5 Best Compact Ellipticals for Home Use

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Since most of our lives are busy and it can be difficult to hit the gym 3-4 times a week, you may find that exercising at home is easier to do. You don’t just ignore your health and fitness just because you can’t find time for it, right?

Luckily, there are lots of types of compact fitness equipment that can fit in your house or small apartment without taking up a ton of space. You won’t have to empty your bank account for them, and you don’t have to adjust all your furniture or other stuff in your house either.

What you need is one of the best compact ellipticals for home use – a stationary exercise machine that is ideal for beginners and fits into small spaces. 

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Benefits of Elliptical Workout Machines

Elliptical machines are a great way to get cardio exercise if you’re unable (or unwilling) to go outside for a walk or run. They are pretty user-friendly and easy to get started. They are also zero-impact and are a great option for people who have knee pain or are advised by doctors to avoid high-impact exercise.

Third, and most importantly, exercise is necessary for your body. Exercise is good for the heart, and an elliptical can work your heart, lungs, and lower body. When your muscles work, you reap many health benefits. Exercise can have a positive impact on your mood as well. (And I’m sure all of us could use some relief from stress these days, am I right??)

An elliptical has foot pedals similar to a bicycle but is used in a standing position like a treadmill. You could say it’s like an upright bike, if such a thing were to exist. Adjustable for any fitness level, you can operate it slowly or increase the levels of resistance and speed for more of a challenge.

Of course, you should still ask your doctor before starting any exercise program, even beginner elliptical workouts. Now the next question you’ll probably ask is: which is the best elliptical to buy?

No worries, because I’ve done all the research for you and have curated a list containing some of the best compact ellipticals for home. These products are the best you can find on the internet. They’re modern, convenient to use and the best part is you can easily place them in your home gym or spare corner of your house. 

What To Look For When Buying The Best Compact Ellipticals For Home

Before buying an elliptical, you can look over a few factors and keep them in check. 

First, check the size of the machine. Remember that you have to sit and exercise on it often. So if your body doesn’t like it or if you feel uncomfortable, then don’t purchase it. Even if it’s cheap or if the seller promises you many things. 

An elliptical is a machine that keeps you in one place for the duration of your workout. You’re stuck in one spot, so comfort should be your number one priority. 

Yes, sure, the price does matter, and I’m getting to that. Price is a crucial factor, and most ellipticals that are pricey tend to have advanced features or high-tech stuff that you may or may not want. You want an essential elliptical that displays your stats and allows you to keep your progress in check.

Most people starting on ellipticals are beginners. So you might want to check the programs that the seller is offering. Beginners find these programs to be beneficial, and they allow them to exercise better.

Extra tips:

1. Music and Bluetooth connectivity is essential (in my opinion). Make sure you check how much time it takes to connect and how good the connectivity is.
2. Ellipticals are not as dangerous as treadmills, but safety is still important. Double-check all of the safety features.
3. Check the level of resistance that your elliptical provides, to make sure it fits your needs. 
4. Some compact ellipticals have the ability to fold away for easy storage. This may be a feature you need if you don’t have a lot of space to keep your elliptical out at all times. 

Now that we’ve gone over all of the basics, here are my top picks for the best ellipticals for you to choose from!

1. Schwinn 411 Compact Elliptical Machine

First up, we have for you the Schwinn 411. It’s black and safe to say it’s one of the trendiest ellipticals out there. It weighs 46 kgs, and the dimensions are 70.1 x 28.1 x 63.1 inches.

This elliptical comes with a few other additional features as well. You can explore the World app and busy yourself in virtual courses, exotic locales since it gives you 3 free courses. You can unlock more with Explore the World app subscription.

Even though it’s packed with features, the elliptical is compact. The design is brilliant, and it offers the 18” Stride of a large elliptical. You can easily use it and cut down on those calories.

Moreover, those who want to take it up a notch can use the resistance feature. You can clock it up to 16 levels and make exercise harder. Resistance will use more force, and you’ll end up burning more calories. This will cut down your weight further.

