Pros: Smooth, solid feel ● Heavy flywheel ● Quiet operation ● Great workout ● Great bang for your buck

Cons: The heart rate monitor grips tend to not work that well when you’re moving ● The fan is a bit weak ● The built in speakers are not the best

At a Glance:

From the research I’ve done, the Sole E35 seems to be a very highly rated model. Parts seem to be high quality. The ride seems to be smooth and comfortable.

Amazon’s website already has a list of features and whatnot, so I’m not going to make you read everything twice. In this article, I just want to take a minute to show you what I found in my research and what you can expect when you get the machine yourself.

Build Quality? As Good as the Gym Models?

Who says you have to go to a gym to get a quality machine?

The Sole E35 is a solid, comfortable machine. Its heavy 25-pound flywheel helps smooth out the motion, and the solid frame doesn’t flex even at higher resistance levels and with hard motions. Generally, you want all the pivot points to have good bearings for a quiet ride, and everything here looks okay.

You don’t want something that is jerky, clunky, or noisy. On top of bothering others during your workout, you may not even feel like doing the workout at all if you don’t like the way the machine feels. If you enjoy using it, you’ll find yourself wanting to exercise more often.

When it comes to price, what you are really paying for a is more enjoyable experience. A smooth ride on a quality machine can make the difference between “oh, I don’t feel like working out today” and “yeah, let’s fire up this machine and burn some calories.” That may seem like an exaggeration, but it has always been my experience that I will avoid using anything that I have to fight with.

It’s hard enough to work out as it is. Maybe you have a headache. Maybe you didn’t get much sleep. It seems that when it’s time to work out, just about anything can work as an excuse. Add a poor quality exercise machine into the mix, and you might as well just go ahead and open the potato chips.

Okay, back to the build quality. In general, you should find the Sole brand a bit better than offerings from Nautilus, Schwinn, or Livestrongs. Not that those are bad by any means, but Sole manages to edge them out a bit I think.

There are other benefits of a nice, smooth motion. It is a bit easier on your knees. Running actually causes a lot of jarring motions, so the smooth motion of elliptical machines can help you avoid joint problems in the long run. It can also make things easier for you if you already have health problems.

Before we move on, I wanted to give a quick tip on minimizing vibrations. It’s always a good idea to put your machine on a hard and flat surface, but do also consider getting a rubber pad to put under it. It can help keep the vibrations down slightly. Every little bit helps.

Use It and Lose It (fat that is)

It is important that an elliptical machine be able to accommodate people of difference shapes and sizes. Whether you are using it yourself or if you have family that may want to try it, it’s good to know if they can actually use it or not.

From what I’ve heard, both short and tall people should have no problem using it. With its 20” stride, it accommodates taller people, such as those over 5’10”, very easily. Shorter folks and children can still use it since they can simply grip the handlebars a bit lower.

I bought this elliptical for my husband and he couldn’t be more pleased. It was a challenge to put together, but it is whisper quiet and provides an exceptional work out. This model is equally as comfortable for my husband who is 6′ tall as it is for me who is almost a foot shorter. Excellent quality and excellent workout. Perfect combination!

Robin Babino, Amazon.com

During use, you may notice the heart rate monitors slipping a bit. This seems to be a fairly common occurrence, even on more expensive machines. In fact, they might even get in your way. If they slip around, you might not get an accurate reading, or it may not display a reading consistently. Luckily, this machine comes with a chest strap monitor that should solve this problem. That is a particular plus of this model since not all have that feature.

Received my Sole elliptical on May 6th and since then I have lost 14lbs and my wife has lost 17lbs. This is a great product, solid construction. I am glad I researched and purchased the unit.

Daniel, Amazon.com

You should have no fears of getting a good workout. This machine gives you all the tools you need to burn some fat. To keep things from getting boring, there are some nice features. There is a power elevation feature for example. Although, it seems that the reverse stride feature and changing hand positions can give you a bit better variation.

