Are you looking for the perfect gym equipment to improve your workout experience? How about an elliptical? Ellipticals are excellent for improving calf, thighs, hamstrings, glutes (lower body), and even upper body. They are great, if not necessary, to your home gym. They will give you better health value for your money compared to most other gym equipment.
But, before buying an elliptical, you should first check the most important thing: its stride length.
Stride length is simply how much an elliptical allows you to stretch your feet backward and forward while exercising.
And picking up one with the wrong stride length can cause you several problems and injuries.
So, you may ask yourself, what's the perfect stride length for me?
The answer is: It depends on your height.
But, what if multiple users with different heights use the elliptical.
Well, here comes the adjustable stride length. Ellipticals with such a feature allow you to adjust the length depending on your height.
In the article, we gathered the best ellipticals with adjustable stride length available on the market so you can make the right choice.
Best Ellipticals With Adjustable Stride Length
1. Sole E95 Elliptical Trainer Review
The Sole E95 is a sturdy and relatively large elliptical packed with a ton of features. If you’re looking for a silent and relatively cost-effective piece, you’re in for a good deal here. This cardio machine is customizable and allows you to transfer workout data via Bluetooth. It is adjustable from 20” to 22” allowing you to take longer strides, making it an excellent choice for tall people.
It comes with an LCD screen to monitor progress and access the many programs. With Bluetooth audio speakers to play audio from your devices, you may not have to worry about entertainment while on this system. Speaking of devices, for the more tech-inclined users, the Sole E95 has a position above the screen to place and charge your tablet so you can use the tablet while working out. The elliptical comes with a water bottle holder, a built-in fan and a chest strap heart rate monitor.
It also comes with adjustable the pedals that you can move forwards and backwards to make your workout comfortable.
What we like
What we don't like
2. Sole E35 Front Drive Elliptical Review
This is one of the most popular ellipticals of the Sole series. The Sole E35 has an overall good reputation with a sturdiness, silence, and smoothness good enough to match anything in the average gym.
It has a very decent resistance thanks to the 25lb flywheel at the front. The stride length can be adjusted from 20” – 22”.
The elliptical has two sets of handlebars. The movable one is neatly adjustable, and it is not difficult to find a good grip for yourself. The non-movable handlebar has sensors that track pulse, working in sync with the chest straps although it is still advisable to compare with your standalone pulse trackers.
Another ergonomic feature is the footrest. To avoid the numb effect on your toes, the articulating foot pedals can be easily adjusted and large enough to match your movement precisely accommodating high arches or flat fleet.
The backlit LCD computer display serves as the central control and the monitor screen for the six standards and the two customizable workout programs that you can utilize. Plus, you can tilt it easily to match your eye line.
What we like
What we don't like
3. Sole E95S Long Stride Elliptical Machine Review
The E95S is an improvement on the classic E95 trainer discussed earlier in this review. This one is sturdier and reflective of the price markup. It features an adjustable length of 18” – 24” which is essentially what is possibly attainable on the market. So yes, it can suit tall and short people.
The frame and body are sturdy and well-built. It comes with a chest strap to monitor heart rate. A great thing about most recent Sole ellipticals is how device-friendly they are and the E95S didn’t miss out on that valuable detail. It is easy to charge and use your tablet on the E95S to augment your workout routine.
For those who work with audio, it has a Bluetooth sound system for your convenience. But don’t expect too much from the speakers.
What we like
What we don't like
4. Precor EFX 546i Rear Drive Elliptical Crosstrainer
The Precor EFX 546i comes with a 21.2 to 24.7 adjustable stride length and it has been built with one thing in mind, power. The elliptical has a simple straightforward metallic design and a back flywheel that provides sleek resistance. It can be adjusted to train the specific body part you wish to build.
This Precor doesn’t need to be plugged and runs on the power generated from training. In addition, it has a basic computer system with easy-click buttons to run either one of the ten programs installed. A major drawback is its inability to retain information and its primitive non-Bluetooth-enabled computer. The long stride elliptical does have a heart-rate monitor on its handles to track cardio exercise on the screen.
The CrossRamp technology helps the user to get a smooth movement like a natural running motion by adjusting the pedals between 13 to 40 degrees thanks to the 20 CrossRamp settings.
What we like
What we don't like
What To Consider When Buying an Elliptical?
We’re going to take a look at some necessary features to consider when buying a home elliptical.
Adjustable Stride Length
As you expected, It’s very important to check your height against the stride length of the elliptical you wish to buy. For example, if the user height is between 5.5" to over 6" he/she should consider an elliptical with a stride length between 18" to 22 inches. Users that are under 5.4" should look for ellipticals that are designed for short people.
Weight Capacity
Selecting an elliptical of the right weight capacity will be a huge determiner for whether you’ve made or marred your workout experience. It’s not a fun experience mounting an elliptical only to find out that it is not ideal for your weight. That's why we recommend getting an elliptical with a high weight capacity.
Durability
Oftentimes, the best way to confirm the durability of a product is the duration of the warranty. If a manufacturer is confident enough to ascertain the quality of a product, odds are it will last. But you can get a personal feel for durability by looking at the quality and the production material of the elliptical. Often it will reflect in the price.
Resistance
Low resistance is not a workout, just a momentum spree. Too much resistance, on the other hand, can cost you wasted energy at best and injury at worst. Most ellipticals come with up to twenty resistance power levels. All the ones reviewed here have up to twenty resistance levels. However, they might have varying degrees of motor smoothness and it is advisable to try out the resistance before you make a choice.
The two major types of resistance motors are ECB (eddy current braking system) and MBS (motorized brake system). You can learn more about how they work here. The MBS is less durable and is found more in the relatively cheaper ellipticals. The ECB allows for cleaner resistance transition and far more durability.
Features
The features of an elliptical can determine whether or not is suitable for your needs. Ellipticals these days come with a slew of features ranging from Bluetooth capabilities to tablet and water bottle holders to speakers. Always find a combination that works for you. If you are a person that seeks a simpler UI, you wouldn’t want to get a touchscreen LCD monitor that would overwhelm you with a host of buttons and side-attractions.
Conclusion
Getting an adjustable elliptical seems like a great choice for users that want to challenge themselves with different stride lengths. It just has too much of an advantage over the mundane ones. Besides the adjustable strides, they come with other features you'll find indispensable. Remember that the goal of a workout is not to hurt yourself but to stay healthy. You now have all the necessary tools and information before choosing the right elliptical with an adjustable stride length.