What Ever Possessed Her? Surprise, Not Too Bad So Far
Written: Aug 28 '06 (Updated Nov 17 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Easy to use, decent aerobic and toning exercise, low impact, inexpensive, easy to vary intensity.
Cons: Heavy to move, too easy to vary intensity, not true "whole body" machine, recurring squeaks.
The Bottom Line: It's a pretty good machine for the money compared to much more expensive (gym quality) fitness equipment a well known consumer organization recommends.
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| brianm_2's Full Review: FitnessQuest Tony Little Gazelle Glider Freestyle ... |
We've had the Gazelle Freestyle Elite for about 4 weeks now. I'm reviewing this machine from the standpoint of currently being in my mid 50s. A former active mountain climber-ski mountaineer for 14 yrs of my early adult life. I didn't do much strength training (quad extensions & flexions that helped fortify my knees, and Telemark squats - lunges before I heard them called that - with up to 150lb barbells) but I could go for hours carrying moderate to heavy loads at altitude, on vertical terrain, at a good steady pace mixed with periods of intense exertion. Along with sporadic vigorous to strenuous low impact aerobic training and circuit training with moderate weights and lots of reps and sets, I climbed and skied often to stay in good shape for mountaineering with little regard for diet (regular pizza and beer). I was pretty fit but my lifestyle gradually changed to one of general inactivity. I got angry when I found the new government standard for Body Mass Index put me just into the obese category and I am sick of hearing my doctor telling me to lose weight at my annual "geezer" physicals.
One day my lovely wife informed me that she had purchased an exercise machine "like a combination treadmill-ski trainer-elliptical, with "power pistons" for a resistance workout", that it had a 30 day return policy, and asked if I would help her assemble it when it was delivered. I see it gets mixed reviews on the web. "Athletes" say too little resistance; a fancy swing set for the kiddies and rightly state that a pair of running shoes or a bike (well, not a GOOD bike) are less expensive and can give a better workout. But even when I was an active mountaineer able to climb/ski up mountains at a pace that would have "jocks" gasping for breath, running would often damage my knees, and I live in an area transitioning from rural to suburban so cycling on the narrow local roads is downright dangerous. Also a well known consumer organization review of the Gazelle says you can get an unnatural aerobic workout but too much resistance for beginners; hmmm... Both types of reviews are generally critical and I began to wonder "What possessed her???" Anyhow, a few days later this rather large and quite heavy box showed up. No way was I going to drag it up to the 2nd story where it would reside so I unboxed it in the living room and brought it piece by piece upstairs.
Because there were so many individual parts I uncharacteristically thoroughly read the assembly instructions in the user's manual. The small parts were very well labeled. The written instructions used a lot of terms to identify frame components that were not used in the parts list or otherwise illustrated so there was some guesswork and a couple of re-do's but I got it assembled in about an hour and 30 minutes. Later I found out that there was a VERY good assembly demo on the "Gazelle Ultimate Body and Mind Workout" DVD; one of the two DVDs that came with the unit that would have saved me some time (DOH!). The box-end wrenches supplied for assembly worked but slip off the back of the unflanged bolt head so I finally gave up and used 1/2" and 9/16" sockets/ratchet. It came with a few extra fasteners for spares.
The Gazelle Freestyle Elite model is well built, said to support 350 lbs and I can't dispute it. It is quiet but there was a squeak coming from one of the two "power pistons" (shock absorbers) mounts. A squirt of Tri-Flow lube fixed it for awhile.
*After 2 months to quiet recurring squeaks I also did a minor disassembly to clean and re-grease (Vasolene) the springs and shocks' upper mounts and the upper rear cable connection assemblies and mounts. I also loosened the axle tube to regrease the areas of the inner tube that intersect the frame assembly and greased the outter axle tube under the plastic guards' edges that protect your hands.
*After 3 months (30-45 minutes daily/5 days/week) a sound like a frog croaking (a minor grinding) developed in the footpads' swing arm and plastic cable hinge assy pivot points. I was able to take apart the right foot pad and grease both cable hinge assys and the noise went completely away, but the cable hinge assy looks worn where it slips over the pedal axle mount (assy hole is elongated). But both of the allen bolts' heads stripped out on left foot pad's pivot points because of the lock-tight applied to the bolt threads. I called Customer Service and they approved replacing the whole left swing arm assy and a right cable hinge assy BEFORE the cable hinge assy arms totally fail (that might hurt), no qustions asked! I'm impressed with Customer Service, but if something like this happens after the 1 year warranty is up, the cost of replacement parts and the wait probably means its toast. I'm dropping my durability rating 1 point to 3 - "Minimal Maintenance" since had I been able to lube the pivot points, there might not be a noise and wear. BUT I am probably being generous because the user guide doesn't state you should have to.
Its bulkiness makes it seem a lot heavier than it really is when you try to move it but my wife has been able to move it temporarily out of the way without injuring herself. The computer seems to work OK. There is an elapsed time clock and speed readout that seems to vary a bit more than would seem right when carefully maintaining a constant pace and length of stride. That would affect the distance and aerobic (non-resistance) workout calorie burn readout accuracy as well. All can be reset to zero by pressing the mode button for about 3-5 seconds. I read some complaints about the accuracy of the Gazelle's heart monitor vs. a separate heart monitor but our unit's heart monitor readout is pretty close to measuring it the old fashioned way with a clock/watch's second hand. I only use the heart monitor and elapsed time modes.