Things You May Notice During Use: Good and Bad

When you get your elliptical trainer, there are a few things you’ll notice right off the bat.

As I mentioned earlier, don’t expect much out of the fan. It doesn’t really do much. Of course, this is sort of a moot point. You can always use room fans or if you have a tall room, you can use a ceiling fan. Just remember that you are up higher on the machine than you would be if standing normally.

Likewise, don’t expect much from the built-in speakers. They are good enough to serve their purpose, but for many they leave a lot to be desired. They are handy though. I’ll give them that. Anyone wanting to listen to music can always use headphones or their own speaker system if they want to. You could always just listen to the TV for that matter.

On a more positive note, the machine runs very quiet. This is helpful for not drowning out the TV or bothering others in the house.

I’ve heard a few complaints about the interface and that it could use a bit of streamlining to make it easier to operate. I suppose you’ll get used to it, however. On the bright side, the display is actually fairly helpful and easy to read.

Don’t let any of these downsides dissuade you though. This is a quality machine and is better than many I’ve looked at.

Getting It Up and Running:

The first thing to consider is shipping. After that, it’s worth briefly discussing installation really quick, just so you know what to expect at least.

It’s heavy, as you would probably expect. If you don’t have a truck, you’ll definitely want it shipped. More preferably, you’ll want it delivered to the actual room you are going to use it in. If you are strong or have a helper, you can probably get it there yourself, but many will prefer a bit a help.

As far as installation goes, I’d say to expect to spend at least 2 to 3 hours minimum. It’s the standard affair for something like this. It shouldn’t be too hard, but you can always have someone help you.

Amazon has some services available for shipping and installation. So, have a look at those while you’re there. Just click the link below and scroll down until you see something called available warranties and services.

The warranty should cover most problems. This machine should last you a good while, but you never know when bad luck may strike. Sole should be able to fix and replace anything you need though should anything happen. Their service seems to be quite good.

Amazon is also offering free shipping at the moment.

Overall, I give the Sole E35 a very high recommendation. For the price, it is very capable. I doubt you would find much better. Give it a shot and see if you like it.

CLICK HERE to See Current Prices and Customer Reviews on the Sole E35 Elliptical Trainer at Amazon.com

The Problems People Face when Buying Elliptical Trainers

There are a few major concerns that people have when buying an exercise machine like this. I’m going to address these concerns in detail.

The first thing that is important to know is whether or not it will work in your home. More specifically, is the unit going to be too tall for your ceiling, and do you have enough floor space? Luckily, the unit only puts you up about 9 or so inches off the ground. So, if you are six feet tall, then you should be fine with a ceiling of at  least seven feet . As far as floor space is concerned, it is fairly compact. You don’t need a ton of space, just enough for a typical exercise machine will suffice.

Now, the build quality is obviously important when dealing with an expensive exercise machine that you will be using for years to come. From what I have seen, the build quality is very good. There is definitely no reason to spend large amounts of money on something more expensive. You don’t have to spend $2,000 to get a good machine. This one should be good enough for most people. However, there is one issue that I want to address.

The unit can get squeaky at times. Luckily, there are two fixes for this. If you loosen the flywheel pivot point bolts, then spray the area including the washers and bolts, you should be able to fix the squeak. You can get some white lithium grease from Amazon or a local hardware store for this, no problem. Two, be sure not to over tighten the bolts as you put the unit together.

Other than that, you shouldn’t run into any problems, and you might not even run into any of the squeak problems at all. I simply wanted to let you know that there are ways to fix the problems should anything arise.

Okay, so there are a few other points I wanted to make before we move on. The maximum capacity is a generous 300lbs. The stride is about 18 inches, which should be fine for most people. Taller people may be less comfortable, but it is passable. Also, it has a power supply and everything else you should need included.

Let’s move and and discuss the actual usage and expectations of the machine.

What Can I Expect from the Schwinn 431 Elliptical Trainer?

When your unit arrives at your door, you can expect a pretty big package, naturally. It may be easier to take it in piece by piece as some people often do. You can expect to spend about 2 to 3 hours putting it together. Just put on a football game or something to make the time go by faster.

