart.

The third thing you’ll see is the crosstraining arms on the Star Trac Elite. Anyone who has worked out on an elliptical realizes there is some benefit from the crosstraining arms, but that most of the “workout” from them is generated by your feet. Your arms are really just hanging on as the arms move back and forth by themselves. Not so on the Star Trac Elite Elliptical! It has 3 very different modes for you to workout with.

First is a resistence generating pulling workout — which gives you resistence when pulling and none on the reverse motion. With a click of a button you change the resistance and you’ve got a pushing workout which is opposite from the pulling. Third, for those of you who don’t want to workout with the crosstraining bars, another quick click of the button and the Star Trac Elite Elliptical folds the bars out of your way and locks them down. The alternating workout selections are a great breakthru in elliptical tech.

Now, the downside of these units is they are large and come full assembled. If you’ve got a tight space, narrow stairs or thin doorways, they are a bitch to get through! This comes from someone who has to set up Star Trac Elite ellipticals every week! And, let an installer remove the handles to get the unit through a tight squeeze at your own risk. They handles are not meant to be removed and some machines never perform quite right once they’ve been taken off and reattached.

The console on the Star Track Elite Elliptical is well thought out and designed for ease of use. One of the things I hate about some treadmills and ellipticals is having to let go of one of the handles and have to switch through screens to view the information I want to see (heart rate, time, distance, etc). Luckily, the Star Trac Elite puts all of the information for you in individual, easy to view screens. Check it out below:

The Star Trac Elite Elliptical Console is easy to use

Another great feature are the pedals which are slightly closer together than some older model ellipticals and feel much more natural. No more will your feel start to fall asleep during longer workouts like happens with a number of other ellipticals. Comfort is king with the Star Trac Elite Elliptical.

The rest of the features are just as impressive: 20 levels of magnetic resistence, pulse grip and wireless heart rate monitoring, heart rate control programs, 8 programs total and connection to Palm OS handhelds to keep records of your workout data. The Star Trac Elite is a fully loaded elliptical.

For being a paragon of performance perfection, the Treadmill Sensei gives the Star Trac Elite Elliptical 5 out of 5 Golden Buddahs!

5 gold buddahs out of 5 for the Star Trac Elite Elliptical!


Get more information on the latest Star Trac Ellipticals and find the lowest price online.

Star Trac Elite Elliptical Specifications
Dual Action: Yes

The Treadmill Sensei has recovered from his bout with pneumonia and is back in the treadmill and elliptical review game. Normally the DOJO is closed on Sundays but I came in today to catch up on a little work and to see what kind of mess Hikaru and the younger Senseis have left the place in. Surprisingly, they didn’t burn it to the ground while I was gone.

Here are the DOJO over 20+ years we’ve worked on every type and brand of machine out there — Precor, Life Fitness, Proform, Weslo, Image, Horizon, Star Trac, Matrix, Landice, Cybex…you name it and we’ve done it. We even get in the odd Bremshey units which are sold mainly overseas. The point of telling you that is to say I’m used to coming in to the DOJO to find some strange equipment sitting in the main repair bay for me to check out. Read More

A while back your Treadmill Sensei review the popular Schwinn 418 Elliptical and gave it a pretty decent review. Today we got in a brand new Schwinn 438 elliptical, the big brother of the Schwinn 418, to set up and deliver out to a customer. Since I hadn’t really ever sat down and ran one of these babies through the paces I thought I’d take the time…heck, we aren’t delivering the unit until Monday so I’ve got a few days to play around with it! Read More

About once a year Horizon Fitness, up in the wilds of Wisconsin, releases the newest version of their equipment. Some years the new versions are completely new, upgrade models. Other years all they do is some minor tweaking and cosmetic changes. For 2007 Horizon has just refined its award-worthy ellipticals, polishing off some of the rough edges to give its customers some nice shiny diamonds.

Such is the case with the Horizon EX55 elliptical. Don’t let the model number fool you, the EX55 is actually the new version of Horizon’s cheapest unit, the EX22 elliptical. In truth, you can just read my review of the aforementioned Horizon EX22 (read it HERE) because they are almost the exact same unit…literally. Unlike the extreme change between the Horizon E52 and the EX22, all Horizon has done is some minor tweaking in the paint scheme of the EX55.

The EX55 has the same pulse grip heart rate monitoring, 250 pound user capacity, 8 levels of resistance, great 18″ stride and 14 pound flywheel.

The only major change between the two units is the new console on the Horizon EX55 which gives you 8 programs instead of 4. This is a nice improvement over the pretty impressive Horizon EX22, giving the EX55 quite a bit more versatility. Plus, the new console just looks a lot slicker.

Keeping up with Horizon’s legacy of excellence, the Horizon EX55 is a great choice for budget conscious buyers looking for a good elliptical. A upgraded unit gets an upgraded rating, the Treadmill Sensei gives the EX55 Elliptical by Horizon 4 out of 5 Golden Buddahs.

For improving over last year’s model, the EX55 Elliptical

Because the Treadmill Sensei has been a bit lax on his reviews for the past couple of weeks, I have decided to leave the DOJO for the day to write up a few extra ones for our readers. Today I am going to be focusing on some ellipticals for those of you on a budget. Every day your Sensei gets numerous request for recommendations on “cheap” ellipticals that are still worth buying. Unfortunately, there really aren’t all that many but there are a few.

One of the brands that is always at the top of the list when it comes to good quality, budget fitness equipment is Horizon Fitness. Now I know a few of you who are regular readers of this site are going to say “Wait a minute…you talk about Horizon an awful lot. Read More

As anyone who reads the reviews I post knows, the Treadmill Sensei is a big fan of Precor and their excellent elliptical trainers. Precor has done a great job with their quality and engineering. Unfortunately for most home users the high cost of even the “residential” Precor ellipticals is a bit prohibitive. Luckily, although Precor still owns the patent on “ramp technology” they have licensed it for use on a few non-Precor ellipticals.
Read More

Greetings and salutations, students of the DOJO. Today the Treadmill Sensei is going to discuss one of our most familiar pieces of equipment, the Precor 544 Elliptical. We’ve been servicing these units here at the DOJO for about 10 years now and are always happy to have them come in to the shop. Right now we’ve got 6 or 7 of them in the warehouse waiting to be cleaned and repaired. If you’ve ever thought about trying out a Precor then the Precor 544 is a great starter unit. Read More