There’s no time like the present to get in shape! Why go to the gym when you can exercise well at home? An elliptical machine provides a full-body workout, incorporating both cardio and strength training. Let’s look at these two trainers by Schwinn and see which one will help you meet your fitness goals.
Schwinn A40 Elliptical Machine
The Schwinn A40 is easy to use. It’s possible to just step on and go, but the A40 also has 7 pre-set programs with pre-planned workouts. The level of resistance changes with the press of a button on the display.
The elliptical can hold one user profile in the memory of its display. The display shows various statistics like speed, level of resistance, time, distance, calories burned, and heart rate. There are sensors on the fixed handlebars below the display that read the user’s pulse.
As for comfort features, the moving handlebars are angled so the user has a range of different grips, and the foot plates articulate. There is a water bottle holder and a tray to hold a book or other device. There are also speakers.
The A40 weighs 90.4 pounds. If it needs to be moved, the user can lift the rear and roll it on the front axle’s small wheels. Schwinn suggests making sure there is enough ceiling height where the A40 will be in use. The pedal’s highest point is 17 inches from the floor, so that should be added to the user’s height, along with whatever space is needed for the user to feel comfortable. The machine itself is 64 inches tall.
One last detail: the A40 is suitable for users that weigh up to 275 pounds.
More features of the Schwinn A40 Elliptical
- The stride length is fixed at 17.5 inches
- There are 8 levels of resistance
- The resistance is created by magnets and so the flywheel is pretty quiet as a result
- The display uses 4 “D” batteries
- There is no incline, no backlight on the display, no fan
- Schwinn offers a 3-year warranty on the frame, 1-year warranty on mechanical and electrical parts, and 60 days wear and labor
Schwinn 420 Elliptical Trainer (2012 Model)
The Schwinn 420 Elliptical, 2012 model, has been officially retired from the Schwinn lineup, but it’s a machine worth having. It has several features that the A40 lacks.
The 420 has double the amount of resistance levels, sixteen compared to the A40’s eight. The stride is 18 inches long compared to the A40’s 17.5 inches. The 420 can save up to four user profilesinstead of only one. It can memorize up to ten workouts.
As for similar features, the 420’s LCD display shows the time and interval time, the RPM, the level of resistance, the user’s pulse rate, the speed, calories burned, and watts. The fixed handlebars have a sensor to read the user’s pulse rate. The moving handlebars are curved to help the user find just the right grip.
Schwinn includes some other extras with the 420. There is a fan to cool off the user. (The A40 doesn’t have a fan.) There is a water bottle holder and a reading rack to prop up a book or other media. (Doing so will block the view of the display.)
The 420 supports a user weight up to 300 pounds.
More features of the Schwinn 420 Elliptical
- Schwinn offers a 5-year warranty on the frame, 1-year warranty on the mechanical and electrical parts, and 90 days wear and labor (this warranty is longer than the one offered on the A40)
- No batteries are required—this elliptical uses electricity to power the display
- Magnets create the resistance (ECB) and so the machine is quiet while in operation
- The 420 is 71 inches tall with the pedal reaching a height of 19 inches from the floor (make sure you add this to the user’s height to make sure there’s a high enough ceiling)
- As on the A40, the foot plates are articulated
- It weighs 164 pounds, considerably more than the A40, but it also has wheels in the front so it can be moved once the rear is lifted
Recommendation
First off, for safety and long life of the exercise equipment, it’s important to make sure it’s rated for the weight of the user. The easiest way to choose between these two machines is their capacities. The 420 supports up to 300 pounds; the A40 up to 275 pounds.
Next, what features are important to you? Do you want a built-in cooling fan? Do you want more pre-set programs? More levels of resistance? Will more than one person be using the machine? If this is all true for you, the 420 has all of these options.
If you want a lighter weight machine, perhaps because you need to move it around, the A40 is about 70 pounds lighter. That makes lifting it much easier when you want to roll it on its front wheels.Also, remember that the 420 is a few inches taller, and that might be an issue for you if you are tall or have low ceilings.
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