This is our review for the best heavy duty ellipticals in .
An elliptical is a great way to burn calories without straining your joints. This factor can be especially advantageous for heavy people trying to get active.
In this article, we will look at the best elliptical for heavy people, with various functionalities and weight capacities. So that by the end, you will know which one suits your needs better.
After scouting and researching the market for all the brands of ellipticals, we can confidently recommend the Schwinn 470 in the 300 lbs weight capacity, the Nautilus E618 Elliptical in the 350 lbs weight capacity, and HCI PhysioStep MDX in the 500 lbs weight range.
We have also listed below a few more amazing options for each weight category. With these top rated ellipticals, you can exercise without worrying about harming your body or your machine.
| Best Heavy Duty Elliptical – 300 lbs Overall | Schwinn 470 Elliptical |
| Best Heavy Duty Elliptical – 300 lbs Budget | Exerpeutic Heavy Duty Magnetic Elliptical Trainer |
| Best Heavy Duty Elliptical – 300 lbs Recumbent/Seated | Teeter FreeStep LT3 |
| Best Heavy Duty Elliptical – 350 lbs Overall | Nautilus E618 Elliptical |
| Best Heavy Duty Elliptical – 400 lbs Budget | Niceday Elliptical |
| Best Heavy Duty Elliptical – 450 lbs Recumbent/Seated | HCI PhysioStep LXT |
| Best Heavy Duty Elliptical – 500 lbs Overall | HCI PhysioStep MDX |
Below are the detailed reviews of these products followed by a buying guide for heavy duty ellipticals.
8 Best Heavy Duty Elliptical Trainers Reviewed
All the high weight capacity ellipticals listed below are great for a full body workout. However, please consult your physician if you have any medical condition.
Schwinn 470 Elliptical – Best heavy duty elliptical (300 lbs overall)
User Weight Capacity: Up to 300 lbs
Product Dimensions: 70.1” L x 28.2” W x 63.2” H
Resistance: 25 Levels
Incline: 10 degrees, automated
Warranty: Frame: 10 years, Parts: 2 years, Electronics: 1 year, Labor: 90 days
The Schwinn 470 Elliptical is the overall best elliptical in the 300lbs weight range.
It is a sturdy elliptical trainer manufactured with premium quality steal frame, making it ideal for heavyweight people. The 10 year frame warranty reinforces this fact.
This machine offers 25 levels of resistance and a 10-degree motorized adjustable incline ramp. This helps increase the intensity and keep the workout challenging.
The 20” stride length mimics the natural running stride, giving a comfortable leg workout. And the moving handlebars offer an effective upper body workout.
The elliptical also comes with an ‘Explore the World’ subscription with which you can experience 50+ global routes while you workout. As you increase your speed, these routes auto-adjust to give you a realistic experience. It also connects with other apps like GoogleFit, Apple Health and MyFitnessPal via Bluetooth to track your progress.
It also has a few interesting features like sealed acoustic speakers and cooling fan.
All of these, with a reasonable price tag, make it the best overall elliptical in this weight range.
| What We Love | What You Need to Consider |
| Sync with tools like Explore the World, MyFitnessPal, etc. | Short warranty for electronics |
| Incline | |
| 20” stride length | |
| Warranty |
Summary of Customer Reviews:
The Schwinn 470 Elliptical is an ideal machine for heavyweight people. Customers find it easy to assemble and the manufacturer offers good customer support. However, some users think the machine can have problems tracking the workout and it gets a little noisy after a few months.
Exerpeutic Heavy Duty Magnetic Elliptical Trainer – Best heavy duty elliptical (300 lbs budget)
User Weight Capacity: Up to 300 lbs
Product Dimensions: 54” L x 23” W x 63” H
Resistance: 8 levels
Incline: N/A
Warranty: 1 year limited
The Exerpeutic Heavy Duty Elliptical Trainer is another hit on the list as it offers amazing features at a very competitive price point, making it the best elliptical on a budget.
This elliptical has a heavy duty steel frame and a low ceiling clearance. This makes it suitable for heavy as well as tall users.
It offers 8 levels of magnetic resistance to intensify your workout. The dual-direction flywheel lets you move both forward and backward. This helps you target different muscle groups and breaks the monotony of workout.
The natural elliptical leg motion ensures no injuries, giving you a safe and effective workout. And the dual-action handlebars let you simultaneously work on your upper body.
The Exerpeutic heavy duty magnetic elliptical comes with Bluetooth connectivity and integrates with the MyCloudFitnessApp. So, you can track your progress by the distance, time, and calories burned.
