Cardio at home

A cardio machine is a piece of furniture that also happens to be a machine, so how it fits the room matters as much as the session. Settle three things first: the footprint, the noise it puts into the floor, and whether folding it away is part of your routine.

Treadmills, ellipticals and steppers all take floor space and a power point, and all of them send some noise downwards. In a flat, the deck or the pedals are what the room below hears, so a machine with a softer drive on a dense mat is a different proposition from a hard-mounted frame.

Motor output on a treadmill is quoted two ways, continuous and peak. The continuous figure is the one that describes how the machine behaves after you have been on it for half an hour.

What actually decides a purchase here

Footprint with the machine unfolded, plus the arc of the folding deck and the ceiling above it.
Continuous motor output rather than the peak figure on the label.
Belt or pedal size against your own stride and foot length.
Noise and vibration through the floor, which decide where the machine can live.

Our picks in this category

Cardio at home

NordicTrack folding treadmill with incline

A treadmill that folds upright, which is the feature that decides whether it stays in the room.

Best for: Walking or running indoors in a room with a spare power point and a hard floor.
Watch out for: Deck length is what makes a run comfortable; a short deck changes how you land.

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Elliptical training machine in a home gym

Cardio at home

Bowflex stepper and elliptical hybrid

A compact machine that mixes a stepper with an elliptical, so the arms and the legs work together.

Best for: Small rooms where a treadmill will not fit, and short sessions at a high effort.
Watch out for: The motion is fixed. It is not a substitute for a treadmill if you want to run.

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