The console will display your time, speed, distance, calories and heart rate. Now you can keep track of how much you’ve exercised, for how long you’ve exercised, the calories you’ve burnt and your active heart rate while exercising. 

For those who like a bit of entertainment on the side, this elliptical comes with a built-in media rack. You can listen to your favorite songs to pump up your exercise sessions. It also comes with a water bottle holder. 

While exercising, you can hold the fixed handlebars with built-in grip heart rate monitor. They can move as well if you’d like. The 411 provides a safe and low impact cardio workout. It goes easy on your knees and joints for a low-impact cardio workout, so you don’t need to worry about discomfort later.

2. NordicTrack Spacesaver SE7i Elliptical Trainers

Featuring the NordicTrack Spacesaver next, this elliptical is for those who want a modern touch to their exercise machine. The material of this elliptical is steel, and it weighs 215 pounds.

The best bit is, this elliptical is heavy-duty. It’s strong and durable. The dimensions are 80 x 32 x 67 inches, and these make the elliptical compact and convenient to fit in your apartment or house.

Talking about the features, it has Interactive Personal Training that is powered by iFit, and the manufacturers grant you 1-month individual membership. So you can make the best of it! With this, experience live, studio and global workouts at the convenience of your house. 

This point is ideal for beginners since they may struggle in the beginning. But don’t worry, the professional trainers will make your workouts easy. They will allow you to reach your workout goals in no time.

Backed by a 5-inch Backlit Display, you can easily view and monitor your essential workout metrics while you’re at your house. This will aid you in cutting back on calories or if you just want to stay active.

If you get a little exhausted, don’t worry because the AutoBreeze Workout Fan will keep you cool and comfortable. Plus, since this exercise requires low impact, you don’t need to worry much.

If you feel like making things more interesting, you can utilize the resistance levels. This elliptical has 22 digital resistance levels, and with iFit, your trainer can tune your elliptical by themselves.

Secondly, the adjustable Power Ramp will allow you to train at an incline, almost like you’re walking on a mountain. Moreover, the Adjustable stride is ideal for multiple users.

For those who’re worried about the size of the design, don’t worry because thanks to the Vertical SpaceSaver Design, you can conveniently fold the elliptical and store it with ease when you’re not using it. The Upper Body Grips will grant you a total-body workout, and don’t worry; your workout session will remain quiet due to the SMR (Silent Magnetic Resistance).

This elliptical can take up to 325 pound total weight capacity, and it comes with a 10-year frame warranty, 2-year parts warranty and 1-year labor warranty.

3. Cubii JR1 Seated Under Desk Elliptical Machine

The next elliptical I have for you is one I actually own myself! The Cubii is possibly the best choice of the small elliptical trainers when you want an effective exercise machine but have a tight budget and not much room.

The Cubii is black but has options for accent colors. The one I have is black and aqua. One of the best desk ellipticals, its dimensions are 23.15 x 17.56 x 10 inches. What makes this elliptical appealing is its modern design. It gives off a trendy look, and you don’t even have to hide it somewhere.

Since it’s good-looking, you can let it sit at a corner of your house, and nobody would bat an eye.

The most noticeable feature about this elliptical is its compact and ergonomic design. Not to mention that it’s a popular mini elliptical. You can work out with this easily at your house or office to keep your health in check.

Plus, since it’s portable, you can store it wherever you want easily, and it won’t consume much space. Its mini size attracts most people because gone are the days when ellipticals used to be huge and heavy. Now they’re small, compact and fit anywhere you want. 

Supplemented by a smooth gliding function, this elliptical has 8 resistance levels. You can adjust them according to your liking as your levels increase, the strength increases.

Moreover, the manufacturers have made it so that during exercising, your elliptical won’t make noises. These noises can disturb the people around you, and you may choose not to exercise. That’s why this whisper-quiet mini exercise bike is ideal for a home or office setting. 

With a built-in LCD display, you can actively monitor your progress. It reveals how many calories you’ve burnt, how many strides you’ve pedaled, distance traveled and more. You can now track your workout sessions as you go.

