Smooth CE 3.2 Elliptical Trainer

The Smooth CE 3.2 Elliptical Trainer is another step in the evolution of elliptical trainers. Elliptical machines have been growing in popularity over the years because they are much friendlier to the joints than the machines they are displacing, specifically treadmills.

A growing trend in health and fitness clubs is to replace treadmills with elliptical trainers, because treadmills create such a jarring impact on knee, hip, and ankle joints. These repetitive impacts, and the injuries they can cause, are especially troublesome to the people that usually need to exercise the most-new club members, overweight club members, and elderly club members. It is no wonder that the smooth motion of an elliptical machine is favored over that of the treadmill.

As its name implies, the Smooth CE 3.2 Elliptical Trainer is one such machine. A challenge often faced when looking for a piece of home exercise equipment is the invariable comparison with the machine in the gym. Most home machines come up short in this comparison, for stability and durability. The CE 3.2 has been designed with these considerations in mind, to provide a health club quality workout and feel in the comfort of home.

The CE 3.2 starts by being heavy. At 175 pounds, it is one of the heavier home elliptical machines. This weight makes the CE 3.2 a more stable elliptical trainer. Its smooth motion comes from a large flywheel and pivoting foot pedals, providing a natural motion for the ankle, and eliminating the need to move the heel off of the pedal while it is in motion. Resistance is magnetic. This allows the Smooth CE 3.2 to function quietly, reduces the number of moving and friction parts, and finally enables very precise control of the workout through the on-board computer.

The onboard computer manages and displays the workout. For trainers used by more than one person, up to nine separate user profiles can be stored. The computer includes nine different pre-programmed workouts. It can also automatically adjust the workout intensity to maintain user heart rate at a level specified. Heart rate is monitored by way of a wireless chest heart rate monitor, or by holding on to the sensors on the machine’s handle bars.

In addition to being a great workout for the lower body, this elliptical machine also features a pair of poles that are connected to the foot pedal mechanisms. These poles are grasped like ski poles, and allow the user to exercise the arms, chest, and back simultaneously.

This elliptical trainer has an eighteen inch stride, and a 26 inch wide by 76 inch long footprint. It includes a set of wheels on the back, allowing it to me tilted and rolled into position when ready to exercise, then rolled back out of the way until next time. It supports exercisers up to 300 pounds, and provides sixteen different resistance levels. It features a two year service warranty, a three year parts warranty on everything except the frame and braking system, each of which carries a lifetime warranty. Priced at around $1,500, this is a health club quality machine for the home.