It is also easy to move around the house. All this makes its our top budget pick in the 300lbs weight range.
| What We Love | What You Need to Consider |
| Forward and backward flywheel motion | No incline |
| Easy to move around | Limited warranty |
| Bluetooth |
Summary of Customer Reviews:
Most of the customers are happy with the Exerpeutic Heavy Duty Magnetic Elliptical Trainer. It gives users a good workout even at the lowest settings. Although some find it a bit tricky to put together.
Teeter FreeStep LT3 – Best heavy duty elliptical (300 lbs recumbent)
User Weight Capacity: Up to 300 lbs
Product Dimensions: 55” L x 38” W x 52.5” H
Resistance: Variable Magnetic Resistance
Incline: N/A
Warranty: 2 years
The Teeter FreeStep LT3 is a seated heavy duty cross-trainer. Unlike other elliptical trainers, this one comes with a 3 recliner setting seat. So you can be comfortable during your workout causing zero-impact on the knees, back, and hips.
The handles and resistance are adjustable, letting you customise the settings as per your requirements.
The flywheel mechanism using the UltraGlide Bearings system makes stride transitions super smooth.
This elliptical is ideal for seniors, people in rehab or anyone who wants to get active but can’t stand for too long. It engages all muscle groups of the upper and lower body simultaneously, making the machine ideal for a full-body workout.
| What We Love | What You Need to Consider |
| Adjustable seat | No incline |
| Adjustable handles | No visual indicator of resistance |
| Quiet |
Summary of Customer Reviews:
People with physical problems like back pain, knee pain, etc are very happy with this machine. It is also extremely smooth and silent. Although some users pointed out the absence of visual resistance levels.
Nautilus E618 Elliptical – Best heavy duty elliptical (350 lbs overall)
User Weight Capacity: 350 lbs
Product Dimensions: 73” L x 27” W x 67” H
Resistance: 32 levels
Incline: 10 degrees
Warranty: Frame: 15 years, Parts and Electronics: 5 years, Labor: 2 years
The Nautilus E618 is another high-end heavy duty elliptical on the list, ideal for a maximum weight capacity of 350 lbs.
The machine comes with 32 levels of resistance and 29 preset programs that can help you achieve your fitness goals. These programs help with your heart rate training, weight loss, and interval training. It also lets you adjust the incline between 0 and 10 degrees, making the workout as challenging as you want.
The ergonomic handlebars allow for easy grip and smooth movement of the elliptical. Additionally, it has a 22” stride length, making it ideal for tall individuals.
The Bluetooth connectivity allows you to connect the machine with various fitness apps and with the free Explore the World app. Here you can choose from 19 locations and 27 routes from around the world to workout on.
A wireless heart rate chest strap is included in addition to the contact grips to measure your heart rate. This helps maintain and improve your cardiovascular fitness.
| What We Love | What You Need to Consider |
| 29 preset custom programs | Takes up a lot of space |
| Incline | |
| 22” stride length | |
| Heart rate chest strap |
Summary of Customer Reviews:
According to the users, this machine is perfect to begin your fitness journey. The preset programs makes it very easy to start working out. Some users believe the machine is more like a stair master instead of an elliptical.
Niceday Elliptical – Best heavy duty elliptical (400 lbs Budget)
User Weight Capacity: 400 pounds
Product Dimensions: 48” L x 24.4” W x 62” H
Resistance: 16 levels
Incline: N/A
Warranty: Lifetime on part servicing
The Niceday Elliptical is a great budget elliptical with 400 lbs weight capacity. It comes 90% assembled and takes only 30 minutes to set up.
This heavy duty elliptical is suitable for all users with heights ranging between 4’9” and 6’2”. It is a 15.5” stride length, and a hyper-quiet magnetic drive system making it suitable for home use. It is used without an electric source, which is a big advantage.
The 16 resistance levels ensure you have a good low-impact or high-impact workout. The monitor of this elliptical helps you track your speed, time, distance, pulse, and calories.
With front transport wheels, it is easy to move the elliptical. And the compact design does not take up a lot of space, making it the best budget elliptical in the 400 lbs weight range.
| What We Love | What You Need to Consider |
| Budget | No incline |
| Easy and fast assembly | |
| Lifetime Warranty | |
| No electricity required |
Summary of Customer Reviews:
According to the customers, the Niceday Elliptical is a handy and comfortable heavy duty elliptical that you can use without plugging in for power. It is a sturdy and quiet machine that gets the job done. The only limitation is the shorter and circular steps, which seems less effective to the users as compared to the oval motion of other ellipticals.
