elliptical trainer. Big differences between theory and practice in the test. © Getty Images
Pollutants, incorrect wattage, unstable handrails: None of the cross trainers in our test were convincing overall. Some are even deficient in several respects.
Theory: Cross trainers get the whole body moving
In principle, the cross trainer is a great piece of fitness equipment. Feet slide up and down, back and forth on treads. Seen from the side, the feet move in an ellipse. That is why the devices are also called elliptical trainers or elliptical cross trainers. The exerciser’s arms and shoulders work on long, movable handrails. Many muscles in the body get going. In contrast to this, the subjects’ feet crank in a circle on the bicycle ergometer. The hands do not move, but sit firmly on the handle.
This is what our cross trainer test (2022) offers
- Testergebnisse. The table shows evaluations by Stiftung Warentest for eight cross trainers in the HA class (prices: 450 to 1300 euros), including devices from Christopeit, Kettler, Reebok and Finnlo.
- Kaufberatung. The Stiftung Warentest reveals which elliptical trainers did well in individual sub-tests, where almost all providers have to improve and why the test winner also has major weaknesses.
- tips and background. We tell you how you can keep fit without a cross trainer and who you can contact if you have already bought one of the defective cross trainers from our comparison.
- Heftartikel. If you unlock the topic, you will get access to the PDF for the test report from test 2/2022.
Test results for 8 cross trainers 02/2022
Practice: cross trainer in the test with many shortcomings
In order to test the practical suitability of the elliptical trainer, Stiftung Warentest sent six trained amateurs to the fitness equipment (this is how we tested it). But many cross trainers in the test were unreliable: sometimes they showed less watts than the athletes actually achieved, sometimes more. In some cases, we determined deviations of 50 percent between the performance set on the display and the performance actually required by the device. The display in the HA quality class tested by us may only deviate from the actual output by 5 watts up to an output of 50 watts. With more than 50 watts, the deviation may not exceed 10 percent. As a result, only one cross trainer was good in the most important part of the test, “training”, which accounts for 50 percent of the overall grade.
Safety of cross trainers often poor
On the nameplates of the tested devices, compliance with the relevant Din-EN standard is sometimes advertised. This standard requires a good cross trainer to have its handrails withstand a pull of the maximum permitted weight. Just one cross trainer satisfactorily passed this test. On some models, fingers and feet were not safe from crushing on moving parts.
Six out of eight elliptical trainers tested have too many pollutants
Whether it’s the caps on the handles or the plastic on the heart rate monitors – in the 2022 cross trainer comparison we found carcinogenic PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) or harmful phthalate plasticizers in six models, five of which are defective. An incredibly bad rate.
Vendor reactions
The providers reacted very differently to the poor test results. Some are still checking, others have stopped selling or are offering to replace the device or individual components. You can read which company is reacting in what way after activating the article.
Measure heart rate: Few devices come with a chest strap
All devices in the test measured the heart rate accurately. However, the heart rate monitors were only found on the immobile handles. However, it makes more sense to use the movable bars – so that your arms and shoulders also work. So it is better to measure the heart rate with a chest strap. The belt is buckled on and its sensor connects to the elliptical trainer wirelessly, similar to Bluetooth, using a radio frequency. Only one model had such a chest strap with it. For the rest, users have to buy the belt. Anyone who owns one of the good smartwatches or fitness trackers from our test can also work with it.
Sporty at test.de
Before you start a fitness program, you should go to a sports medicine examination. Many health insurance companies pay a subsidy, in our study from January 2022 it was 30 to 750 euros.
It can also be done without a cross trainer: portals offer courses on the Internet with which the fitness-conscious can train at home. However, our test of online fitness studios showed that only two are an alternative to the classic studio.