This review is going to focus on using this elliptical a little more hardcore, trying to get the best cardio workout possible. So you know who's using this for comparison purposes, I'm going to start by telling you a little about myself. I'm a 5' 11" 23 year old guy weighing in at 145lbs. Prior to this purchase, I hadn't worked out for about two years, but remained thin throughout. I recently found myself at home more than usual, munching out all too often, and I needed to do something to get off my butt and get my heart rate going. I concidered a gym, but because I have no interest in weight training, to pay for a gym membership seemed pointless, not to mention inconvinient and time wasting, which I'll talk about later. So, I did some research, going through compact treadmills and mini steppers, and eventually ended up going with this because of the price, size, durability, and I hoped, effectiveness of the workout. What I found was, this thing is truly lifechanging, and can really positively benefit you in ways that most $100 purchases cannot. Now, I'm going to jump right into the way I use this in comparison to other reviewers, and what you can get from it. As I stated, I'm in good shape, but I wanted something to get my heart up and make me sweat on days where I just felt lazy or fat. Yes, I repeat yes, you can get a great cardio workout with this and really sweat. Most reviewers talked about using this when sitting down, and while I can see the specific benefits by doing so, I'm not going to touch on that. However, don't sit down and expect an efficient workout, please:) So, because it's so compact, the stride is limited. You may be thinking that because your stride is so small, and there's no handle bars, you really can't go fast on it. Well, that's not the case. Trust me, you can go very fast and keep your balance easily. The thing that makes this elliptical really shine is the resistance. You can crank it up quite a lot, basically to the point of it being impossible to move (that means really unlimited resistance). Using common sense now, if you crank this thing up high, try to go fast, you will inevitably feel a burn. Your quads are a primary target, and hamstrings and glutes follow. Your abs are at work for stabilization and from the back and forth motion, but it's limited. So, what I like to do is hop on it with high resistance and just go for a minute. After my first minute, for 15 seconds I pump and go as fast and hard as I can, and then 45 seconds back to normal pace. It's HIIT, but in a little less effective format than a normal sized workout machine, for you won't be able to go as fast, but you can get up there. Like I said, the golden ticket is the resistance when you're upping the speed, instead of just going super fast with no resistance on a normal machine. You will feel the burn. I go for like 10-15 minutes, and my heart is pumping and I definitely break a mini sweat. If I go for about 25-30 minutes, I'm sweating quite a lot. It's what you put into it, but the most important thing is, you CAN go hard and get a great sweat. Next step for me is upping the 15 second pump to 30 seconds, which I won't be able to do for quite awhile. Now, let me talk about using this over going to a gym. This was huge for me. I really didn't want to go to a gym. Some people love that environment, but I hate it. Like I mentioned above, going to a gym is inconvenient and time consuming. You really have to factor this in if you're only interested in cardio. We're busy people, and I'm frequently working at home. Having the obligation to get ready, drive to the gym, do my cardio, drive back, and then shower is really cumbersome. It really is. Knowing you have a cardio machine that you can hop on at any moment, looking any way, is so so so so motivational! On top of that, watching TV while doing cardio makes it so much easier! Oh, what did you say, they have TV at the gym? Well, it's either shared or a tiny thing on the treadmill, and you probably have access to 10 channels. Plus, no privacy. I'm not trying to fight the gym, for they're necessary, but if you're in a similar situation like me and don't have room or money for a great treadmill in your apartment, this thing is godsend, leading me to my next subject, the size. It's so compact, so easy to pick up and move around, that you can get an effective workout nearly anywhere. This means a lot. Other cardio options limit you to one location, so to be able to change rooms is really motivational, for you're never limited by your environment. I love to use this thing in the den while watching TV, but can move it to my room if I desire more privacy. How awesome is that. Knowing you can get a workout at any time during the day, maybe because you're feeling fat when you've had too much at dinner, is sweet. In terms of build quality, I personally haven't had any issues yet. I've had it for about a month now, and use it rather regularly, and it behaves as expected. There's a little bit of sound that comes out of it when I go fast, but it's minor and really not an issue. Do I think that overtime sounds may become more prevalent, sure, especially because I don't know how to lube it up and no where in the instructions does it tell you to do so. All workout machines wear, that's just reality. I got the two year warranty for an additional 10 bucks, so hopefully if anything happens, that's an easy process. Regardless, the positive benefits this has on one's life makes it worth it. Gosh, sorry for the long review. Let me see, what else. You need to wear shoes with this, because your feet will die from the grooves on the pedals. The building of it was very simple, and took approximately 15 minutes. There's an onboard simple fitness monitor, but to be quite frank, I've never used it. How I feel is, you know when you've gotten a good workout. You don't need to count your steps or track your distance. If you're sweating and your heart is pumping, you know that you've done your job. Push yourself people. And yeah, I think that's everything! I really hope you enjoyed my review.[...]Thanks so much!