HCI PhysioStep LXT – Best heavy duty elliptical (450 lbs recumbent)
User Weight Capacity: 450 lbs
Product Dimensions: 67” L x 30” W x 40” H
Resistance: 32 levels
Incline: N/A
Warranty: Frame – lifetime, Parts – 3 years, Labor – 1 year
The HCI Fitness PhysioStep LXT is a fabulous machine in the 450 lbs weight capacity. It is recumbent, making it ideal for people with mobility issues as well. This machine is also widely used for physical therapy and rehabilitation.
The 360 swivel seat makes it super easy to get on and off the machine. It is also made with memory foam and has a contoured reclining back so that you can sit comfortably for prolonged durations.
The oversized pedals come with heel cups and straps so the foot is comfortable and secures it in place.
The linear stepper-like motion gives you a low impact workout, making it ideal for people with sensitive joints. And the stride length is adjustable as per the user’s comfort.
The ergonomic handlebars can be rotated in multiple directions, targeting different muscle groups during the workout.
The 9” LCD HD display is big and easy to read, letting you track numerous metrics during the workout.
| What We Love | What You Need to Consider |
| 360 swivel seat | Expensive |
| Adjustable stride length and handlebars | Heavy to move around |
| Large and easy to ready display | |
| 32 resistance levels | |
| Warranty |
Summary of Customer Reviews:
Most of the customers like the HCI PhysioStep LXT as it is very comfortable and easy to use. Users also liked the large screen, numerous programmed workouts, and customer service.
HCI PhysioStep MDX – Best heavy duty elliptical (500 lbs overall)
User Weight Capacity: 500 lbs
Product Dimensions: 60” L x 32” W x 44” H
Resistance: 32 levels
Incline: N/A
Warranty: Frame – lifetime, Parts – 3 years, Labor – 1 year
The HCI Fitness PhysioStep MDX is the best machine in the 500 lbs weight capacity. It is recumbent, making it ideal for people with mobility issues as well. Similar to the LXT this machine is also widely used for physical therapy and rehabilitation.
The 360 swivel seat makes it super easy to get on and off the machine. It is also made with memory foam and has a contoured reclining back so that you can sit comfortably for prolonged durations.
The oversized pedals come with heel cups and straps so the foot is comfortable and secures it in place.
The 12” circular pedaling motion gives a full lower body workout.
The ergonomic handlebars come with adjustable length. They also provide multiple grips letting you target different muscle groups during the workout.
The 9” LCD HD display is big and easy to read, letting you track numerous metrics during the workout.
| What We Love | What You Need to Consider |
| 360 swivel seat | Expensive |
| Adjustable handlebars | Heavy to move around |
| Large and easy to ready display | |
| 32 resistance levels | |
| Warranty |
Summary of Customer Reviews:
Most customers have had a positive experience using the HCI PhysioStep MDX. Users found the brand’s customer service quite helpful too.
What are the benefits of a heavy duty elliptical?
These are the main benefits of having a heavy weight capacity elliptical.
Low impact exercise
Heavyweight people usually have trouble doing strength training as it strains their joints leading to back, hip, or knee problems. For such users, a heavy duty elliptical is the best bet. These elliptical machines for weight loss are specially designed to facilitate low-impact or zero-impact exercises.
Full body workout
Whether you want to work on your upper or lower body, an elliptical will help you achieve it all. These trainers are ideal for a full-body workout helping you target your biceps, triceps, chest, glutes, quads, hamstrings, back, and core muscles.
Long-term use
Buying an elliptical is an investment you will never regret. Even if your fitness level increases, you can get more out of your elliptical by playing with the resistance levels and incline. It is a versatile machine that can be used by people from different age groups with different body types. So, all family members in the house can benefit from it.
How to choose a Heavy Duty Elliptical – A Buying Guide
Here are some crucial points you need to consider while purchasing a heavy-duty trainer:
Weight limit
Weight limit is the most important thing to check when buying an elliptical for a heavy person. Normally, such ellipticals have a user weight capacity ranging between 300 and 500 lbs. Our recommendation would be to buy an elliptical which offers a slightly higher weight capacity than your actual weight.
Flywheel
The flywheel determines the smoothness of the workout. Additionally, for the stability of a heavy duty elliptical, the flywheel should also be heavy. So, look for a flywheel that should weigh at least 15 to 20 lbs.
Design and Space
Your elliptical should be easy to assemble, sturdy, and stable. You can find out through customer reviews how an elliptical turns out after assembly. If you get a lot of reviews stating stability issues, choose another option. Also, to avoid stability issues, go for an elliptical that is heavy. Lightweight machines tend to be flimsy, leading to a wobbly performance.
