6 Reasons Why You Need an Under Desk Elliptical

When it comes to home cardio equipment, most people think of a treadmill or stationary bike. After all, these are the most popular options, and both of these have become standard pieces of equipment for home use.

But there are three significant issues with such options:

1) They are big, bulky, and take up a lot of space.

2) Buying one costs a pretty penny.

3) You can’t take either of them to work with you.

Luckily, there’s one fantastic alternative that solves all of the above issues without compromising the benefits you can reap from using it – the under-desk elliptical.

So, if you’re looking for the best elliptical on a budget, then the under-desk version is your best option.

Today, we’ll go over precisely what the under-desk elliptical is, and we’ll share six solid reasons why you need one.

But First, What Is an Under Desk Elliptical Trainer?

As its name suggests, the under-desk elliptical is a smaller and more compact version of the full-sized elliptical trainer, and it’s specifically designed for home and office use.

Thanks to its amazing dimensions, you can easily place it underneath your desk and use it whenever you wish. Plus, you can transport it relatively quickly, so it’s a valuable companion even if you’re on the road.

In terms of design, the under-desk elliptical offers a pair of high-quality pedals without handles, and it’s made explicitly for convenient and straightforward use while you’re sitting on a chair.

Six Incredible Benefits of Using an Under Desk Elliptical

While seemingly plain, the under-desk elliptical offers some incredible benefits to the user. Let’s see:

  1. It’s Great For Sneaking In Lots of Exercise At Work

Who says that you have to carve out an hour every day, get to the gym, and have a workout? Sure, that’s one way to go about it but most of us live hectic lives and dedicating time for exercise outside of work might not be ideal or even possible.

And because of that, many folks use the good old excuse of, “I just don’t have the time to exercise.”

The under-desk elliptical is fantastic precisely because it allows us to sneak in a decent amount of training volume while we’re at work. So, rather than worrying about scheduling workouts, commuting to the gym, and finding the time, all you need to do is sit down, place your feet on the pedals and start using the elliptical.

For best results, use a timer and track your use of the elliptical. That way, you can see how much effort you’re putting on a workout-to-workout basis, and you’ll be able to catch yourself if you’ve been slacking off.

  1. It’s Safe and Easy on the Joints

At its core, exercise is incredibly beneficial for us. But, most activities (for example, jogging) can be tough on the joints. In some cases, that does more harm than good.

The great thing about an under-desk elliptical is that it’s incredibly safe for us and puts no pressure on our joints.

Unlike the typical elliptical trainer where you have to perform the activity from a standing position and place your entire body weight on your knees and ankles, the under-desk elliptical can be used from a seated position. So, rather than having your knees carry that load, you instead place it on the chair you’re seated in.

This allows for safe and effective training that poses absolutely no risk of developing overuse injuries.

  1. It Offers Various Levels of Resistance

The most fundamental piece for long-term fitness progress (be it weight loss, muscle gain, increased endurance, more strength, or similar) is to find ways to keep challenging yourself over time.

This is because, if you’re always working within your limits, your body will eventually adapt to that same level of stress, and it won’t see a reason to keep changing.

The great thing about an under-desk elliptical is that it offers multiple levels of resistance so that it can be used by complete beginners and more advanced folks alike.

If you want to push yourself and burn more calories, you can adjust the resistance up and try to keep the same velocity.

  1. You Can Use It Standing and Seated

While smaller and seemingly less customizable, the under-desk elliptical offers one significant advantage to the full-sized elliptical trainer:

You can use it both standing and seated.

For example, you can use it from a seated position while at work, but you can then use it from a standing position while you’re at home and watching TV.

Using it from a standing position puts more pressure on your lower body, which helps develop your quads, hamstrings, calves, and glutes.

  1. It Will Last You Forever

Cardio equipment is designed for high-mileage. After all, most folks use it to put down a lot of time and repetition, so it has to be able to withstand it.

This means that you can invest a bit of money and get yourself an under-desk elliptical because it will likely last you for at least a decade with moderate use.

Plus, unlike some fancy cardio equipment that has all sorts of electronics that can go bad, the under-desk elliptical is as simple as it can get. And sure, it doesn’t offer as many options as the fancy elliptical trainers and treadmills in your local gym, but that provides a fantastic benefit:

It will last you forever, and the risk of it developing an electrical issue is almost non-existent.

  1. It’s The Best Elliptical on a Budget

Before wrapping up this guide, it’s worth going over one more advantage of getting yourself an under-desk elliptical: its price.

Let’s face it:

Whether we like it or not, we have to keep the price in mind. And the under-desk elliptical offers the best value for its price.

For reference, a decent under-desk elliptical will run you for about $100-150. There are more costly options, of course, but you don’t have to buy them. On the other hand, a high-quality full-sized elliptical trainer can easily go into the thousands of dollars.