Elliptical trainers line most gym cardio rooms, with a variety of lighter-duty, less expensive models available for home use. You’ll find the Gazelle, a home cardio machine marketed by Tony Little, on television and the Internet. While you can make a case for choosing either machine over the other, the truth is that the best exercise machine is whichever one you enjoy most, because that’s the one you’re most likely to use consistently.
Calories Burned
According to Harvard Health Publications, if you weight 185 lbs. you’ll burn about 400 calories in 1/2 hour on an elliptical trainer. According to the Fatburn.com calorie counting tool, you’d burn about 331 calories in the same amount of time on a Gazelle Glider.
Impact
All elliptical trainers, and both models of the Gazelle, are weight bearing, no-impact forms of exercise. There’s no pounding on your joints because your feet never leave the pedals. This makes both the elliptical and Gazelle popular exercise tools for those with osteoporosis, damaged joints or other conditions that necessitate low- or no-impact exercise.
Muscles Worked
Both elliptical trainers and the Gazelle work your glutes, hip flexors, quads, hamstrings and calves. Both Gazelle models also offer moving handles, slaved to the foot pedals’ resistance, that let you work your chest, back and arms as well. Many, but not all, elliptical trainers offer moving handles, too. Of the ellipticals that offer moving handles, you’ll encounter few on which the handles aren’t connected to the machine’s resistance, which means you get a less intense arm workout.
Weight Limit
While weight limits vary between Gazelle models and various brands of elliptical trainers, the ellipticals usually trump the Gazelle in this category. The NordicTrack AudioStrider 990 elliptical trainer, for example, has a maximum weight capacity of 325 lbs., and the Smooth Fitness Agile DMT Elliptical can support a 400 lb. user. The Gazelle Edge only supports 250 lbs., while the Gazelle Freestyle supports up to 300 lbs.
Features
Both Gazelle models come with workout computers that offer basic information like speed, distance, time and calories burned. The Freestyle also comes with a pulse monitor.
Elliptical trainers come with more features. In addition to the basic workout computer, they often come with adjustable resistance, pre-programmed courses that adjust the resistance for you and shock-absorbing foot pedals. They may also allow you to adjust incline and stride length.
Storage
Both Gazelle models take up less space than an elliptical trainer when set up. They also fold up for storage. Ellipticals, on the other hand, stay put as a permanent fixture in the room.
Cost
As of May 2010, the basic Gazelle model, the Edge, retails for a little more than $100. The Gazelle Freestyle costs a little more than $200. You’d be hard-pressed to find a decent elliptical trainer in the same price range; the least expensive of the Consumer Search best elliptical models retails for about $600. None of these prices includes shipping costs.
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