When it comes to getting in a great fat-burning cardio workout, the elliptical trainer is a great option. As well as burning a ton of calories, an elliptical will sculpt your lower body better than almost any other piece of cardio equipment.
When it comes to tall people, however, many home ellipticals just won’t cut it. They either don’t have a sufficient stride length or are too cramped for natural upper/lower body coordination.
In this article, we focus exclusively on identifying the best ellipticals for tall persons available on the market, especially those who are over 6 feet in height. Plus, we will get to the essential factors to look for before buying an elliptical.
Best Ellipticals For Tall Person
1. Nautilus Elliptical Trainer E618 Review
The Nautilus E618 is a medium-range elliptical that offers the longest stride length in the Nautilus series at 22 inches. This is also the best of the four ellipticals reviewed here, ensuring that people as tall as 6,6” will be able to get a full, natural stride motion.
The three footplate angles on the E618 allow you to customize your foot positioning for the ideal ergonomic placement to reduce joint impact. The 30-pound flywheel is impressive for a mid-priced elliptical, providing a very smooth, natural elliptical motion.
The E618 is a front drive elliptical. This makes it more compact and evenly weighted than a rear drive unit. You get an impressive 25 levels of resistance to accommodate all user levels. The 29 built-in workout programs add plenty of training variety.
This machine provides four user profiles and has built-n Bluetooth connectivity to allow you to access the Nautilus tracking app. A power incline setting increases the angle of the resistance by up to 15-degrees. Extra cool features include an integrated media shelf, speakers, water bottle holder and cooling fan. It all adds up to a very impressive elliptical with a large stride that is ideal for taller users and available at an impressive price point.
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2. Sole E25 Elliptical Machine Review
The Sole E25 is an adjustable stride length elliptical that impresses with a stride length between 20 to 22 inches and 350 pounds weight capacity.
It features ergonomically designed foot pedals that are angled inward by 2-degrees to feel more natural. This is a unique feature which is recommended by physiotherapists in order to alleviate joint stress. The long stride length allows people over 6-feet tall to get a full, natural gait motion.
The control module on the E25 provides you with an integrated tablet holder, audio speakers and 10 built-in workout programs. The 6.5-inch display provides a readout of all of your training diagnostics. You can also sync the console to the Sole Fitness app to allow for deeper workout analysis.
Forward and reverse pedaling motion allows you to work your muscles from different angles. You can also ramp up your training intensity with up to a 20-degree incline capability.
The cardio machine provides you with a 20-pound flywheel to help deliver a smooth, jerk free stride motion. Multi-grip handlebars allow you to work both your upper and lower body together with the adjustable handles port to focus on your lower body with the stationary handlebars.
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3. Ancheer Magnetic Elliptical Trainer
The Ancheer Elliptical is a budget model rear-drive machine. It has been recently updated to beef it up for taller users. Its stride length of 18 inches is the shortest of the four products reviewed here and will not provide the required stride length for people who are taller than 6’2”. Yet, the 35-pound flywheel is solid enough to provide an extremely smooth exercise motion.
The 330-pound max weight capacity of the Ancheer Elliptical speaks to the solid frame of this machine. The tubular steel construction and wide-based frame ensure that it will not wobble, even when used at full intensity. Ten levels of magnetic resistance provide for progressive resistance as your fitness level increases.
The Ancheer elliptical represents terrific value, delivering a level of functionality that is very rare at its price point.
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4. Schwinn 430 Compact Elliptical Review
The Schwinn 430 Elliptical is front drive elliptical with a 20-inch stride length, making it ideal for taller users. This is an affordable model from Schwinn that packs in a number of higher-spec features. However, it is not as sturdy as the more expensive offerings from Schwinn, such as the 470 Elliptical model.
This cardio equipment does not provide adjustable pedal angles, unlike the two previously reviewed machines. However, it does provide you with six incline settings to a maximum of 9-degrees, though this is manual rather than automatic. You also get 22 built-in workout programs on this machine. The 20-pound flywheel provides you with a relatively smooth, jar-free elliptical motion.
The Schwinn 430 provides for onboard entertainment by way of a tablet shelf, along with Bluetooth capability. It is a solid performer for tall people in the sub-$800 category, which is quite a rarity.
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Things to Consider When Buying an Elliptical Machine
When it comes to tall people, the buying requirements for an elliptical are quite specific.
Long Stride Length
Of primary importance for tall people is the elliptical stride length. It needs to range between 18 and 22 inches. An elliptical that allows you to vary the stride length will also allow shorter people to comfortably use it.
Flywheel
A 6 feet tall person or over will need a decent sized flywheel that will power a smooth, natural elliptical motion. Do not consider a flywheel that is less than 20 pounds, with 30-35 pounds being the ideal. This will prevent the staggering, jolting exercise motion, which many taller people find frustrating when using home elliptical machines.
User Weight Capacity
Another important consideration for elliptical users is the weight limit of the machine. You want there to be at least a 50-pound gap between your weight and the maximum user weight of the machine. Looking for an elliptical with at least a 300-pound weight capacity should ensure that the elliptical will be able to comfortably support most tall and big users.
Summary
Our pick for best elliptical for tall person will be the Nautilus E618 , which provides you with a 22-inch stride length and 30-pound flywheel. This impressive front-drive machine also features 3-way adjustable footplates, power incline and 25 resistance levels.