Bowflex stepper and elliptical hybrid

What it is good at

• A short footprint compared with a treadmill
• Moving handles, so the upper body shares the work
• Both feet staying on the pedals instead of striking a belt

Check before you buy

• The stride pattern and whether it suits your height and leg length
• Footprint and ceiling height, since the handles rise as you pull
• Whether the machine keeps your settings without an account

Who it is not for

Anyone training for running events, who needs a belt or the road.

A stepper and elliptical hybrid sits between two machines. The pedals move on a fixed arc and the handles are connected to them, so the harder you push with the legs the harder the arms work as well.

That fixed arc is the limitation as much as the feature. There is no belt to change your stride, so the machine suits short, concentrated sessions rather than long steady runs, and it takes far less floor than a treadmill.