StaminaInmotion Compact Strider Foot Exercise Machine - Under Desk Elliptical - Standing or Seated Elliptical Fitness Equipment

This elliptical is easy to assemble, smooth, quiet, & doesn't take up much space. It's perfect to replace a walk or jog when it's raining out. Excellent way to build up & maintain both stamina & leg muscle! I love it so much that I've now bought 2 of them - left one at my sister's in Maine & have one here at home in Florida.

Like so many before me, I bought a piece of fitness equipment and I hardly use it. Sigh.That's part of the reason I didn't want to invest too much in my first in-home fitness equipment, so I'm glad I bought this for under $100.I've had it for many months, and I've got nothing against this machine. It works the way it's described, and when I do use it I really like it so I wouldn't sell it - I expect I'll use it again in the future.It really is just like an elliptical trainer minus the handles or console. The stride isn't as large as a gym's machine, so I don't think a very tall person would like this as much as I do (I'm 5'5").I've mostly used it standing up, and you can get yourself a bit dizzy if you're not used to it so I recommend you place it within arm's reach of a wall. Or you can plan to use it while holding on to something if you prefer. I like to touch the wall when getting on/off but I can use it easily without support otherwise.The seated style of using it - which is what I was most interested in since I sit at my home office desk all day - didn't work out for me. I can't lift my legs high enough when it's under my desk so for a while I kept it beside my desk so I could swivel in my chair towards it and use it unobstructed. After a couple of weeks I had to move it though. There's just not enough room in my office for a large machine on the floor next to my chair all day.If you're using it while seated be sure to familiarize yourself with the machine - read the manual - so you understand it has to face one way for standing and the opposite way for seated use. If you hope to fit it under a desk, you'll probably need a writing desk without any drawers or a keyhole desk with plenty of legroom. In other words, you need height to move your legs properly. If you just sit in a chair and use it (facing the right way) it'll be fine.It offers resistance control, but of course, this is hard to adjust since it's on the machine and I'm standing 5+ feet above it. So I found a setting that makes it challenging but not too much, and I just leave it there.I pay attention to the display to track time or number of strides. Again, it's far away and in the wrong lighting I can't really see it. But you can always just use a clock in the room or a watch to track your time using it.It's heavy for me so I wouldn't want to move it around on a daily basis. It's better if you find a good place to use to it regularly. But if you lift it by the T-bar handle support, it's not hard to move, especially if you're someone stronger than me.This is a sturdy quality machine for way less than a regular elliptical trainer would cost. And it takes up way less room too. I'd recommend this to someone buying their first piece of home fitness equipment, someone who has very little space or someone older or disabled who would use a seated machine anyway (like a recumbent bike) because you can save lots of space and money buying this instead. I think it would also make a fine addition to a home gym that already has a treadmill and weight bench and you want cardio variety but don't have room for another large machine. As another reviewer said, the lack of handles or console forces you to pay attention to your workout and engage your core.I don't know if a major gym rat would be impressed. I think it's better for the low-mid range fitness enthusiast, not the marathoners and weekend warriors. But I'm in the low group these days, so what do I know? ;)If/when I buy a new desk or rearrange my office I'll try it again as a seated trainer - moving your legs on this thing while seated has got to be better than sitting still, right? In the meantime, I'll try to get re-inspired to use it as a standing machine more often.

"Gets the job done, but heavier and bulkier than expected." I’ve been using the Stamina InMotion Compact Strider for light foot and leg exercise while seated, mainly while watching TV. It does help get in some movement throughout the day, and I appreciate that it’s relatively quiet and easy to set up.That said, the unit is heavier and bulkier than I expected for something labeled "compact." Moving it around isn’t effortless, especially if you plan to store it when not in use. It also doesn’t have a carry handle, which would have helped.

I love this elliptical! It isn't exactly "portable", but I was able to carry it to work on public transportation without killing myself. Set up took about 15 minutes and didn't require tools or more skill than Ikea furniture. It's completely silent and I have had people standing at my desk talking to me who had no idea I was even using it. I always tell them about it though and now several other people in my office have bought one.At first I was only doing 10-15 miles a day before getting tired, or I would find it distracting as my heart rate got up, but now I have the resistance at 75% and I can use it for 4-5 hours a day, logging up to 50 miles on average. I have found a sweet-spot where I can peddle non-stop and I always feel riiiiight on the verge of breaking a serious sweat, so I take a 30 second break every 10-15 minutes just to keep from ruining my make-up.I've lost 6 lbs in 2 weeks while using this at my desk without other dietary changes. In fact, I've been skipping out on running after work now and then because my legs are sometimes SO tired from stepping all day.The only things I would caution someone considering buying this are 1, if you are using it under your desk, it feels more like a bike than an elliptical and if you have bad knees (like I do) you might feel pressure if you don't have it perfectly aligned with your chair- turning to face a computer screen or talk to someone can turn your knees at a weird angle; 2, the calorie count is complete nonsense- don't rely on it at all, I've found deskcycle .com has a more accurate calorie count based on other data this machine gives you; 3, sometimes the little step counter keeps running for several minutes after I have stopped moving. I'm not sure if it takes a few minutes to catch up on all the steps I've done (this seems unlikely), or if mine is just a little messed up, but usually if I get up from my desk when it says, say, 3 miles, when I come back a few minutes later it might say 3.5 miles, so you need to keep an eye on that too if you are trying to track progress.None of these are serious drawbacks though, and I would absolutely buy this product again.Edit: I did experience some squeaking that was annoying enough that I stopped using the elliptical for a while. Eventually I missed it though and I pretty much WD-40'd the entire thing. Not sure what was causing the squeak, but it just needed a little grease and it's working great again!