ProForm 850 SpaceSaver Elliptical Trainer
Get fit even when the weather outside is dreadful with the ProForm 850 elliptical trainer. Equipped with a Silent Magnetic Resistance (SMR) system and a SpaceSaver foldaway design, the 850 is an ideal choice for people who want a complete cardio workout but don’t have the room to dedicate to full-size exercise equipment. The SMR system is the heart of the trainer, as it lets you choose from 10 different intensity levels without interrupting your workout. Should you want to further mix up your workout routine, you can turn to the six personal trainer workouts, which automatically adjust the resistance levels to focus on aerobic, weight loss, and performance goals. Plus, the trainer includes two heart rate (HR) workouts that help you stay in the correct training zone. The HR options automatically increase the resistance when you need to raise your heart rate and decrease the resistance when you need to lower it.
The 850 includes oversized foot pedals and a fold-away frame. |
The ProForm 850 elliptical trainer also makes it a breeze to track your workout progress, with an easy-to-read ClearView display that shows your time, resistance level, calories burned, and more. And users who need a little extra motivation will love the Pacing Coach, which lights up when you need to work a little harder or slow down a bit. Other features include a 5×7 workout matrix, a 180-degree viewing angle, a CoolAire fan that keeps you comfortable while you exercise, comfortable oversize pedals, and an 18-inch stride length. The ProForm 850 measures 27 by 61 by 61 inches (W x H x D) when unfolded.
About Elliptical Trainers
Elliptical trainers represent the next wave of advancement in low-impact cardiovascular exercise machines and continue to grow in popularity. By simulating motions experienced through walking, stepping, cycling, and skiing, elliptical machines allow for a smooth and fluid motion while building strength in the arms and legs. Similar to the exercise position for treadmills, elliptical trainers are used by standing in an upright position while holding the handrails of the machine. With elliptical trainers, however, your feet remain in the foot pedals throughout the exercise regimen and circulate in a smooth and seamless motion, resulting in little to no impact on the knees, back, and hips.
Elliptical trainers are compatible for all ages and fitness levels and allow you to select the difficulty level through the incline and intensity settings. Additionally, elliptical trainers allow you to determine the complexity of your workout based on your needs, all while listening to music, watching television, or reading a magazine while exercising in the comfort and safety of your own home.
Although different types of elliptical trainers offer an assortment of features, many of them include an array of challenging programs, forward and reverse directional movement, EKG grip pulse handles, a lightweight portable design with easy fold-up capability, and a monitor displaying calories burned, distance, speed, time, and heart rate. Other types of exercise machines, namely treadmills and bikes, offer excellent cardiovascular exercise and muscular training for the legs in a forward-motion exercise. Elliptical trainers take this to the next level by offering an upper and lower body workout with dual motion, challenging and diverse programs, and a low-impact exercise machine that won’t strain sensitive joints.
User Ratings and Reviews
1 Star Stay Away from this product – Do Not even Consider…
I had a pro form almost two years ago (earlier model), I paid 1/2 what I paid for the 850. It lasted about a year and a half. I used it about 1/2 hr a day 5 days a week, when it broke I decided to spend a bit more and get the 850, after reading the reviews I was a bit hesitant: things like slightly wobbly, and loud raised flags, but I thought, “it’s probably not that bad” BIG MISTAKE, ITS WORSE!!! The thing is absolutely a piece of junk. not worth $49.99, much less the approximate $499.99 I paid for it.
Wobbly is an understatement. The thing feels like it going to break… handlebars shake, the whole frame sways (and yes I tried removing third leg, advice from previous reviewer, not much of a difference).
Loud, another understatement. It just sounds absolutely horrendous… it clanks and groans, the handle bars slap the center of the frame and make a really annoying noise as do the pedals when in use.
I’ve never felt so cheated, the thing is just not worth it.
However… it you don’t plan on actually using it, it does look nice(lol).
3 Stars unstable, loud, hard on the feet—but good enough if you have realistic expectations
This thing will be a big disappointment if you’re expecting a well-built, stable trainer like you’ve ridden at a gym, or if you want something you can use in your living room while watching TV without headphones, etc., but if you have realistic expectations, you can make it work.
