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Cross Trainers - advice on what to get

Eyebroughty

Eyebroughty

JohnC
Hi,

Having had a couple of minor issues while out in the hills causing me to lose a few months of serious walking, one to the ankle and the other to the knee I am thinking of getting a cross trainer for days when rain or snow cause me to stay indoors, or another issue occurs.

Having looked at a few there was a comment on one review which said " It’s worth noting that the 12″ stride length might well be an issue for taller users. If you’re approaching 6ft it’s likely that you’ll feel restricted in your motion, making this model suitable for people of more modest stature."

As I am 6ft what are the suggested cross trainers, I also am not wanting one with a seat as I already have a bike for indoors.

The budget would be up to £1000, I am not looking to start a gym in my house, also it would be helpful if the cross trainer could be moved easily.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Cheers

John
 
I have toyed with the idea of getting one though I am in no way a serious exerciser and know very little about them - one thing I have noticed though is that second hand ‘hardly used’ ones are often greatly reduced from retail price.
Might be worth looking at these once you have a model in mind. (You probably knew that!).
 
Eyebroughty said:
Hi,

Having had a couple of minor issues while out in the hills causing me to lose a few months of serious walking, one to the ankle and the other to the knee I am thinking of getting a cross trainer for days when rain or snow cause me to stay indoors, or another issue occurs.

Having looked at a few there was a comment on one review which said " It’s worth noting that the 12″ stride length might well be an issue for taller users. If you’re approaching 6ft it’s likely that you’ll feel restricted in your motion, making this model suitable for people of more modest stature."

As I am 6ft what are the suggested cross trainers, I also am not wanting one with a seat as I already have a bike for indoors.

The budget would be up to £1000, I am not looking to start a gym in my house, also it would be helpful if the cross trainer could be moved easily.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Cheers

John
Click to expand...

My advice to you is to get a bench and some free weights, and a machine for aerobic exercise. I have used a Reebok bike for 20 years, I’ve had two of them, always bottom of the range as I’m not interested in sophisticated programmes and measurements. Their customer service is excellent to deal with, or were about 4 years ago when I last spoke to them. They will advise you about a machine which suitable for your height.
 
I bought a Viavita Sina cross trainer some years ago and it's still going strong. I'm 6 foot 1 tall and don't have an issue with the stride length being compromised. My wife is 5 feet tall so it needed to be able to deal with a fairly wide range of user height. In use it's very quiet so watching an old TV in the garage where it is set up works well. Bit of a tighten and WD40 on the bolts and it is squeak free.
 
Hi,

Thanks for the replies so far, best I give some background that might make suggestions easier.

I have seen the second hand ones and you do get a better deal, often people upgrading, I just want it to try and get fitter for hill walking, I also have a bench but I am not trying to develop a gym workout frame, I just need to work out what to get to allow me to walk in the hills without feeling to tired and getting injured.

When I am out in the hills with the wind, rain, snow, ice, dykes, fences, woods, ( cattle and sheep to contend with, no jokes, I have heard them all :D ) it can seem to get tiring for me, ok I am 71, but that should not be an issue. When I was younger I used to do rough shooting on two farms 6 days a week and walked miles and never had any issues.

After I stopped rough shooting, about 45 years ago, I spent most of my life walking at the coast, with weather worse than I have encountered so far in the hills, usually with a backpack full of cameras, bird scope, tripod, waterproofs as well as water and food, would normally for a quick walk do 8 miles and if I have a full day will do 15 miles plus, never had an issue, however now that I cannot get to the coast as easily as before I find walking in the hills quite tiring, doing 4 or 5 miles seems way harder than at the coast, and that is without a backpack, just a camera bag.

So I thought about something that would allow me to get a little fitter for the hills, if I do go to the coast I can still do what I did before and never have an issue, however once in the hills it seems a totally different type of walking.

I know I have taken serious hill walkers for a days walk at the coast and they have found it quite difficult, I assume because walking on sand you have to learn to adjust to the shifting foot falls as you walk, whereas on the hills the ground is solid and also you are climbing and descending rather than at the coast where it is flat and rocky.

I am assuming, with a suggestion from the doc, that the two issues I had were because I am not used to walking on solid or sloping ground and having spent the last 45 years walking at the coast my body is geared to a different environment than hill walking and that my joints are being jarred by the solid ground and muscles I seldom use are being stretched on the sloping terrain which might have accounted for the two issues I have had.

Then it could be I am just getting old, groan :D

Cheers

John
 
Another alternative, admittedly "off topic," might be a Concept2 rowing machine. You would use muscles and movements that do not come into play with walking, while using the entire body, rounding you out into a "Renaissance Physique."
 
We got one on Freecycle, you can check stride length easily.

Make sure all the electrics work for resistance or any programs you want.

I normally set it on one fairly low resistance and build up the timing so i run at a fairly stress free heart rate.

One big advantage if you're a bit accident prone is that it avoids any of the twists of the natural world which are hard on knees.

My last knee problem was finally incapacitating after i stayed in a room at the top of a tight spiral staircase.
 
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