Once set up, you should feel right at home on your new machine. From what I’ve heard from many people, the build quality on this machine is very good, and is comparable to more expensive models. Larger and heavier models may be smoother or more stable, but then you’re looking at a big, expensive unit to deal with.

Is an elliptical trainer better than a treadmill? My answer is yes. It will be easier on your joints long term, not to mention that if you have it upstairs, it will be quieter due to less pounding.

If we take a look at what people are saying after using the Schwinn 431 Elliptical Trainer, it seems that the general consensus is that people are getting a pretty good workout. Here is what some people have to say.

We have both used the machine for two weeks now and we both really love this machine. It’s smooth, quiet, and gives a good work out. My legs were sore after my first use. The programs are fun and easy to use. It gives read outs like the gym model which I like. My husband is a big guy, weights over 200lbs and the machine is very sturdy.
Brenda L. Kupchick, Amazon.com

All in all, we have been extremely impressed with this machine in terms of assembly, price, and performance. Even the machines I’ve used in gyms weren’t as smooth and as comfortable a stride as this one, and we both consider it a very good investment.
Kiri K., Amazon.com

With over 172 reviews on Amazon, the Schwinn 431 Elliptical Trainer is definitely a big seller. Also, with it’s overall rating of 4 stars, it would seem as though the quality is good, and most people are satisfied. I always feel weary of buying anything that doesn’t have very many reviews, so the fact that there are both many reviews and many of them are positive helps put my mind at ease. Naturally, there will be some negative reviews, but then again no product I’ve seen is perfect. You can’t please everyone, but you can please “most” of the people.

We both have used it almost daily, we get a good workout and the unit seems to be good quality that will last a long time. One thing that stands out is how quiet the machine is. You can watch TV with the volume at a normal level while working out…no more TV blaring when someone is exercising!
James J. Clouston “jimc1215″, Amazon.com

This machine is giving me a great workout and it just FEELS GOOD! It is built solid, it rides smooth and I can just tell by its construction and feel that it will give me many years of great exercise. And let’s face it, in the most important aspect of any exercise we must ask ourselves the question: Is it helping my cardiovascular system? This one does the job and it does it well.
H. A. Schork, Amazon.com

I also want to give you some ideas of where you can buy it for the best deal.

Getting a Good Deal

The best thing to do with an item like this is to get it shipped. Otherwise, you may need a truck and a friend to help out. Luckily, Amazon is currently offering free shipping on this item. I don’t know if that will last forever, but it seems to be working at the moment. Amazon also seems to be pretty competitive when it comes to prices. In all honesty though, the main reason I buy from Amazon though is because of their service. At the times when I’ve needed to return an item or when something was missing or damaged, they always helped me out.

If you want to take advantage of Amazon’s current deal, then it would be a good idea to order soon.

CLICK HERE To Try The Schwinn 431 Elliptical Trainer Yourself From Amazon.com’s Affordable Offer

Who is it recommended for?

Since this program has less emphasis on workouts and cardio, I’d say this course would be best for anyone who is interested in nutrition secrets and general health. I say “general health” because the program talks about colon and liver detoxifying and cleansing to reduce toxins. So, in addition to losing weight, you become more healthy overall.

What is it about?

The author of Top Secret Fat Loss Secret, Dr. Suzanne Gudakunst, sometimes called the TV Lady Doctor due to past show appearances, goes against what other doctors say in regards to losing weight. This has gained her a bit of notoriety among doctors.

She basically says that parasites are the reason we can’t lose weight. She has done research on human colon and digestive systems for a “different” approach to weight loss. As I mentioned before, there is more talk on diets and what to consider rather than actual fitness and exercise tips.

In today’s lifestyle, I think that her info on colon and liver detoxification is important for to look and feel good. So, if you have any interest on good health and fat loss, her program is definitely worth a look.