I put ours in the basement, because the wood floors upstairs groan too much under the movement, and the whole machine is very loud (see below). Even on the cement floor, it is quite unstable and wobbly. At under 150 lbs, the movement of my weight can easily get one of the legs to come up off the floor when I’m using the arms, and I could definitely topple it completely if I really swung into it. So I put cinder blocks on the back edge of the back foot. You have to position them sort of half-on or else the pedals will catch them. Because of its instability, the trainer slowly creeps forward and the cinder blocks fall off about every 1/2 hour, so I have to drag it backwards periodically. I also tighten the bolts every few weeks (I just took the big magnet things off the arms so I can have easy access to the bolts underneath), which helps a bit. I do wonder how it would hold up under a bigger body…
While swaying like a ship at sea, it also makes the appropriate noises, like a creaking wooden hull. I always listen to headphones while riding, which drowns the racket out.
The heart-rate monitor is 100% useless (my heart rate is evidently either 40bmp or 220; no matter how long you hold the sensors, it never stabilizes on a remotely reasonable measurement). If this is important to you, you will need to budget an extra $50 or more for a wrist-strap-on thing that actually works.
I don’t bother with any of the programmed courses. The resistance adjustment works fine. The console does require 4 D batteries, but it really takes a long time to use them up. I assume that they would run down faster if I used the fan.
Riding for any length of time tends to make the soles of my feet really ache in a way that the trainer at the gym doesn’t. I suspect that the reason is that the “ellipse” that your feet describe on the ProForm is fatter and shorter, so you’re doing a lot more up-and-down pushing and less back-and-forth. I bought better sneakers and put some cushioned in-soles into them. I also try to switch between going forwards and backwards about every 5 minutes; the latter puts the weight on your heels and thus eases up on the ball of the foot for a while. This mostly alleviates the problem.
I didn’t have to do the assembly myself, but I’m told it takes hours, and just looking at the instructions is pretty daunting. Because of the size, the trainer can be moved around fairly easily in a semi-assembled state (take off the console/arm unit and pedal/legs; fold up the wheel housing; take the feet off if necessary), fitted into a small car, etc.
My biggest worry is that since the thing is obviously so chisily built, it will break before long. I especially worry about the fact that there’s no way to oil those creaking bearings. OK for several months so far, fingers crossed…
All in all, I’m actually happy enough with my jury-rigged set-up, because I got the thing for pretty cheap, and pre-assembled, and I really prefer using it while watching TV of my choice in my house over a gym visit. So if you are willing to deal with the limitations that I mentioned, then the price makes is a reasonable choice; I think it’s the cheapest such thing you’ll find. But if you’re not on board with all these limitations, don’t even consider it.
3 Stars proform 850 elliptical
Well, for the price it’s not horrible, but it’s a little shakier than I prefer. Also the calorie counter is extremely unrealistic, being a health professional, fortunately I am aware of these things, but for someone who is relying on the machine for accurate results, not happening with this machine. my feet feel numb sometimes, the stride length is not horrible but could be better. on a better note the i-pod dock is cool. and when it’s 15 degrees outside, this machine beats being cooped up! Also, it is a great weight bearing activity and I have already noticed results in my thighs!
4 Stars Elliptical Trained me
This would of got 5 stars but, I had to fiqure out myself to take off the center foot to prevent excessive wobbling. Poor design on the feet but works great if the center foot is taken off. Also had a couple of bolt holes that wasn’t tapped out properly, had to force in with channel locks and call customer service to get replacement bolts(cause they stripped out where the allen wrench goes in).
4 Stars good value
I purchased this elliptical to help me keep to my exercise goals in the coming cold weather. I was used to using a good machine at my office gym and was looking for something comparable but could not afford to spend a lot of money. So far the machine has been good and putting it together was not a problem as noted in some of the reviews. My only complaint is that it rocks a little while I am using it. This does not interfere in my workout and aside from that the quality is good for the money.
