Esprit by Spirit EL-3 Elliptical Trainer

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Product Description
Save money on a gym membership by getting in shape at home with the standard-sized Spirit EL-3 Elliptical Trainer. Designed to keep you motivated and to keep you moving, you'll be challenged by 16 levels of resistance and 8 total programs--including 2 heart rate-controlled programs (operated via contact sensors or optional telemetry belt). Its 24-pound flywheel weight gives extremely smooth feel, and the oversized pedals have a 2-degree inward slant. It also comes with large, commercial-grade transport wheels for easy storage at the end of your workout. Other features include a blue backlit exercise console, 20-inch stride length, and high-density, sweat-resistant rubber grips.

Specifications:

Resistance type: Magnetic
Resistance control: Electronic
Resistance levels: 16
Watts: 750
Stride length: 20 inches
Heart rate monitoring: Yes
Programs: 8 total (including 2 heart rate control)
Maximum weight capacity: 350 pounds
Dimensions: 87 x 27 x 67 inches (LxWxH)
Weight: 195 pounds
Manufacturer's Warranty
Lifetime on frame and resistance brake; 3 years for parts; 1 year for labor

About Elliptical Trainers
Elliptical trainers represent the next wave of advancement in low-impact cardiovascular exercise machines and continue to grow in popularity. By simulating motions experienced through walking, stepping, cycling, and skiing, elliptical machines allow for a smooth and fluid motion while building strength in the arms and legs. Similar to the exercise position for treadmills, elliptical trainers are used by standing in an upright position while holding the handrails of the machine. With elliptical trainers, however, your feet remain in the foot pedals throughout the exercise regimen and circulate in a smooth and seamless motion, resulting in little to no impact on the knees, back, and hips.

Elliptical trainers are compatible for all ages and fitness levels and allow you to select the difficulty level through the incline and intensity settings. Additionally, elliptical trainers allow you to determine the complexity of your workout based on your needs, all while listening to music, watching television, or reading a magazine while exercising in the comfort and safety of your own home.

Although different types of elliptical trainers offer an assortment of features, many of them include an array of challenging programs, forward and reverse directional movement, EKG grip pulse handles, a lightweight portable design with easy fold-up capability, and a monitor displaying calories burned, distance, speed, time, and heart rate. Other types of exercise machines, namely treadmills and bikes, offer excellent cardiovascular exercise and muscular training for the legs in a forward-motion exercise. Elliptical trainers take this to the next level by offering an upper and lower body workout with dual motion, challenging and diverse programs, and a low-impact exercise machine that won't strain sensitive joints.



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Customer Reviews
Great machine. Gym quality.
I get a very good workout with this machine. The instruction manual is a little confusing; you need to go slow and refer to the schematic of the parts on the following pages. I recommend using your own tools as the ones supplied do not allow you to tighten the bolts without hurting your hands. The bolts do need to be torqued down to prevent noise during operation. The supplied grease works great on the neoprene rollers in preventing noise as well. The super saver shipping worked out great as well. Received the ellipitical in less than 10 days.

Great machine for the price
The only problem I had with this machine was that the elliptical did not come with a manual. We had to download one from the internet. It was also missing a couple of screws, but that did not affect the assembly. It took about 3 hours for my mechanically-inclined husband to put this together. It is very smooth and quiet during operation and also feels very solid. It doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles, but that doesn't matter to me. I was looking for a quality machine for under $1000 and feel like I found it.