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I go to the gym 3 times a week for weight and cardio training. It is more beneficial for weight loss to do additional cardio sessions to that: ideally 4 to 6 sessions per week. However, I simply do not have the time (or even the desire) to go to the gym more often.  Just the round trip drive to the club, changing, shower and you lost at least one hour, without the actual cardio session.

So the best is to be able to train at home. I have often thought of this in the past, but made a move. While you can get a decent treadmill around $1000 or less, my knees can’t stand the impact. I am not too big on stationary bikes either. And the last thing I want to do is spend money on something I will not use. I always have been a fan of elliptic trainers, especially the ones with arms. You can really push hard if you want, get really good workouts using your complete body, and there is no impact on joints.

The downside of these machines is the price. The cheap ones are really crap. Moreover, when you get use to the heavy duty club machines, it’s hard to find a “home grade” machine at a reasonable price that feels good and solid.

 A very natural stride combined with a smooth motion is a must if you want to enjoy your workout and minimize stress on your body. For that reason, I really wanted a rear drive elliptic with magnetic resistance: these always felt more natural in the clubs I frequented. So I headed to my local fitness shop a few weeks ago and tried many machines of all prices. One machine brand really seemed in a different class: Octane Fitness. It’s a very compact front drive system, but the motion is incredibly smooth and natural. And their entry level machine, the Q35, is affordable although more expensive than my original budget walking in the store. But that seems to be my life story…

After more research, reading all the positive reviews online, I decided to go for it. I decided a while back that money (wisely) spent on health and fitness is worth it. Here are some pictures of the machine from Octane Fitness’ website.

One funny story is that coming back from the store I had big plans to put the machine in the back of our home theater in the basement. There is a huge empty space behind the couch.  I was picturing myself watching DVD’s on the big screen while exercising. Of course, I bought the machine with these plans in mind before consulting my wife.. That did not go too well hehe! She categorically refused the idea. Both camping on our grounds, we did not speak to each other for a day

 I finally caved in and changed plans. It’s tight, but after moving things around I found a place to put it in my home gym. And I shopped for a small LCD TV to put in front of it. I got a 22” Samsung LCD with a cheap DVD player. That was an unexpected additional expense, so the whole project put a serious dent in the small amount of savings I had. That alone will be motivation to use it!

Here it is in my home gym, with the entertainment setup:

So now, I have no excuse to not do 5-6 cardio sessions per week, including the ones at the club. I’ve been using the new machine for about 2 weeks now, and I really love it. I started to watch Season 1 of “Prison Break” while training. I do not see the time pass while I watch which helps a lot!