Elliptical exercise machines are quickly catching up to treadmills as one of the most popular pieces of home fitness equipment. If you haven't seen one so far, just visit your local sporting goods store and take a look for yourself. Generally, they are odd looking machines that are a combination of a stair stepper and a ski machine. But since they are fairly new to the home exercise field, a lot of people aren't sure what to look for when they shop for one. So let's discuss some of the features of elliptical trainers that you need to be looking for.

First and foremost, you really should try it out yourself before you make any decisions. Try a wide variety of models made by different manufacturers, and see what seems to fit you best as you go. There is really no substitute for actually using the machines yourself to see what features are most important to you.

With that in mind, you also should make sure that the elliptical machine seems very stable and solid. You don't want any herky jerky motions while you're working out. Everything should be smooth and quiet. This will usually not only provide you with a better workout, but is often an indication of the quality of the machine itself and how long you can expect it to last.

Pay attention to the display of each machine as you test them. From one machine to another the display can be completely different. So make sure that your favorite machine has the display that you want. Most of them will show your speed, your time and distance. But there may be other useful information that you want as well, for instance, calories burned, or heart rate. Also, the display should be easy to read even while you are in the middle of your exercise.

The handlebars on an elliptical trainer are an important consideration as well. Because they usually go back and forth, they can actually get in the way or even hit you if they are not well designed. So make sure that they are comfortable and easy-to-use.

A very popular feature on the new elliptical trainers is the exercise program built into the trainer. This will allow you to adjust your workout as you go. It's good to be able to both set up the program before you begin, and also allow you the freedom to manually adjust your work out while it is in progress. So look for elliptical machines that let you do both.

Size is always a consideration with an exercise machine that is this large. So before you buy anything make sure that you have measured out the room where you intend for it to go well in advance, and know that it will fit there.