A 2nd Try for the Precor EFX Elliptical Trainer - But Still Not Impressed

As I had detailed in my prior Hub about the Precor EFX 546 Elliptical Trainer, my first Precor workout did not impress me. But since I wasn’t used to the Precor, I thought I’d give it another try. Unfortunately, while my experience was a little better, I was still not impressed. I’d much rather hit the Lifefitness treadmill or Lifefitness elliptical trainer for my cardio workout.

Used a Different Precor EFX

Last time, I had used the machine on the end of the row. This time, I used a machine in the middle, in case the end machine was more worn out. Both were the same model number, although they did seem to have been purchased at different times because one looked slightly different than the other.

Improved Heart Rate Monitor

As I mentioned in my other post, the heart rate monitors are the silver-looking metal kind that are embedded into the railings/handle bars. The heart rate monitor on this machine in the middle of the row did work a bit better that the machine I tried the first time. But it was still spotty and lost the reading much more often than the same type of monitor that I use on the handle bars of the Lifefitness elliptical machines I normally use.

Still Can’t Reach My Target Heart rate

Despite my best effort, I during my 13 minute workout I still could not quite reach my target heart rate of 144. This time, I tried pre-programmed workout number 4, which was “Cross Training 3.” (Last time I used program number 2 “Cross Training 1.”) It thought perhaps this higher number might be more difficult. But it was not. No matter how fast I increased my stride pace, I could not get my heart rate above 141. Most of the time, it was well below that.

Unfortunately, I don’t think that means I’m in great shape. On a 13 minute workout on a Lifefitness elliptical, I reach my target rate around 10 minutes and I keep it for the duration of my workout.

Still Felt a Very Choppy and Uncomfortable Elliptical Motion

Although after 2 workouts you’d think I’d get used to the motion of this machine, it still felt incredibly choppy to me. To try to get my heat rate up, I was going at a stride rate of 180 – 220 strides per minute. But it was very difficult to stay much above 205. As I went faster, the motion was so choppy that I felt totally out of control and I thought that I was going fly off the machine and crash into the ceiling.

And as before, the motion felt very vertical. This added to the choppiness and the feeling that I would fly off. Going that fast, my knees were flying up with some real speed, and it felt like they were going straight up rather than forward. But then they had to come down so fast, it felt like the sudden change of momentum from straight up to straight down was going to propel me off the elliptical trainer.

Maybe it’s the Stride Length?

As I suspected before, maybe the cause of the choppy feeling is the stride length combined with my height. I took a measuring tape and measured the stride length. At the minimum incline, I measured the stride length to be 17 inches. On a the maximum incline, I found it to be 15 inches. I’m sure contributed the even more choppy feeling that I had on the inclines.

As I mentioned in my other post, I think that this is a pretty typical stride length for most ellipticals, although some, such as the Sole E35 elliptical trainer, boast up to a 20 inch stride length.

But to be honest, I’m not sure how much the stride length matters. I measured the Lifefitness elliptical that I normally use, and it also has a 17 inch stride length. That doesn’t feel choppy at all, and the motion seems much more forward than vertical. And while I’m not short, at 6 feet tall I’m certainly no giant.

Precor Console Still Annoying

And, I still found myself annoyed with the console. My biggest gripe is that it does not indicate if I should be pedaling forwards or backwards. Direction seems to be an important part of the pre-programmed workouts. But twice I noticed the console telling me to pedal forward. Presumably, this must mean that once or twice I missed the console instruction to pedal backwards. The forwards messages displayed only for a brief moment, and I assume the backwards messages where equally short. The machine should be smart enough to know if I am pedaling in the right direction, and it should continue to prompt me if I am going the wrong way. I certainly don’t want to be forced to stare at the console for every second of my workout.

I Burn More Calories and Get a Better Workout on a Lifefitness Treadmill or Elliptical Trainer

Finally, I still get a much better workout and I burn more calories on an Lifefitness elliptical trainer or treadmill. After my 13 minutes on the Precor, I am barely sweating. But after 13 minutes on the Lifefitness elliptical or treadmill, I am breathing hard and really sweating. After a 13 minute workout on the treadmill running at an unimpressive 10-minute mile pace and a moderate 4.5 degree incline, the console tells me that I’ve burned 221 calories. After a similar 13 minute workout on a Lifefiteness elliptical keeping a comfortable stride rate around 160 strides per minute (80 RPM), according to the console I burned 225 calories. But after 13 minutes on the Precor going as fast as I can without flying off, the console tells me I’ve only burned 158 calories.

Admittedly, they are different brands, so I might not be comparing apples to apples. It’s possible that the treadmill (made by Lifefitness) overestimates my calories while the elliptical (by Precor) underestimates them. But I did give each machine my same body weight. And the fact that I am quite winded and sweaty after my 13 minute treadmill run but I feel like I don’t even need a shower after 13 minutes on the Precor, would seem to confirm that I burned 40% more calories on the treadmill!

My Final Precor EFX Elliptical Review

So, after my second workout on the Precor, I think I’ve given up on it. It has a few technical drawbacks, it feels uncomfortably choppy, and it simply doesn’t give me as hard a workout as other similar cardio machines. I might give it a third try, but I doubt it.

Have you had a better experience with the Precor? If so, please post a comment to let me know. I’d love to hear alternate views!