Look up elliptical exercise on Amazon, and you’ll almost certainly discover that the major brands – Octane and the like, offer their products at premium prices, often into four figures. It’s important to know that there are other options too – there are affordable elliptical machine alternatives.

Endurance are an affordable range of models from Proform, an Amercian company who have products available through several major UK chain stores. At the budget end (approximately a £500 design), they call the fitness silent magnetic resistance elliptical that’s fairly prominent and available from major stores. It’s popular due to the fact that the quality is pretty good (meaning that it’s a solid and lasting product), as well as including six  programs and also levels of resistance. There are handlebar sensors and also heart monitoring. It’s a great little device. But it isn’t the cheapest one, without a doubt. If you’re getting a maker for a user that has slight build, Weslo makes a cheap elliptical that only sets you back in the region of two thirds of that price.

You will get a much better choice if your budget can extend a little beyond £500. A really popular company in recent years has been JTX, and their Strider X7 cross trainer which provides a near professional standard of workout from a home based machine. It’s a good idea to spend a little more if you can afford to do so, as you’re likely to be aiming for a long term improvement in your health and fitness. What’s more, the chance of injury on the better machines tends to be lower, but that’s not to say the chances are high of causing yourself damage on cheaper models either. It’s simply a case of getting what you pay for, and if you’re taking your fitness and workouts seriously, then the JTX Strider X7 is certainly a good contender.

When it comes to cheap elliptical trainers, the question is really about what cheap means. You’re not likely to find anything worth buying for less than a couple of hundred pounds, even on the second hand market. In fact, second hand machines are always a gamble – you have to ask yourself why someone is choosing to sell on their equipment at a discount. Yes, some people have good intentions and never get around to using them, but why would they sell them at a steep reduction (or should we say loss)? More likely is that they’re not working properly or are suffering from the wear and tear of heavy use – even if they’re not too old – some people get obsessive about exercise and dedicate several hours a day to working out.

Instead of aiming to buy cheap, aim to buy something that represents great value for money. That applies to most things, not just a home cross trainer. We’re not saying that you specifically need to buy the Strider X7, there’s plenty more choices to look at on the web too.