A word about our reviews:

I do not believe in giving programs a rating. What works well for someone may not appeal at all to the next guy. I look for the program’s strengths so I can determine who would benefit the most from the program. All the programs I review come with a money back guarantee, so feel free to try them at no risk.

Who is it recommended for?

This program is geared towards those that are seeking both nutritional advice and workout advice for losing weight. Although it seems to be talking mostly about abs, since you can’t lose weight on just your abs, you will be losing weight in general as well. There is an emphasis here on effective exercises for losing weight and getting flat abs. If you are the type of person who works out regularly either walking, jogging, weightlifting, or doing any type of cardio, the Truth About Abs is a must read.

What is it about?

The program basically covers what you’ve been doing wrong and why you don’t have the body you want. Both nutrition, workouts, and cardio are covered. Diet and meal plans are combined with effective exercises. The focus is on shorter workouts, say 20-30 minutes 2-3 times a week depending on your schedule.

The program shows you the correct way to do cardio and the best time to do it. There are 20 highly effective ab exercises covered. The program should be fine for both men and women. There is a nutrition guide available as well.

The author is a certified personal trainer and nutrition specialist. You’ll be learning lots of insider secrets to effective foods to eat when trying to lose weight, supplements to avoid wasting money on (including fat-burning pills), why most ab machines are a waste of money, and learning the most effective exercises to reach your goals.

A word about our reviews:

I do not believe in giving programs a rating. What works well for someone may not appeal at all to the next guy. I look for the program’s strengths so I can determine who would benefit the most from the program. All the programs I review come with a money back guarantee, so feel free to try them at no risk.

Who is it recommended for?

If you want more of an emphasis on nutrition and less emphasis on workouts, then Fat Loss 4 Idiots is for you. The main trick here is losing weight through proper nutrition. In other words eating right and figuring out the best diet for you.

What is it about?

By calculating a proper nutrition plan, you can get the results you want. It’s fairly simple to use this program, and you can get started very quickly. It has an online diet generator to help you figure out what to eat and how much you should get.

If you aren’t the active type (i.e. don’t workout regularly), you should enjoy this program. If you are the type of person who works out, runs, walks, does cardio, then you may wish to consider the Truth About Abs program instead as it goes into much more detail on the workout/cardio side of things.

But then again, if you aren’t the type of person who is always active and just want to eat better, then Fat Loss 4 Idiots should be perfect for you. Of course, you are never obligated to pick just one program. You can choose one for the diets and one for the workouts, whatever you wish.

The program shows you why low-carb or low-fat diets don’t work. Instead, there is more of an emphasis on “shifting” calories and eating different combinations of food to keep your metabolism high. Luckily, the food plans are easy on the wallet.

The program states that you can lose 9 lbs. every 11 days, but I say that you should try to lose whatever is comfortable depending on your goals. There’s no point in getting depressed if you aren’t getting the same results as someone else. Just do what you can and stick with it.

This is one of the best selling programs I’ve seen, so I give it a high recommendation. If it sounds like the type of program you would be interested in, give it a shot.

A word about our reviews:

I do not believe in giving programs a rating. What works well for someone may not appeal at all to the next guy. I look for the program’s strengths so I can determine who would benefit the most from the program. All the programs I review come with a money back guarantee, so feel free to try them at no risk.

There are reasons why diets often result in failure. Many people forget the the human body can adapt to certain situations over time. It can adapt to both physical stress (i.e. workouts) and caloric intake (i.e. diets). So, what happens is that diets tend to work for a short time only. Also, most people usually get tired of diets and eventually go back to their normal routines.

There are also problems with the diets themselves. Here are some common diets and why they fail.

Low-calorie diets. As I just mentioned, your body can eventually adapt to eating less calories. It does this by burning fewer calories each day. The diet might work at first, but once you get used to it, it just won’t help you lose weight as much if at all.

Low-fat diets. It has been determined that simply buying low fat foods really doesn’t help that much. Obviously, a low-fat diet isn’t the answer.