The Gazelle works calves, quads, and glutes. *While I still don't feel it is a true "whole body workout" as Tony Little claims on the DVDs, the movement variations can work biceps, triceps, chest, and shoulders to a somewhat lesser degree during the aerobic workout if you CAREFULLY watch/match HIS movement variation techniques on the DVDs and concentrate on the muscle group you want to work as Tony says. The basic movement techniques are real easy to learn and reminiscent of XC skiing on a flat track without the shocks engaged. My wife who considers herself klutzy was able to use it right away unlike our old Nordic Track ski trainer, that BTW took up more space lengthwise but not width. For aerobic conditioning with no resistance I can get my heart rate into the aerobic target zone and keep it there but I have to concentrate hard on maintaining the intensity; it's way too easy to slack off. For me it's maintaining length of stride for a given "RPM" on the Gazelle unlike ellipticals where you just keep a steady pace. *I also found after some observations with the heart rate monitor some variation of the movement such as leaning forward (keeping my elbows out from my sides) that use more upper body (arms, chest) and backward increase my heart rate.
Again there are two workout DVDs; the "Gazelle Ultimate Body and Mind Workout" mentioned above and the "Gazelle Freestyle Lower Body Solution", featuring Tony Little and his assistants included with the unit. Tony who bills himself as "America's Personal Trainer tm" seems to cause various levels of annoyance in some folks. There's a great article in "Outside" magazine about Mr. Little's journey to the South Pacific; "Tony Little Saves Tonga" (copy the whole url and paste into your browser address) http://outside.away.com/outside/magazine/1097/9710tony.htm
It's a hoot.
The two DVDs each have a technique demo, warm-up, cool down, 10 minute beginner, 20 minute intermediate, and 30 minute advanced workouts, and a 12 minute strength "toning" workout. After the first week of 5 beginner aerobic workouts I'm doing the advanced aerobic workout 5 days per week with toning 3 days per week with the "...Ultimate..." DVD because it helps me maintain a decent pace and prompts me to do the sprint intervals and the variations on the basic movement. The leg stretches Tony demonstrates are awkward and would probably be better done off the machine to receive the best benefit except perhaps the scissor abduction. The "...Lower Body..." DVD workout has you stopping suddenly and holding in an extended position during the cardio workout that seems as though it might possibly cause muscle or joint injury that is otherwise minimized with smooth rhythmic motion. Tony assures us on the DVD that this sudden stop is safe but I don't like it.
Incidentally I've listed the easy ability to vary the intensity without resistance as both a "Pro" and a "Con". After the four - 1 minute intermediate/advanced "sprint" interval sections, it's nice to be able to get back in the target heart rate zone so easily, but I wish I didn't have to concentrate so hard on it during the rest of a 30 minute workout to get the aerobic workout that some reviews say you can't get on the Gazelle. But many forms of exercise require concentration on technique to get the benefit so why am I complaining? Because I can?
The first couple of days using the "...Lower Body..." DVD I set the shocks' resistance to the 1st (beginner) position for the 10 minute beginners' aerobic workout, but I wasn't able to keep pace with Tony Little and his assistant on the DVD. Then (after only 3 weeks) I finally watched the Technique INSTRUCTIONS (who uses those?) demo on the "...Ultimate..." DVD (you know, the one that had the setup instructions???) that said the shocks aren't used for the aerobic workout. (DOH!!) Anyway, I used to have knee problems cycling when geared too high and RPMs too low in hilly terrain so I caught on before I crippled myself, albeit slowly, that you do the aerobic workout without resistance.
So far I'm finding the 12 minute resistance "toning" workout using the power pistons set to the 2nd (intermediate) position quite a good workout for all muscle groups mentioned going at the same pace as the aerobic workout. At this point the 3rd "advanced" resistance position would be beyond my ability.
Recent studies say that you should do 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per week to achieve and maintain weight loss and fitness. At home I can just roll out of bed in my boxers, put on a tee shirt and sneakers and I'm ready. So far I WANT to workout 5 days a week for 30 minutes a day and the additional 12 minutes of strength toning 3 days a week after the aerobic workout. I can't seem to maintain that commitment driving 15 minutes each way to the gym or even using the nice workout room at the office during the lunch breaks I never seem to take. And because like many men I carry most of my fat in my torso and contrary to the fat burn pill ads' misinformation (besides that some are dangerous, & most are a sham), abdominal fat in men and women is proven to be metabolically active and effectively reduced by aerobic exercise. So it turns out that for some of us the Gazelle can be a good choice.
Tracking progress... I'm a techie and have made up an Excel workbook that does the calculations and has charts/graphs to track workouts and progress. On commercial gym machines I measured reps/distance, resistance, heart rate, and my weight for a given workout length. I usually saw progress in distance and resistance, but not much weight reduction (due to not working out 150 minutes a week? Crikey!). For the Gazelle Freestyle Elite I track weekly total time minus warm-up and cool down and toning resistance. After the Friday workout I also enter resting heart rate when I first step onto the machine in the morning, measurements of calves, quads, hips, abdomen, waist, chest, and my weight.
Results after 4 weeks... with minimal changes in diet and other eating habits (much less pizza and beer for a long time now) using measurements after my first 10 minute resistance workout as a base, I've lost 6.5 inches combined from chest, waist, and abdomen, and 8 lbs. Only 32 to go. Hey at least I'm no longer "obese"! Not too shabby.
* Update at 14 Weeks
If it weren't for the "tale of the tape" I might be a little disappointed for the 2 - 3 hrs I'm working on this per week. I'm still consistently losing inches from my torso albeit more slowly; nearly 12 inches combined from torso, and hanging at 12-13 lbs lost, still with little change in my diet/eating habits. I'm not eating unless I'm hungry but I need to chuck the after dinner/bedtime snack and be more aware of proper portion size. But trousers are definitely looser and shirts that were stretched at the button holes aren't!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
brianm_2
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Member: Brian Miller
Location: Pacific Northwest
Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me:
50s, Christian Husband, Dad, married 25 years, IT support 27 years. Enjoy Music, Flyfishing
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