Also, when buying an elliptical for home, check if the machine will fit in the room you plan to keep it. So, looking for product dimensions is very critical.
Resistance and Incline
Resistance levels and incline help you increase the intensity of your workout. So, if you want to make the most of your elliptical and get the best out of it even after your workout efficiency increases, look for more resistance levels.
The incline helps you change the angle at which you workout, making it tougher and targeting different muscles. So, having the incline feature on your elliptical is a great add on.
Budget
Your budget is one of the most important constraints behind your final decision. Heavy duty ellipticals are available in all budgets. So, choose the one that does not break the bank yet offers all the features you need.
Warranty
While most ellipticals come with a warranty, some can ditch you in this area. So, look for a good warranty to be on the safer side. Ellipticals are heavyweight machinery and they might face breakdowns. It should be covered under a warranty so the repair and maintenance do not burn a hole in your pocket.
Most ellipticals offer a different warranty on frames, mechanical parts, electronic parts, and labor. Usually, a good warranty is 10 years although a few options even come with a lifetime warranty.
Additional Features
Aside from the points discussed above, look for additional features which are important for you:
- Heart rate monitoring
- Workout tracking
- Display console
- Speakers
- Bluetooth connectivity
- Heart rate monitoring
- Smartphone / tablet / bottle holder
These features will add to the functionality of your machine and make your workout much more fun.
Conclusion
By going through all the product reviews above, we can say that Schwinn 470 is an overall winner from the lot. It has a robust frame with an adjustable motorized incline ramp. The 25 resistance levels, 20” precision path stride, Bluetooth connectivity, and integration with Explore the World app makes this elliptical the best on the list.
FAQs
Is an elliptical good for weight loss?
Yes, ellipticals are effective for weight loss. You can burn about 400 calories in 30 minutes when you are working on an elliptical. This, combined with a healthy diet and active lifestyle can definitely help you lose weight.
Also, ellipticals are known for effective full-body workouts. They target the entire body, helping users work on their upper as well as the lower body simultaneously.
Are 30 minutes of elliptical enough?
Yes, 30 minutes on an elliptical are enough to lose weight.
In 30 minutes, an elliptical will help you burn about 250 to 400 calories, which is very effective. For people looking forward to losing weight, this can be more than enough.
Do ellipticals help lose weight and belly fat?
Yes. With the constant movement of the legs and arms, you can feel the burn on your belly and abs. This shows that the elliptical is pretty effective on the belly and helps users lose weight. But at the end, it all boils down to being in a calorie deficit.
Do ellipticals have weight limits?
Yes, ellipticals are built to handle a certain limit of body weight. For example, lightweight ellipticals can handle up to 250-300 lbs, while heavy-weight elliptical trainers can handle up to 500 lbs.
Based on your interest, you can also check out our reviews on the best heavy-duty treadmill, the best heavy-duty exercise bikes, or the best recumbent elliptical cross trainers in the market. We have covered some of the best options that can take up to 500 lbs weight.
What should I put under my elliptical?
If the elliptical is stable and sturdy, you don’t need anything. Ellipticals come with small grips at the bottom that help you balance the machine. However, if that is not enough and you need something to make the machine stable and balanced, you can put a slip-resistant mat under your elliptical.
Which one is better – elliptical or treadmill?
Both of the machines have different utilities. Treadmills are known to build the strength of your legs, while ellipticals offer low-impact exercise for weak knees and joints. However, both machines give an effective cardio workout and help achieve the desired results. In fact, we can also put the best indoor bikes as strong contenders to the best ellipticals and some of the top-notch treadmills in the market. They can all deliver an effective workout session, and come with their pros and cons.
So, it cannot be said which is better as they both have their pros and cons.
How do I vary my elliptical workouts when I start to plateau?
When you start to plateau, play with the resistance levels and incline of the machine. Increase the resistance and incline to make the movements harder, or increase the variety of your workout by adding workouts like HIIT and Tabata. It will help you challenge your body and increase the intensity of your workout. Although beware that high-intensity workouts can deplete your energy levels quickly, hence it’s extremely important to ensure you supplement your body appropriately.
You can check out our reviews on the best pre-workouts or the best health supplements to give your body the necessary nutrition for such high-intensity workouts.
Disclaimer: The information mentioned in the article above is for educational and informational purposes only. It shouldn’t be considered as health or medical advice. Please consult a doctor or a qualified health professional if you have any medical/health conditions questions.
