When selecting an elliptical trainer for your home, it’s critical to make sure it fits in the space you’ve selected. The “footprint” of the elliptical trainer is the total area that the base of the machine occupies. This is the width times the length of the elliptical trainer.
It is also necessary to leave at least 2 feet around this footprint in order to comfortably get on and off the elliptical. This extra clearance is also needed for the upper arm handles, if any. There’s nothing worse than drilling holes in your drywall because you didn’t leave enough clearance for the handles!
However, there is another dimension that many people overlook when selecting an elliptical trainer and that is the lift of the pedals off the ground. You may ask what this is all about, but it’s important to remember that an elliptical trainer is a three-dimensional machine and takes up space. Elliptical crosstrainer ceiling height is the dimension that is often overlooked when selecting and locating an elliptical crosstrainer.
The good news is that the bedrooms in most American homes and apartments are built with a ceiling height of 8 feet. In fact, many new homes are being built with ceilings of 9 feet or more.
Unfortunately, the dimension you need to calculate head clearance is not provided in many elliptical trainer specifications. The dimension called “height”, which is often provided, is not useful for calculating headroom. Height is the maximum height of the trainer from the ground to the tips of the arm handles. What we want is the height from the ground to the bottom of the lowest extension of the pedals.
Precor is a manufacturer that provides this dimension. They call it “Footrest height at lowest position (step up)”. This is the height you need to add to your own height to determine that your head will not hit the ceiling.
If the room where you want to put your elliptical trainer has a 9-foot ceiling, then you don’t have to worry. Just don’t place your elliptical under a low hanging light. You would have to be 8’4″ to hit your head on a 9 foot ceiling. Not much chance of this happening to anyone I know.
If the ceiling height is 8 feet, then unless you are 7 feet tall or higher, you will not hit your head on the ceiling. However, even if you are a few inches shorter, say 6’6″, you may feel like your head is too close to the ceiling while exercising on an elliptical trainer. This can be unnerving, so it’s something to consider.
Now, if you want to locate your elliptical trainer in your basement and the ceiling is low, say 7 feet, watch your head if you’re 6’4″ or taller!
I remember lifting weights in the unfinished basement of my parents’ house and staring up at the ceiling while resting between sets of bench presses. I looked at the multitude of nails through the floorboards and wondered if I could stick my head in them if I jumped high enough. Lucky for me I couldn’t jump that high!
Since most elliptical trainers have similar pedal lifts, it’s more a matter of selecting a room with enough ceiling height for the elliptical than the other way around.