Low-carb diets. Here we go again. One thing that you really need to understand is that the human body needs a certain balance of nutrients to function properly. The body uses carbs for fuel (energy). So, take carbs away and you’ll start to feel rundown and miserable. Not to mention that to do a low-carb diet, you must cut out a lot of great foods.

So, now you know the truth. It is not about starving yourself or cutting out all carbs. The best diet for fat loss is eating the right foods and the right intervals. In other words eating the correct pattern of meals each day is the best way to go. For example, eating more than 3 (smaller) meals a day to keep your metabolism up.

It’s up to our brains to release fat-burning hormones after each meal. We want it to release fat-burning hormones rather than fat-storing ones. The best way to get it to do this is by calorie shifting. In other words, eating different types of calories each day. This will effective raise metabolism by keeping the body guessing.

I really can’t tell you exactly what to eat each day because everyone is different. However, I can show you a tool that can tell you exactly what your diet should be. With it, you should have no trouble losing weight. Remember, the best diet for fat loss is not really a “diet” at all. It’s a clever way of eating.

To learn all the details and have access to the online diet creator tools, use the link below. It will take you to the Fat Loss 4 Idiots program. We also have a review of this program here. It’s not free, but it will really help.

Many people look for quick fixes in their goal for fast fat loss. Diet pills sound great don’t they? You just take a pill and bam, you start losing weight. Well, sure you might lose weight with them because you’ll feel too sick to eat! I keep hearing people complain about feeling a little sick when taking these pills. Basically, pills can only do so much. They can suppress your appetite so you don’t want to eat, therefore helping you lose weight, or they can give you more energy so you want to work out more.

That sounds all well and good, but honestly, how long are you going to feel like taking these fat loss pills? They cost money, some being quite pricey. And if they make you feel sick I guarantee you’ll get tired of them real fast.

In addition to that, some pills don’t work at all. You might throw your money away at a “popular” supplement for no results whatsoever. Anyone who has taken multiple supplements has probably wasted their money on some bogus pill or powder at some point.

The best way to lose weight is to do something that you can maintain for an extended period of time. Otherwise, you gain the weight right back, and trust me, many people do. So, instead of throwing money away on some quick fix, we’re going to eat better foods. When I say “better” I don’t mean more expensive. I mean foods that help you achieve your fat loss goals.

I don’t have time to go into the full details of everything you should eat in this article. I simply wanted to make you aware of the so called “best fat loss pills” and that you shouldn’t waste your time with them. I’ll be going into more details of nutrition and diet plans in later articles.

If you want to know the full details of what I’m talking about here, your best bet is to try the Truth About Abs program. It goes into more detail than I can. You can also read our review of it here.

So, let’s take a look at some exercises you can do that will give your abs a good workout.

First off, forget about ineffective exercises like sit-ups or crunches. I can’t even remember the last time I did one it’s been so long. Instead let’s try some other more effective exercises.

Here’s an ab workout you may like. It’s very effective at hitting the abs even though they aren’t really “ab” exercises exactly. The exercises are renegade dumbbell rows, front squats with barbell, and mountain climbers on floor. You don’t have to do all of them if you don’t feel comfortable with them, but I’ll show you a workout below that uses all 3.

Let’s go with about 3 to 4 sets of 8 reps. Alternatively, you can do 5 sets of 5 if it feels better. Experiment to see what gives you the best workout.

To do renegade dumbbell rows, grab 2 dumbbells of the same weight, and get in pushup position. Rest on the dumbbells and pull one arm back like a rowing exercise while supporting yourself with the other arm. It’s a bit tricky, but it will really work your midsection. Alternate arms, one lifts while the other supports. Don’t go too heavy too fast until you’ve gotten used to the exercise. Some dumbbells might be easier to use than others if they are thick or thin. Keep your arms in so the dumbbells don’t roll out to the sides on you.

