Commercial Elliptical

About Elliptical Machines

An elliptical trainer or cross-trainer is a stationary exercise machine to stair climb, walk, or run without causing excessive pressure to the joints, hence decreasing the risk of impact injuries. For this reason, people with some injuries can use an elliptical to stay fit, as the low impact affects them little. Elliptical trainers offer a non-impact cardio workout that can vary from light to high intensity based on the speed of the exercise and the resistance preference set by the user. In a commercial facility, ellipticals are a very popular piece of fitness equipment and are a staple piece of a cardio lineup.

Commercial Grade Ellipticals

Commercial grade fitness equipment and specifically commercial grade ellipticals are very important to have in a high-use facility. Investing in commercial grade fitness equipment will ensure your exercise equipment will last for a long time. At Fitness Experience our dedicated team of commercial account managers can use their years of experience to choose the exercise equipment that is right for you at a reasonable price. For commercial grade fitness equipment we love Matrix Fitness, for their wide variety options, great durability and premium look.

Benefits of Using an Elliptical Machine

Reduces wear and tear on joints 

Using an elliptical instead of a treadmill, or running outside will put significantly less impact on your joints, while completing a similar motion to running. While an elliptical session can burn fewer calories than a treadmill workout of equal intensity, the difference is typically minimal. For this reason, an elliptical trainer may be more popular in facilities with an older demographic or a demographic that has a wide range of fitness levels and ages. You can still get a total body workout without putting too much stress on your joints.

Full body workout 

With attached arms, ellipticals keep your upper body moving as well as your lower body. Make sure you distribute your weight evenly by mindfully pumping your arms with just as much intensity as your legs. When done right, getting the arms involved can burn just as many if not more calories than a treadmill workout. Another tip is to try taking your arms off the handles from time to time. This forces you to use your balance more and engages your core.

Helps improve balance 

The elliptical allows you to improve balance, something that’s often overlooked but needed for all ages and fitness levels. While exercise bikes are another good option for low-impact cardio, they do not force you to use your balance as much.

Burns calories 

Elliptical training has the potential to burn a lot of calories. Similar to any cardio workout, the amount of calories you burn depends of the level of intensity. Ellipticals have great options in terms of increasing resistance levels and sometimes incline to promote higher calories burned.

Targets specific areas of the body

Ellipticals allow for a focus on specific areas of the body. For example, changing up the resistance and/or incline of your foot pedals works all your leg muscles from the glutes and quads to your calves and hamstrings. Some more advanced ellipticals may also have the option to change the range of motion, or rest your lower body and only workout your upper body.

Promotes muscle growth and improves stamina

With an elliptical you have the opportunity to build muscle and improve your cardio-vascular endurance. It just depends on what your goals are. If training for stamina, try using a pre-set program to push you to work harder for longer. If your trying to tone muscles, try some Hiit style training and utilizing the tools to target specific areas.

All these benefits of using an elliptical, further prove the value of having commercial grade ellipticals in your fitness facility, because your members will see these benefits as well and they will see your gym as a facility that can help them reach their fitness goals.

Canada’s Best Commercial Ellipticals

For years ellipticals have been a top choice in fitness equipment for cardiovascular exercise in a fitness facility. There are many great brands of elliptical machines. Some of the brands we love include Matrix, Precor, Octane and True. Matrix Fitness has a wonderful lineup of commercial grade ellipticals with many different options.

Choosing An Elliptical Trainer for your Commercial Gym

Choosing exercise equipment for your commercial gym will always depend on the type of users you have. The amount of members you have using your commercial gym will dictate the category or lineup that will be appropriate for your facility. If you are going to have members use the elliptical trainers 7 days a week, you'll need a higher grade commercial elliptical. If you are putting it in a facility where it may see use once a day, then light commercial grade ellipticals may be sufficient.

Size

On average, ellipticals are about 6 feet long by 2.5 feet wide, but the length can range from 50 to 84 inches. Keep in mind that during operation, the pedals may extend out beyond the length of the machine. This is something that is often overlooked when measuring out the space needed for your elliptical machine. You’ll also be more elevated than you would on a treadmill, so make sure you have a space with a sufficiently high ceiling. We’ve measured step-up heights between 5 and 15 inches, with pedals reaching up to 25 inches above the floor at the apex of the elliptical cycle. You’ll also need a minimum of 20 inches of free space on at least one side and either the front or the back for safety. Most elliptical machines should list all specifications, including the step up height. In a commercial facility our team of professionals can help plan out cardio machine spacing, making sure there's ample space between machines an at the back for members to feel safe and comfortable.

Ergonomics

Unlike a treadmill, which allows you to move free-form, an elliptical constrains you to its movement. Pay special attention to how comfortable you feel when using an elliptical. You should be able to maintain an upright posture when holding on to the moving handles. Moving handgrips should be easy to reach and not force your wrists into an awkward position. The elliptical path should feel comfortable. For most people, pedals should be as close together as possible. And the moving handgrips and fixed frame components should not interfere with your arms, shoulders, or knees.

Stride

The type of stride, as well as the stride length will vary between elliptical machines. For example, an Octane elliptical machine tries to mimic the stride of a human running. The step up height is lower and while you can adjust the incline, it's not as wide of a range as other elliptical machines. Some elliptical machines offer more of a circular stride motion and some move more up and down.

Exercise Intensity

All elliptical machines have variable resistance. Make sure that the lowest resistance setting is easy to pedal and that it becomes challenging to pedal at about 75 percent of the highest setting. This will provide some room to grow. You should feel a significant but incremental change whenever you increase or decrease the resistance. Some elliptical machines come with an adjustable incline, which will further increase the intensity of your cardio workout.

Connectivity

M elliptical machines can have built-in wireless connectivity, or Bluetooth that connects to an app on a mobile device. Some allow you to use a USB drive to move workout data to a web-based tracking feature accessed via a laptop. Having Bluetooth connectivity opens up your options to many different fitness apps. Some of the Matrix Fitness consoles have great options for commercial facilities to personalize their consoles to make their brand cohesive. Connected consoles are a great way to separate yourself and your business.

Programs

Exercise programs can make your workouts varied and less boring, which might get you on the machine more often. But don’t pay for frills that you don’t care about. You can get by with a few basic programs that address specific types of workouts. Programs may be called different things by different manufacturers, but essential offerings might include Manual, Random, Hill Climb, Interval, Long Slow Distance, and Target Heart Rate. Custom programs allow you to create your own resistance profile. Programs will automatically take you though different workout intensities, such as resistance and possibly incline if that's an option on your elliptical machine.

Safety Features

An elliptical machine can be inherently dangerous for children, who could get pinched or trapped in the moving parts. People with children at home or as visitors should make sure that the little ones can’t access the machines (by locking the room) and employ safety features. For the most part, this is not a huge concern in a commercial facility where most users will be adults, but it's still something to consider.