Elliptical Trainer

Overview

An elliptical trainer is a stationary cardio machine that drives the feet through a closed elliptical path, combining the leg motion of climbing with the arm motion of cross-country skiing while keeping both feet off any hard contact surface. This is a front-drive layout: the Flywheel & Resistance Drive flywheel sits ahead of the user, and the foot pedals trail behind on a ramp. Because the stride is low-impact, the machine spares the knees and hips while still loading the major muscle groups of the legs, glutes, and, through the moving handlebars, the upper body.

The unit is built around a Steel Frame Assembly welded from powder-coated steel, with a front mast carrying the console and static grips. The Crank & Linkage Assembly assembly converts pedal travel into rotation, the Handlebar Assembly add a synchronized arm stroke, and the Incline Ramp Assembly ramp changes the shape and steepness of the stride. A Console Assembly meters speed, distance, and heart rate.

How it works

The user's stride turns the Crank & Linkage Assembly crank, whose drive shaft spins the steel flywheel through a poly-V belt. Braking, the felt workout resistance, comes from the Flywheel & Resistance Drive eddy-current system: a servo swings a carrier of neodymium magnets toward the spinning flywheel rim, inducing currents that oppose its motion. Moving the magnets nearer or farther sets one of twenty resistance levels with no friction surfaces to wear.

The Incline Ramp Assembly uses a motor-driven leadscrew to raise the ramp track that the pedal rollers ride on, shifting which muscles dominate the stride. The Handlebar Assembly link through pivots to the same linkage, so arms and legs move in opposition. Molded Covers & Shrouds enclose the flywheel and crank for safety, and a Wire Bundle routes sensor and incline-motor signals back to the console.