Shopping Advice Needed: Home Exercise Equipment

[gerisullivan]

Two and a half years ago, I bought a Pro-Form elliptical at some sports equipment shop or another. All I remember is that I found the place on my way back from Thanksgiving in New York, and the elliptical was dirt cheap thanks to a Thanksgiving Weekend sale.

I used it only intermittently until 6 weeks ago. Tonight it demonstrated that it wasn't up to regular use by breaking 2 minutes into my workout. The part that broke appears to be inside a sealed unit. I think I'm in the market for a new elliptical...and facing the annoyance and expense of disposing of the broken one.

So I'm looking for buying advice. Are there any brands or models you can recommend? Any to avoid in the hope of avoiding a repeat of my current situation a few more months of steady use down the road? Is there some other exercise equipment you'd heartily recommend? I've had exercycles in the past, but want more exercise than they provide. I'm not enthusiastic about tackling weights, good though I know they can be. I like the elliptical, and the last six weeks have demonstrated that I don't seem to get bored with it.

As far as ellipticals go, I don't need much more than the basics. I want one that keeps track of time and distance, and allows for different levels of tension. (Though I just set the last one at "5" and left it there.) I liked the heartbeat rate thingy, but it's not vital to me. I don't use different programs or modes -- I just get on and go until I stop.

Also, are there any sellers you're happy or unhappy with? In particular, does anyone have any experience buying used equipment from Play It Again Sports? (2nd Wind appears to only be in the midwest, but I'm also interested in hearing about anyone's experience shopping there. My general question is whether buying used from a store is a good idea or not.

I'm willing to pay someone to assemble and deliver whatever I end up buying. I went the D-I-Y route last time, and it was more than a minor pain.

Many thanks for any shopping advice you can provide!

Update: I've found EllipticalTrainerReview.com and will Google my way through other reviews and opinions, too.

Another update: Elliptical Trainer Review may well be a front for Sole and Smooth online equipment sales. I'll keep looking for info from other sources, too.

Comments

[smofbabe.livejournal.com]

I don't know anything about elliptical trainers per se, but regarding Play It Again, Sports, it's hard to make a general statement about them. I think that buying used equipment is a pretty good idea because most people buy (or have given to them) exercise equipment with the best intentions of using it regularly and then get bored with it or never use it to start with. When they discover they're using it as a clothes hanger or dust collector, they often bring it to a place like Play It Again, or places like Goodwill or Salvation Army. However, because stock is one-off, you can't really make a general judgment about their equipment. Best you can do is test it thoroughly yourself, and research online what parts usually fail quickest and examine them, before purchasing. I did well with a recumbent exercise bike I bought from one in California but a friend had bad luck with a rowing machine from the same location.

[gerisullivan.livejournal.com]

Good advice, and useful, too. Thanks!

Exercise

[lesliet-ma.livejournal.com]

I didn't comment on your earlier post, but I wanted to congratulate you on your 20-pound weight loss. Having been there, I know just how hard that can be and what a great accomplishment that is. And I love the fact that you do environmental cleanup on your walks! That's so cool.

I wish I could help with exercise machine advice, but I went the route of paying for a gym membership, which really adds to a lot more over the years, and is more of a pain since you have to go there, but at least you can count on the machines working. I think we've talked about freecycle in the past and you said there wasn't a group near your area. But are you close enough to Hartford or Springfield that it would be worth it to drive there to pick up a free machine? Of course, with freecycle, you can't count on getting one right away. I could make a request to my local freecycle if you like to see if anything turns up.

As another fun exercise idea, I just signed up for a swing dance class, and it was a lot of fun. (Although it will be even more fun when I start to get the steps right!)

Re: Exercise

[gerisullivan.livejournal.com]

Whoohoo! Way to go on the swing class.

I'm still a few ounces away from that 20-pound number. Given recent experience, I'll likely bounce up and down for a week or more before it's solid. I'm okay with that, though I am being obsessive enough about the scales right now that I'll likely take them along on my upcoming road trip. (But not the flying trip after that.) I want the regular reality checks to help keep me on track.

Freecycle isn't an impossibility, but the equipment I'm looking for tends to weigh 150-200 pounds. It's beyond what I can pick up and manage on my own. Even my starter-elliptical, which was much lighter and more compact, took NESFAns to move from the back of my car into the living room.

Many thanks for the offer -- if I can figure out some logistics, I may take you up on it after I return from my upcoming travels.

[cogitationitis.livejournal.com]

Nordic Trak used to be the best in ellipticals--they invented them--but I think the company went under.

I suggest visiting a few gyms and seeing what they're using, as you know those will be durable machines.

[thette.livejournal.com]

If you want additional muscle building excercise, and don't want weights, a sturdy rubber band with handles is a very good piece of equipment. (Mine is solid rubber, round, about a centimeter in diameter. Stay away from the sheet variants; they're mostly useless.) Very portable, and all you need is somewhere firm to fasten it.