Cardio · Explainer
Cross Trainers
A cross trainer (elliptical) is a cardio machine where your feet stay planted on two pedals moving through a fixed elliptical path, driven by a flywheel under magnetic resistance. Because your feet never leave the pedals, there's no repeated impact shock the way there is running or even walking — which is what makes it a genuinely low-impact option for knees and joints, not a marketing claim. The trade-offs that catch UK buyers out are stride length, which needs to suit your height, and floor footprint, which is usually larger than the boxed size suggests.
What actually makes it low-impact?
On a treadmill or outdoors, each stride involves your foot leaving the ground and landing again, and that landing sends a shock through your ankles, knees and hips that scales with your bodyweight and pace. A cross trainer's pedals stay in continuous contact with your feet throughout the motion — there is no landing phase at all. That single mechanical difference, not any cushioning or "joint-friendly" marketing feature, is the entire reason cross trainers are recommended for people managing knee or hip pain, recovering from injury, or returning to cardio after a long gap.
It's worth being precise about what this does and doesn't mean: low-impact is not the same as low-effort. A cross trainer can still deliver a demanding cardiovascular workout, particularly on models with moving handlebars that add upper-body resistance. What it removes is the repetitive jarring, not the difficulty.
What to consider when buying
- Stride length, especially if you're tall or short.
Stride length is the distance your foot travels front-to-back on each pedal, and budget cross trainers often fix it around 40–45cm, which can feel cramped for taller users and awkwardly long for shorter ones. Mid-range and premium models sometimes offer an adjustable stride; check the published stride length against your own height before assuming any given machine will feel natural.
- Flywheel weight and how smooth the motion feels.
As with exercise bikes, a heavier flywheel carries momentum through the stride and tends to feel smoother, particularly at the top and bottom of each pedal cycle where a light flywheel can feel jerky. Flywheel weight affects feel rather than how hard the resistance is — that's a separate setting — so don't treat a heavy flywheel spec as a proxy for a tougher workout.
- Resistance type — almost always magnetic.
The overwhelming majority of home cross trainers use magnetic resistance, adjusted by a manual dial or electronically via a console. This keeps the machine quiet, since nothing touches the flywheel, and low-maintenance compared with older friction-braked designs. Where models differ is the number and spread of resistance levels, which — as with exercise bikes — isn't standardised between brands and tells you less than it appears to.
- Footprint — usually bigger than people expect.
Cross trainers are often assumed to be compact because the pedal motion looks contained, but the moving arms, stride length and stabiliser feet typically need a footprint of roughly 1.5–2m in length and around 0.6–0.8m in width, plus headroom if your model has moving handlebars. This routinely surprises buyers fitting one into a UK spare room — measure the assembled footprint, not just the boxed dimensions, before buying.
- Moving vs fixed handlebars.
Models with moving handlebars add an upper-body pulling and pushing element, turning the machine into more of a full-body workout rather than legs-only. Fixed handlebars are simpler, usually cheaper, and can feel more stable, but leave the arms doing far less work.
What does a cross trainer cost?
Pricing varies by flywheel weight, build quality and stride adjustability, and we haven't independently verified a current figure for every model on the market. As a rough, unverified UK guide, expect somewhere around £150–£350 for a compact, fixed-stride budget model, £350–£700 for a mid-range machine with a heavier flywheel and better console, and £700–£1,500+ for a premium model with adjustable stride and moving handlebars — always check current listings, since this bracket moves and varies by retailer.
Frequently asked questions
Is a cross trainer really lower impact than a treadmill?
Yes, by design. Your feet stay in contact with the pedals throughout the motion rather than repeatedly striking and leaving the ground, which removes the impact shock a treadmill or outdoor running creates. This is the main reason cross trainers get recommended for joint pain, rehab or anyone easing back into cardio after injury — the movement pattern itself is the low-impact part, not any cushioning technology.
What stride length should I look for?
There's no single right number — it depends on your height and leg length, and a stride that feels natural for one person can feel cramped or overextended for another. As a rough starting point, taller users tend to prefer a longer stride (often 45cm or more where adjustable), while shorter users often find shorter, fixed-stride budget machines perfectly comfortable. Check the manufacturer's published stride length rather than assuming.
Does flywheel weight affect how hard the workout is?
Not directly. Flywheel weight changes how smooth the pedal motion feels — heavier tends to feel smoother, lighter can feel jerky — while the resistance dial or console setting controls how hard you're actually working. The two are often marketed together, but they're separate specifications doing separate jobs.
How much space does a cross trainer actually need?
More than most people expect from the boxed size. Budget on roughly 1.5–2m in length and 0.6–0.8m in width once assembled, plus extra clearance if the handlebars move. Always check a model's assembled footprint rather than its packaged dimensions before deciding it will fit a UK spare room.
Are cross trainers quiet enough for a flat?
Generally yes — magnetic resistance means nothing touches the flywheel, so cross trainers sit among the quieter cardio machines for a shared building. No manufacturer publishes a reliable decibel figure for this category, so treat that as a general pattern rather than a measured claim; some residual noise comes from the frame and moving parts rather than the resistance mechanism itself.
See every cardio machine explainer in our cardio hub, or if a full-body pulling motion with an even harder ceiling on effort appeals more than an elliptical stride, see our rowing machines guide.
Update log
First published. Explainer content drawn from established cross-trainer mechanics and manufacturer specification consensus — no hands-on testing has taken place for this page.