Ellipticals are the go to cardio machine for many people. Not only do they give you a killer leg workout, but you can also choose to get a bit of movement in your arms too.
If you want to up your cardio game, just ramp up the intensity on your elliptical, stick on an episode of Grey’s Anatomy on the dashboard, and away you go.
Finding the right elliptical can be somewhat challenging if you are exceptionally short or tall. You just have to accommodate for your longer legs.
You need to make sure that you find an elliptical with a longer stride length, or at least a stride length that you can adjust.
Where do you even start? We have the answer: here!
Read on for our picks of the best ellipticals for a tall person. We’ve also written a nifty buyer’s guide to make your decision that much easier.
Top 5 Best Elliptical for a Tall Person
The Sole Fitness E35 is certainly one of the best ellipticals for a tall person on the market. It’s ideal for anyone that is both tall and weighs a substantial amount.
With plenty of adjustability and a high quality construction, this is a great choice for you.
The elliptical comes with a stride length that can be adjusted up to 22 inches in total. This means that you don’t need to worry about feeling all cramped when you are exercising.
You can also adjust the foot pedals, and these have been designed in such a way that your ankles and knees are comfortable as you move. The machine comes with handlebars that you can use while you work out your lower body too.
These handle bars have multi position handgrips so you can hold them easier. If you aren’t fond of this idea though the machine also has a set of handlebars that stay completely still.
The machine doesn’t come with an awful lot of exercise programs, but it has ample for you to get a good workout. It even has two distinct heart rate programs.
It has a total of 20 different levels of resistance, and you can track all of your key data using the LCD console on the elliptical.
Pros
- 20 resistance levels
- Comes with moving and stationary handlebars
- Large user weight capacity
Cons
- It cannot be folded down.
If you’re looking for something that may fit a little better with small spaces, you should definitely give the Schwinn Compact Elliptical Machine 470.
It’s even pretty affordable, which is ideal if you’re intending to make your own personal gym on a budget.
This elliptical is best for people who are below 6 feet tall, so it’s not the best if you are 7 feet tall. Aside from that, the machine has footplates that have lots of cushioning for when you exercise.
It has a durable construction and can carry people that weigh as much as 300 pounds. The machine comes with 29 preset programs in total. There are even a number of fitness tests that you can take.
The elliptical comes with two LCD screens, and on these screens you can see all of your key data, such as calories, pulse, distance, speed and so much more.
It has 25 resistance levels in total, and this means that you can exercise at the effort level and pace that best suits you.
Pros
- Ideal if you’re on a budget
- Built in speakers allow you to watch videos and listen to music
- Easy to use LCD screens
Cons
- It can take a significant amount of time to put the machine together
With an exceptionally long stride length of 22 inches, the Nautilus Elliptical Trainer is one of the best choices out there for tall people.
You can use this if you are a person up to 6.6 feet tall. That’s not all that this elliptical offers, either!
The elliptical comes with a 30 pound flywheel, and this operates in a quiet and smooth way. The elliptical has been designed to be as ergonomic as possible so you don’t need to worry about your joints aching after you work out.
It’s very compact too! The elliptical comes with 29 different built in programs, and 25 resistance levels.
In addition to all this, the elliptical has various incline options available, up to 15 degrees in total. You can also connect it to the Nautilus tracking app using Bluetooth to register your workouts for your own record.
Pros
- 22 inch stride length
- Comes with water bottle holder and speakers
- 30 pound flywheel
Cons
- The console isn’t very intuitive
If you’re a tall person looking for an incredible workout, why not try the NordicTrack NEL71218 Commercial 12.9 Elliptical Machine?
This machine operates quietly and is also very compact as a whole, so it’s great if you don’t have a lot of floor space.
The elliptical features an auto adjusting stride length. It will also stay totally still while you use it, so you can feel secure while you exercise.
The machine even has cushioned pedals to make your feet comfortable. It comes with 12000+ workouts that you can access whenever you want on a daily basis.
In addition to this, the elliptical features a 25 lb flywheel which means you can operate the machine easily no matter what speed and resistance you have the machine set at.
It can be moved around without much trouble thanks to the transport wheels on the bottom. You can’t store many user profiles on it, though.
Pros
- Transport wheels and small size make it easy to move
- Adjustable stride length
- Works well with low ceilings
Cons
- You can only store one user profile on it
Some ellipticals can be pretty expensive. Thankfully, there are some great budget options out there – the Fitness Reality E5500XL Magnetical Elliptical Trainer is one of them.
This elliptical is a great fit for taller people, especially those below 6 foot 2 inches.
The elliptical comes with a 35 pound flywheel that will help to ensure that the operation is quiet and smooth.
It has 10 different levels of resistance, so you can make your workouts more challenging as your cardio fitness gets better.
The elliptical has been made to be incredibly durable thanks to the tubular steel construction and the wide base frame. You don’t need to worry about the elliptical moving around as you exercise.
It’s not the best choice for people that are over 6 foot 2 however, as it only has an 18 inch stride length. Otherwise, it’s a fantastic option if you want to get a high quality elliptical that won’t break the bank.
Pros
- Smooth, quiet operating flywheel
- 10 resistance levels in total – ideal for increasing in intensity as your performance improves
- Great for people on a budget
Cons
- Not the best choice if you’re over 6 foot 2 inches tall
Best Elliptical for a Tall Person Buying Guide
Why Should You Buy an Elliptical Trainer?