If you want more features, including a mobile app and Bluetooth connectivity, while keeping the small footprint of an under desk elliptical – you may want to look into the Cubii Pro. Same great style, just a few extra bells and whistles!

4. Bowflex Max Trainer Series

The Bowflex Max Trainer Series comes in its unique style. Unlike other ellipticals you can find out there, this once has a different screen to it.

Now you can combine the easy low-impact motion of an elliptical and burn calories at the same time. This will allow you to fulfill your workout goals in no time.

Max is popular for delivering what it promises. It provides cardio benefits of interval training in 14 minutes. This is ideal for people who can’t exercise for a long time but still want to lose calories and reduce weight.

That’s the best thing about this elliptical. You don’t have to drag yourself on it for hours because it gives quick results. With time you’ll notice more sharpness and activeness in your personality.

You can take the help of target zone and burn rate indicators to reduce weight. These indicators act as motivation, and you can set targets to achieve your exercise goals. Motivation is a necessary element in exercise. If you’re motivated, you can chase whatever goal you have in your mind.

This elliptical comes with an interactive backlit display that features 2 workout programs and 8 resistance levels. The workout programs are for the convenience of beginners, and you can use the resistance levels if you’re looking to up the game. When you increase the resistance, exercise will get a little difficult. This will force you to burn more calories.

The elliptical has a warranty of 1 year, and it has a black color. The material is metal, and it weighs 69.4 kgs, and the dimensions are 46.5 x 22.5 x 26.5 inches.

5. Sunny Health & Fitness SF-E905 Elliptical Machine

Our last, but certainly not the least, is the Sunny Health and Fitness Elliptical machine. The dimensions are 37.8 x 26/6 by 60 inches, and the machine’s weight is 68 pounds. The maximum weight this elliptical can hold is 220 pounds.

This product has features that, as a buyer, you just cannot ignore. First off, it has floor stabilizers that are ideal for beginners and especially older people looking to stay active in the comfort of their homes.

The foot stabilizers make exercise easy and convenient. They prevent you from falling, tipping or swaying. People who aren’t used to exercising may notice that it’s a bit difficult to manage at first, but the foot stabilizers will make things easier. They even make exercise easy on uneven surfaces and hardwood floors.

Moving on, it has an 11-inch stride for its short burst, step-like motion. Despite the fact that it has an 11-inch stride, the E905 is compact. You can bet that this elliptical fits comfortably in bedrooms and apartments that are small in size and is one of the best compact ellipticals for home. 

Plus, if you’re conscious about an elliptical in your house, then you can store it away out of sight. Nobody will notice if it’s carefully stored in a small room. That’s what makes this elliptical worth its price – and it’s actually the most budget-friendly option on our list.

The pulse sensors will monitor and maintain your target heart rate. If you want a complete session of exercise, you need to monitor your heart rate. This is also important for people with cardiovascular diseases; they need to keep their heart rate in check. The monitor will display the relevant data to you. 

Speaking of the monitor, this elliptical has a digital monitor that tracks your progress. The screen displays your heart rate and the distance you have travelled. This is necessary for people who are trying to achieve their fitness goals. 

Now you can track your progress and maintain a healthy and steady workout session by seeing how much you’ve exercised. 

Plus, with the 8-level adjustable resistance, you can tweak the intensity of your workout. Simply by increasing the level, you can challenge yourself with time. As the level increases, the workout gets more complicated.

This elliptical also has transport wheels. Just tilt and roll out for use and store them away if you’re not using them—no need to lift or use excessive force. Moreover, the moving arms allow you to indulge in an upper-body workout. This will push you to burn calories and fat faster than normal.

Which of these Compact Elliptical Machines is the Best Option for You?

Regardless of which compact elliptical you choose, you will be guaranteed to get a great workout while taking up less space in your home. No need for huge pieces of gym equipment when a compact design like these can give you everything you need.

You may also want to check out my recommendations for compact treadmills too!

Get more home workouts and fitness tips here!

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