The Only Machine That Makes 40 Minutes Feel Like 15
Written: Oct 19 '02 (Updated May 11 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: lots of settings, easy to use even for klutzes, cross training
Cons: expensive, can't read while using
The Bottom Line: I live across the street from the university athletic center, which features four of these awesome machines. Now there are even fewer excuses for me not to exercise daily.
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| beckytcy's Full Review: Precor EFX546 |
I have a short attention span, so I get bored really easily at the gym. But, living in New England, I can't very well bike or jog outside during the Fall and Winter, so I have to find something to do indoors. Being indoors, staring at the same wall for 40 minutes can seem intolerable. However, the Precor Elliptical machine seems to be designed for us 20-somethings from the A.D.D. generation. The elaborate displays are distracting and interactive, so it makes the minutes fly by!
The other problem with most machines is that they only work select muscles. But the Precor Elliptical Cross Trainer, as the name implies, has many different settings and is designed to exercise the four main lower muscle groups-- calves, quads, hamstrings, and glutes (butt).
Also, whenever I try to use a Stair Master, I can never set it correctly, and it ends up being either too fast or two slow. The elliptical machine allows you to move at your own pace. And, unlike those ski machines that are difficult to use, the eliptical is klutz-proof. You might have to hold on to the sides the first couple of times you use it, but after you gain your balance, you can use this machine with no hands.
Cross Training
Before they got these machines at my university's gym, I used to mainly use the exercise bikes. I would occasionally try to use the Stair Master but I couldn't do it for more than 20 minutes before getting so bored that I wanted to die. I decided that if I were to design Hell, it would involve really horrible music and Stair Masters. Exercise bikes only work out certain leg muscles and really don't do much for the hamstrings. I learned this the hard way when I used to ride my bike every day, but never balanced it with running and, as a result, injured my hamstring playing softball.
This elliptical machine has a diagram of the bottom half of a human body with little lights indicating which muscles it is working. You can (and should) also reverse the direction of your legs to maximize the machine's cross-training potential.
Settings and Screens
I listen to music while I exercise, but I need visual stimulation, as well. This machine provides an almost video game-like digital screen with a seemingly endless combination of settings. There are four mini screens that show things like distance, calories, time, strides per minute, etc. I don't even know what some of the settings mean, but it is entertaining to scroll through them. (Mets? What is that besides a baseball team in New York?) The larger part of the screen shows how far along you are in the course and flashes a message after each 10% milestone, i.e. "30% Complete." You can set the course to emphasize certain muscles, cross training, or weight loss intervals. There are 8 course options. Or you can do what I do and set the machine to manual and just play around with the settings as you go along.
The CrossRamp is what the pedals slide along as you exercise. The 20 settings of the CrossRamp are what enable you to cross train using this machine. You can change the incline from nearly flat to a 40 degree angle. When the CrossRamp is at level 1, the machine is similar to a ski machine, and when it is at level 20, it is like a more comfortable version of a stair climber. In addition, you can set the machine to one of 20 intensity levels.
It also has a heart rate monitor so you can see how hard you are working out. When you first get on the machine, you enter your age, and, while you are working out, if you hold the sensors on the handlebars, a little screen next to the main monitor gives your heart rate. The machine then tells you whether you are below your target heart rate, on pace for "weight loss," on pace for "cardio," or above the maximum healthy heart-rate for your age.
The Precor Elliptical seems very sturdy, and I've never seen them be out of order in the gym. The one problem with it is that it is made for gym use and not ordinary homes. Unless you have a giant MTV Cribs-style home, this machine probably won't fit in your living room. Specifically, it is 80 inches long, 30 inches wide, and 62 inches tall. The machine weighs 230 pounds. (For more info and specifications, check out Precor's website at www.precor.com. ) If you are rich and have a huge house, I suggest that you buy one of these. If not, you should join a gym that has them.
I must warn you, however, these machines are so great that you may have to queue for them at the gym. We have four of them now, but when we had only two, the competition was fierce and I have seen people come close to throwing punches in order to land a turn on one.
Reciprocal Voyeurism
There are advantages and disadvantages of working out at the gym vs. in your own home. If I could, I would mix things up on occasion by doing aerobics in my living room, but the house I live in on campus is tilted, so if I jump around, things fall off the shelves. At the gym, you can watch people, but people are also watching you. So, you can ogle the attractive football players lifting weights in the next room (hurray for glass walls! I sometimes listen to This is Hardcore in the gym and it makes me feel like a creepy voyeur...) but they may give you strange looks when you accidentally do some air drumming during that guilty pleasure Def Leppard song you put on your workout mix. You don't know how hard I have to try sometimes to not sing out loud in the athletic center!!
Other Features
But I digress... Another convenient feature of this elliptical machine is a water bottle holder. It also has a little ledge to hold magazines, but it's not large enough to hold a book. However, since you bounce up and down somewhat, it's really not possible to read while using the elliptical. Also, it would be helpful if there were a little hook underneath the screen for securing a Walkman. I strap mine around the handlebars, but it's a little too far away and pulls at the earphones a bit.
Does it work?
This is a tough question because I am not in very good shape. But it's not this machine's fault! :) It's the fact that I eat too much (plus some genetic factors probably), but most of the other people in the gym who use these machines look pretty lean! It doesn't make me very out of breath or super-sweaty, but I can definitely feel it in my legs that I am working hard. And, according to all the fancy displays, I am burning lots of calories. But then my housemates' parents come to visit and bring massive bags of Reece's Peanut Butter Cups...
At least the gym across the road has a fun way to work them off.
UPDATE: The elliptical machines at the gym I now attend seem to break a lot. One of the workers there explained that, unlike the Cybex Arc Trainer, these have moving parts on the outside that can gather dust. Also, the track gets grime build-up on it. Check out the Cybex Arc Trainer instead.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
beckytcy
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Member: Becky
Location: Boston
Reviews written: 277
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