These days, it’s tough to make it out to the gym.
Me and my wife just recently had a child, and my schedules are anything but set these days.
Luckily for me, I’m still able to sneak in a workout in between diaper changes and preparing dinner with my new Schwinn A40 Elliptical.
Things to Consider Before Buying an Elliptical
In a perfect world, you’d have time to do it all. However, if you’re like me, there’s a million things on your to do list that you have to get to.
One of those things for me is my fitness.
My fitness is important to me, but it’s not always easy with the schedule I have as a new parent.
Having an elliptical at home helped me to ensure I was still able to get in a workout, even with the crazy schedule I had.
If you’re like me, and a set schedule is a luxury, invest in some home fitness equipment to help you keep up with your fitness.
You’ll find much benefit in a home elliptical if you’re looking for a low impact cardio workout that’s easy to do and convenient.
It was not an overnight decision, however, as you’ll want to consider a few things.
Space
Before you invest in a home elliptical, you’ll want to think about where in your home you’ll be housing this particular exercise machine.
You’ll want to consider not only the footprint that it takes up, but some extra space around the machine that allows you to move freely around it so that getting on and off the machine is easy.
If space is an issue, try looking for space saving capabilities or the ability to move it to a different part of your home when it’s not in use.
Fitness Level
Working out is great, but you’ll always want to start off making sure the workouts you’ll be doing won’t hurt or injure you in any way.
I would hate for you to invest in a workout machine like an elliptical, only to find out that you’re unable to use because you would aggravate any prior injuries or that your current health condition prevents you from doing so.
Check with your physician first and get their opinion, or let them know the type of exercises you’re planning on doing.
Budget
Are you looking to invest in a premium machine or are you looking to stick to the cheapest model you can find?
Know that there are trade-offs at every level.
What helped me to determine the best value was to evaluate what features were most important to me.
Write down which features are important to you, and rank them if you have to. They’ll help you to maximize the budget you’re working with when shopping around for elliptical machines.
Fitness Goals
Finally, you’ll want to consider your fitness goals.
An elliptical machine is great for breaking a sweat or getting your heart rate up, but to think you’ll turn into Arnold Schwarzenegger by using this machine might be a bit foolish.
You’ll get great workouts in your lower body, improve your cardio endurance, and be able to tone your arms with the swinging action, but don’t expect much in other areas without the use of other specialized equipment or machines.
Introducing the Schwinn A40 Elliptical
If you’ve decided to move forward with an elliptical for your home workout needs, then you’ll want to take a closer look at the Schwinn A40 Elliptical.
It’s an elliptical from a reputable fitness company, Schwinn, who have been around since 1895.
With the Schwinn A40 Elliptical, you’re able to get a full-body cardio workout without ever having to leave your home.
If one of your favorite machines to use at the gym is the elliptical, then you’ll love the convenience of having one in your home with the Schwinn A40 Elliptical.
This elliptical will also have appeal to seniors who are looking to keep up their fitness with low impact cardio workouts and for those who may be recovering from sports injuries and want to rehab their lower body or get a cardio workout in without putting much stress on the injury.
The maximum user weight for the Schwinn A40 Elliptical supports up to 275lbs.
It does come with a warranty, however, it can get somewhat confusing because there are different parts of the warranty.
The fame of the machine itself is supported up to 3 years, whereas the mechanical and electrical components are supported for only 1 year, and any labor issues are supported for only 60 days.
For those who like to use various media during their workouts, the frame of the Schwinn A40 Elliptical does come with a media shelf for you to put your book, tablet, or phone on.
In addition, you can stay hydrated during your workout with water bottle holder located just below the display panel.
Schwinn A40 Elliptical Pros
- Easy assembly
- Solid construction
- Compact
Schwinn A40 Elliptical Cons
- No console backlight
- Errant noises
- Hard to navigate built-in programs
Features & Benefits of the Schwinn A40 Elliptical
There’s a lot to like about the Schwinn A40 Elliptical.
Here are a few features and benefits you should be aware of as you consider if the Schwinn A40 Elliptical is right for you and your needs.
Smooth Ride
The Schwinn A40 Elliptical guarantees a smooth, quiet ride with its high-speed, high-inertia perimeter weighted flywheel drive system.
This feature is great for those who may live in apartments and are concerned with making noise for the units right below them, or if you have light sleepers in your home whose sleep may be interrupted by your workout in the early morning or late evenings.
Heart Rate Monitor
The Schwinn A40 Elliptical comes with ergonomically placed grip heart rate handles that measure your heart rate during your workout.
