Elliptical trainers are fast catching on as one of the most popular home fitness equipment machines that you can buy. If you have been to a fitness gym in the last couple of years or so, you've probably noticed that these machines are becoming more and more widely accepted. And that is also true of the home fitness market as well.

First of all, let's define what an elliptical trainer really is. It's usually an odd looking machine, and that is because it's more of a fusion of different machines put together. The best way to describe an elliptical exercise machine is to think of it as a cross between a stair-stepper and a ski machine. It actually takes the best benefits of both of those machines and combines them together into one package.

That means that perhaps the very best feature of elliptical trainers is the low impact exercise that you can get on it. This is because unlike treadmills you don't actually walk or run on an elliptical trainer. Instead, your feet rest on movable steps that go in an elliptical circle, and that is why the machine is so named. You simply shift your weight from one step to another, and the faster you do this the faster the machine goes. The workout is created by the resistance to this motion within the machine.

So for all of you exercisers that have sensitive joints, this may just be the machine that you need. And that is a welcome relief for those with arthritis or who may have suffered injuries to their joints in the past.

Another benefit of elliptical trainers is that even though they are low impact exercisers, they still provide an excellent all-around body exercise. Especially those that have handles to help you work out your upper body as well. In fact, even though there is little impact during the exercise, they seem to be able to burn almost as many calories as treadmills do.

One of the only drawbacks regarding elliptical trainers is their size. They simply aren't very small. In fact, they can take up as much space as a large piece of furniture in a room. So before you rush out and buy one of these machines make sure that you have measured out the room you plan to put it in and have made sure in advance that it's going to fit in that spot. You certainly don't want to get one of these big machines home and then suddenly find out that it just won't fit in your room.

Even though size is a major factor to consider, there is still a lot to recommend the use of elliptical exercise machines in the home fitness workout of the average person. As with all fitness equipment, be sure that you shop around and try out any elliptical trainer before you decide to buy it. Nothing beats actually using one of these machines to help you decide if it will work for you. But if you are looking for an exercise machine that is easy to use and still gets great results, why not consider including an elliptical trainer in your fitness workouts?