Essentials

Best home gym ellipticals in 2023

By Carolin Lehmann

Edited By Fox Van Allen

February 21, 2023 / 10:34 AM EST / Essentials

CBS Essentials is created independently of the CBS News editorial staff. We may receive commissions from some links to products on this page. Promotions are subject to availability and retailer terms.

Woman performing workout on elliptical trainer at home — Westend61

Your local gym is busier than ever this time of year. Whether you'd prefer to avoid the gym in 2023 or want to save some cash by working out at home, consider investing in a home elliptical trainer.

Top products in this article

Bowflex Max Total 16, $2,299 (reduced from $2,499)

$2,299 at Bowflex

Sunny Health & Fitness advanced programmed elliptical, $445 (reduced from $480)

$445 at Amazon

Body Rider 2-in-1 fitness machine with elliptical, $158 (reduced from $220)

$158 at Walmart

Ellipticals are cardio machines that allow you to select your own pacing and level of resistance, while their poles offer an upper body workout as well. Running on an elliptical trainer is less stressful on your knees, hips and back than running on a treadmill. Many elliptical trainers can also be pedaled backward, offering more of a calf and hamstring workout. While they don't offer a targeted ab workout, they do help to strengthen your core.

Many ellipticals track your heart rate, calories burned and more. Some also come with apps for guided workouts.

How we selected the best elliptical machines

We're trusting the reviews. Add the reviewer-loved elliptical machines from Walmart, Amazon and more below to your home gym. We've kept your budget in mind, with affordable options that can feel lot more luxe and high-tech if you add an affordable tablet holder, such as this one from Amazon. And then there are splurge-worthy models as well.

The best elliptical machines for home gyms in 2023

Shop the best elliptical trainer brands for your home gym like Bowflex, Body Rider, Sunny Health & Fitness and more ahead. Many of the best home gym ellipticals in 2023 are even on sale right now.

Body Rider 2-in-1 fitness machine with elliptical

Workout with this wallet-friendly elliptical and exercise bike combo for your home gym comes with a monitor that displays the time, speed, distance and average calories burned. Its attached adjustable seat turns it into an exercise bike. A manual knob adjusts tension, and the trainer has a 250-pound weight capacity.

"My husband and I both use it every day and find it very sturdy and easy to use," wrote a reviewer. "It took a little bit of time to put it together but I did it all by myself and only had to ask my husband a simple question to complete the assembly."

Body Rider 2-in-1 fitness machine with elliptical, $158 (reduced from $220)

$158 at Walmart

Sunny Health & Fitness advanced programmed elliptical

For more features, pick up this elliptical machine for your home gym with a media device holder and a backlit display that tracks speed, time, distance, calories burned, RPM, exertion (in watts) and resistance level. It offers 24 elliptical workout modes and has a 330-pound weight capacity.

"My husband and I are so happy with this elliptical," said an Amazon customer. "We have a small condo, so I was worried about the space, but it really doesn't take up too much at all. It also has these little plastic sliders, so we keep it along the wall when not in use, and it's very easy to move across our wood floors so we can watch TV while we work out. It's very stable and doesn't bob or rock us around even if we're going fast."

Sunny Health & Fitness advanced programmed elliptical, $445 (reduced from $480)

$445 at Amazon

Sunny Health & Fitness magnetic elliptical

Sunny Health & Fitness SF-E905 Magnetic Elliptical — Amazon

Workout with this simple elliptical machine for your home gym that has an eight-level tension controller to customize workout resistance. It has a digital monitor that displays time, speed, distance, calories and heart rate. It's a small machine intended for users up to 220 pounds.

"This is not a gym-quality elliptical by any means, but for the price, it offers everything I could ask for," a reviewer said.

Sunny Health & Fitness magnetic elliptical, $158 (reduced from $179)

$158 at Amazon

Stamina InMotion under-the-desk elliptical

If you're short on space or want a more affordable option for your workout, go for half the elliptical instead with this desk elliptical machine. You can use it while sitting or standing and its resistance is adjustable. Its monitor displays the number of strides per minute; total number of strides; exercise time; and calories burned. This trainer supports a maximum of 250 pounds.

"I love this strider," wrote a Walmart customer. "I would recommend this to anyone looking to stay active while at a desk job!"

Stamina InMotion under-the-desk elliptical, $121

$121 at Walmart

Unbrand elliptical

Workout with this affordable elliptical machine that has eight levels of resistance, heart rate sensors and an LED screen. The screen displays time, speed, distance, calories burned and pulse rate. This trainer has transport wheels and a weight capacity of 300 pounds.

Unbrand elliptical, $300 (reduced from $390)

$300 at Walmart

Bowflex Max Trainer

Looking for a new way to get in your daily HIIT workout? Bowflex's Max Trainer ellipticals include access to a range of cardio workout classes through the JRNY app.

One reviewer raved about the Max Trainer M6: "I had been looking for an elliptical for a long time that had a small footprint and was able to easily be moved around. When I came across the BowFlex trainers, I simply couldn't resist giving it a try... I enjoy getting my sweat on with the 14 minute programs and have been enjoying getting my post-covid bod back to where I want it to be."

"I am 56 and hit this thing now five days a week for 30 minutes," another reviewer wrote of the Max Trainer M8. "Worth every penny if you use it regularly."

Bowflex Max Trainer M6, $1,499

$1,499 at Bowflex

Bowflex Max Trainer M9, $1,699 (reduced from $1,999)

$1,699 at Bowflex

Bowflex Max Total 16, $2,299 (reduced from $2,499)

$2,299 at Bowflex

Fitness Reality Ei7500XL elliptical with Bluetooth

This Bluetooth-equipped elliptical has 24 levels of resistance and 21 pre-set workout programs. Its backlit computer displays distance, time, RPM, calories burned, speed, heart rate and exertion (in watts). This trainer has a phone and tablet holder, plus a water bottle holder. Note its 270-pound weight capacity.

"I was surprised how sturdy it is," reviewer Diana says. "It's very affordable. It doesn't take up too much space. It took me about two hours to assemble and the instructions are not confusing at all."

Fitness Reality Ei7500XL elliptical with Bluetooth, $382 (reduced from $502)

$382 at Walmart