Front squats are similar to regular squats where you rest the bar on your back, but here we will put the barbell on the front of our shoulders. Stabalize the bar by crossing your arms, keeping your elbows up, and pushing back against the bar with your fists. Obviously, we won’t be using as much weight as with a regular squat. It requires work to stabalize the barbell in the front. Don’t lower your elbows at any point. Use a lighter barbell if you need to. It doesn’t have to be one of the big barbells.

Lastly, to do mountain climbers, get on the floor in pushup position again. Now, we don’t need any weights here, just sort of jog in place. Bring one leg forward (towards your chest) while the other is back. You’ll basically just be shuffling your feet. It resembles a mountain climber. You can also shift your hands a few inches with your legs if you are able to, but it’s a litter harder. Do an interval like 30 seconds at a time. Then rest 30 seconds.

You can do 3 sets of each exercise resting 30 seconds between each exercise and then resting 1-2 minutes when you change exercises.

This is one of the best ab workouts you can do. Your abs will feel it. Trust me. For more exercises and workouts like this, I recommend the Truth About Abs Program.

In your efforts to lose body fat and get better abs, here are some things to avoid with cardio. One, don’t do endless hours of cardio. More cardio does not mean better results. Two, don’t waste time with boring, slow cardio routines. If you can do the cardio while reading a book, it’s probably not going to get you very good results.

If you change your cardio workouts more strategically, you can get better abs faster. Shorter workouts done say 3 times a week will give you good results. We’re going to avoid doing “same pace” cardio and instead work more in short spurts.

What we want to do is increase the intensity of the cadio. Obviously, we won’t be able to keep up a higher pace for as long, so that’s why we go fast-slow-fast and so on. You want to keep your focus on the exercise. Boring exercises like riding a bike at a moderate pace while watching TV, won’t do as much good as exercises that require concentration.

Don’t shy away from weights. You can get a great workout and put on muscle while losing fat. Don’t worry about putting on “too much” muscle. Getting big muscles, especially while on a conservative diet, isn’t the easiest thing in the world. This is why most bodybuilders have an off-season where they can put on a little fat from heavy eating. The extra calories help them gain muscle. When you do lift weights, keep it intense. Don’t take long breaks, and don’t do exercises that don’t burn much calories. The more muscles an exercise works, the better.

Of course, you don’t have to lift weights. I recommend taking a look at whatever type of cardio you’ve been doing and see if you can change it up a bit. Try making it more intense by doing it in intervals. Go from fast to slow to fast and so on. This is how to get abs fast. Just avoid the boring and slow “mindless” cardio exercises. They aren’t effective enough.

I’ll expand on cardio exercises and tips in later articles. For now, see what you can do to make your cardio workouts more effective and exciting. Keep your workouts short, maybe 15 to 20 minutes.

Well, the truth is that most ab exercises just don’t burn much fat. It’s impossible to burn fat off of “just” our abs since the human body is designed to burn it off the whole body at once. Now, the human body is designed to store fat more so in key areas like the hips or stomach, but that doesn’t mean you can target those areas specifically for fat loss.

Another problem is that ab machines don’t really burn many calories anyway. Ab exercises just aren’t major fat-burning exercises. So, sitting there doing 100 crunches on your new ab machine is going to end up mostly a waste of time.

Many ab machines are sold with the intentions of getting you really great looking abs. So, they hire a model who has most likely never even used the machine (I’m serious), and tell you that just by doing the exercise then that’s what you’ll look like. They don’t mention that you’ll need a solid diet plan and exercise routine to go along with it.

Also, remember that the abs are a muscle. You wouldn’t try to build your biceps with 25 to 50 reps, so why would the abs be any different. Now, don’t get me wrong here. There are some ab machines that can work your abs okay. I have an old fashioned wheel that can really hit the abs well, but most machines are made to be “easy” and that’s their selling point. No one wants a machine that they can’t even work.

The bottom line here is that you want to do exercises that provide appropriate resistance. If it is super easy to do, and you can do 100 reps, it’s probably a waste of time. I’ll talk about some exercises you can do in a later article. For now, just remember not to fall for advertising of the so called best ab machines, and remember that they may not get you the results you thought.