Cardio can be a real chore for a lot of people. Who wants to leave their house, to lug their entire bodies off to the gym just to stare at a wall for an hour while they run on a treadmill?
Why would you want to go for a run, when it just hurts your joints and brings you no personal satisfaction?
Not everyone holds these same beliefs about cardio, but if you do, it may be difficult to get motivated.
Getting your very own elliptical trainer comes with a number of benefits. To start with, elliptical trainers give you a pretty low impact form of exercise.
One of the main issues with things like High Intensity Interval Training workouts is that they can often incorporate jumping, or other high impact activities. This is not an issue with an elliptical trainer as your feet remain steady on the foot pedals.
This means that your knees, feet, hips and ankles don’t feel like they’ve been hit by a very large hammer after every single workout. That’s a win, right?
In addition to this, if you are one of those people that do enjoy running, then an elliptical trainer is great for you if you have joint conditions. You won’t be having any direct impact on your joints, which is an issue you can often get while running.
Ellipticals are also known as the jack of all trades of gym equipment. People like ellipticals because they give your heart a good workout, and the blood gets pumping through your upper and lower body.
An elliptical ultimately just affects more muscle groups, and this means you’ll burn more calories.
In addition to this, a lot of ellipticals allow you to set your own programs or routines to target specific muscles, you can make the pedals go in reverse, change the resistance level and the incline.
Finally, elliptical trainers just feel a lot easier to use than a lot of other workout apparatus. Your feet and legs are moving in a way that feels natural, and you don’t shock your joints.
This allows you to go at a higher level of resistance without putting excessive strain on your body.
Key Considerations
Buying an elliptical for a tall person can be pretty difficult.
After all, a lot of models simply don’t give you the stride length that you need to be comfortable while you exercise.
Having all your information straight before you buy can help you to make the best decision for you. So, here are just a few of the things you need to think about when making your purchase.
Flywheel
The flywheel is a crucial part of your elliptical. It essentially helps to ensure that your equipment runs smoothly and that it makes as little noise as possible.
The last thing you want is to be exercising on your elliptical while creaking noises drown out your episode of Breaking Bad, or whatever Saturday Night TV you’ve got blaring in the background.
As a tall person, you should be getting an elliptical that has a pretty decent flywheel size. This will help to ensure that the elliptical works in a natural motion.
It’s also a good idea to avoid flywheel weights below 20 lbs. 30 to 35 pounds is certainly best, as you won’t need to worry about the machine jolting or staggering while you use it.
Weight Capacity
When buying an elliptical, you should try to get one that will weigh around 300 pounds. This means that all of your movements will be supported properly. This is even more important if you are quite a heavy individual, or if you are tall.
If you are a heavier person, then you should opt for a machine that has a recommended user weight capacity that’s around 50 pounds heavier than your current body weight.
Long Strides
One of the most important things to consider if you are a tall person looking for an elliptical machine is the length of strides. It should be around 18 to 22 inches.
If you can change the stride length, then this is perfect if some people in your household are slightly shorter than you.
It’s always best to consider versatility in your decision. If the elliptical is too short for your stride length, then it’s just going to feel uncomfortable for you to use it.
Certainly not something you want when you’re trying to work out.
Price
Different kinds of elliptical can be priced differently depending on what they offer to the user.
Ultimately, the amount that you will be spending is going to depend on the sort of budget you set, what features are most important to you, and naturally, just how tall you really are.
If you’re exceptionally tall, like around 7 foot, then it goes without saying that you will have to get an elliptical with a much larger stride measurement. This means more money spent, unfortunately.
You could probably get away with spending a little less if you are shorter than this. If you are looking for the best possible quality, then you will again need to spend more money.
It’s not worth your time or money to buy something cheap, as it will likely break fairly soon so you’ll need to replace it anyway. Setting a reasonable budget based on your requirements is the best choice.
Warranty
When buying an elliptical, whether you’re short or tall, you want to make sure that the product has a decent warranty period from the manufacturer.
A long warranty is usually a good indication that the product has been well made but it also means that you’re protected in case of any defects.
You should look out for an elliptical with a lifetime frame warranty. Some of them also come with 5 year warranties on the parts and about one or two years on labor.
Resistance Levels
If you’re working out, you want a machine that will be compatible with your individual fitness needs.
You don’t want something that’s going to be fine when you’ve just started working out, but when you get more experienced and need more of a challenge that may not work for you.
You want a machine that has varying resistance levels based on where you are with your cardiovascular fitness. You should check that the elliptical you opt for has adjustable resistance levels.
Have a look at the number of magnetic resistance options that are available to you, and you should also check if there are any programmes built in.
Incline
There are a number of more premium options that have incline options built in.
This is a fantastic way of helping to make the exercise a little more difficult, but you won’t need to change the resistance if you don’t wish to do so.
There are some inclines that you can alter yourself, whereas others can be changed just by playing around with some options on the control panel of the machine.
Folding Design
It may be a little harder to come by an elliptical for a tall person that folds down, but if the option is available then it’s certainly handy.
It can save a lot of space to have an option that folds down, and you can put them in a cupboard when you aren’t using them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What height should your ceiling be if you are getting an elliptical for a tall person?
Not every elliptical is the same height, so you will need to make sure that your model is compatible with the height of your ceiling.
As a general rule, you should have 12 inches of space above the tallest user’s head when they are using the elliptical. Otherwise you’ll just end up crouching uncomfortably to use the equipment.
In addition to this, to use your elliptical you will need to have a space measuring a minimum of 4 feet wide by 8 foot in length.