Monitoring your heart rate during your workouts helps you to determine if you are doing too much, or not enough.
It’s a great way to keep your workouts efficient and effective.
Articulating Footplates
The 17.5” stride with Precision Path Foot Motion Technology and ergonomic foot plates come together to ensure comfortable, low-impact workouts.
It does you no good to use a fitness machine that’s not comfortable to use.
Fitness machines that are uncomfortable to use not only detract you from wanting to get your workout in, but also increase chances of injury.
Customizable Workout
When you consider that the Schwinn A40 Elliptical comes programmed with 8 levels of resistance and 7 preset exercise programs, you realize that there are many combinations of resistances and exercise programs you can do to keep things fresh.
Not only that, regardless of your current fitness level, you can tailor a workout program based on these pre-programmed settings that will work for you.
Workout Tracking & Statistics
The Schwinn A40 Elliptical comes with a fully loaded, large LCD console that tracks speed, time, RPM, distance and your calories.
The console is easy to use and large enough for you to make interacting with the console while working out easy.
Knowing the numbers you have to hit, or where you are in your workout, helps you get the most out of your workout, and track any improvements you make as you progress in your fitness levels.
Convenient Storage Bays
For those of us who are attached at the hip to our devices, the Schwinn A40 Elliptical comes with a media shelf that allows you to lay down a tablet, phone, or book while working out.
If you’re the type that likes to stay productive, even while working out, this is a great convenience to have.
What Others Think of the Schwinn A40 Elliptical
My Schwinn A40 Elliptical has been a godsend for me, but I wondered if other people felt the same – so I looked all over the internet for a few reviews on what others thought of it.
For those who had positive things to say about the Schwinn A40 Elliptical, they cited the ease of assembly and use.
They loved how lightweight, but sturdy the machine was, and how the programs that came pre-programmed into the machine were challenging, but still enjoyable.
Those who had criticisms about the machine cited issues with customer service and occasional parts that arrived broken or broke within the first few months of ownership.
Alternatives to the Schwinn A40 Elliptical
The Schwinn A40 Elliptical is a high-quality bike, and there’s a good chance you’ll find a lot of what you’re looking for in it.
But just in case you don’t see the value for yourself and your fitness goals, you’ll want to take a look at other high quality options out there like the following.
Marcy Magnetic Elliptical
The Marcy Magnetic Elliptical Trainer has many similarities to the Schwinn A40 Elliptical.
Where it falls short over the Schwinn A40 Elliptical is its lack of pre-programmed exercise programs.
However, that’s not to say that the Marcy Magnetic Elliptical Trainer is lacking in any way.
This elliptical still boasts a 5kg strong flywheel, extra-large non-slip pedals, and an angle adjustable plastic sleeve to prevent slipping when in use.
For those not caught up with name brands, the Marcy Magnetic Elliptical Trainer offers a solid elliptical for budget shoppers.
Sunny Health & Fitness SF-E905 Elliptical Machine
The Sunny Health & Fitness SF-E905 Elliptical Machine offers a great value for those with limited space in their homes.
It offers pretty much the same features as the Schwinn A40 Elliptical, but in a more compact package.
The stride length of the Sunny Health & Fitness SF-E905 Elliptical Machine is at 11” when compared to the Schwinn A40 Elliptical’s 17.5” stride, which makes this unit easy to use for a workout in smaller spaces.
This is a great elliptical for you to consider if you don’t have the luxury of a large room or home, but still want the benefits of a high quality workout machine.
Nautilus E614 Elliptical Trainer
Last on our list of comparable ellipticals is the Nautilus E614 Elliptical Trainer.
For those with a large budget and who want all the bells and whistles, this is the elliptical for you.
The Nautilus E614 Elliptical Trainer comes with 2 dual track displays featuring 22 different workout programs for you to choose from and shape your workout.
In addition, you also have the option to increase the resistance of your workout up to 20 levels.
If you’re serious about working out on an elliptical and have the budget for it, you won’t be disappointed with all the features this elliptical comes equipped with.
Final Thoughts
Life gets busy.
For parents especially, finding time to squeeze in a workout can be quite challenging.
But if you’re looking to circumvent your excuses and find a way to make fitness a priority despite any challenge you may have, then I highly recommend that you look into the Schwinn A40 Elliptical.
The demands of parenthood may be many, but taking the time to care for yourself and your fitness needs will only make you a better parent in the long run and give you the energy to get you there.
