ProForm Cardio HIIT Trainer

I had been looking for a cardio exercise machine for a while and settled on either this one or the Max Trainer M5. I wanted an elliptical but the ones I looked at took up a lot of floor space. The Max Trainer series and this one have a much smaller foot print. I was able to try out theM5 in a store and liked it, but was reluctant to purchase it due to the price. The less expensive M3 which is more comparably priced to this one didn't have any pre-programmed exercises or Blue Tooth interface. I found this one on Amazon with very similar capabilities at 1/2 the price of the M5. I was a bit suspicious of the quality at this price but decided to take a chance anyway based on the mostly positive reviews. The box arrived today, on time, by freight shipment. It's big and heavy (about 180 pounds) but the delivery guys were able to wrestle it into my front entryway. I opened the package and removed the individual parts. The unit was very well packaged and it took a while to disassemble the box and dispose of the ample packing material. I wanted to install the exercise machine in our family room about 60 feet from the entry so I did it by moving the individual parts there as needed to complete each assembly step. The only heavy part was the main unit which I estimate weighs about 100 lbs. I moved it first it with a small hand truck. The directions were easy to follow and all the parts and screws were well marked to avoid confusion. Everything fit together and the quality of the components looked fine.Although I asked for some help from my wife a couple of times to make things a bit easier, I found the whole assembly process not difficult. I could have done it myself if necessary. What slowed it down was having to use the simple hex wrench, supplied, to secure many of the screws. The screws are relatively tight and needed to be turned with the wrench in it's high torque position (the long way) and in some of the areas that only allowed for a 1/4 to 1/2 turn each time the wrench was inserted. It wasn't difficult, but it was time consuming. It took me about 3 hours to complete the job. The eight main bolts that connect the base supports to the main unit required using a metric socket wrench. That and a screw driver were the only needed tools not provided. Although I eventually intend to do so, I chose not to activate the Ifit service initially because I want to get comfortable with the machine first. I did that by holding down the Blue Tooth button for 30 seconds when initially powering up while it was asking me for activation. Once turned on the console functions all seemed to be there and worked without any kind of activation.Although the foot print of the machine is relatively small compared to most elipticals and tread mills, this is still a substantial piece of equipment. I placed it in our family room and although it fits, it is now the center of attention in the room decor. We are thinking about possible other places to put it.I have only had time to try the machine a couple of times. Its operation is smooth and quiet and even at it lowest resistance level it provides a very substantial workout. Being in not very good shape, it will take me a while to build up to the point where I can make use of its full capabilities. I can only pedal it for about 5 minutes at a time without getting winded and feeling it in my leg muscles. Over time I hope to build up to 15 to 30 minutes at higher resistance levels and to be able to make use of the programmed workouts.We'll see. It's only been one day, but so far I am very happy with the purchase.Update after 10 days:I like this machine a lot. It was easy to move to a less conspicuous corner of the family room and I am now able to do two 15 minute workouts a day at resistance levels between 1 and 6 and speeds between 40 and 60 RPM. Although I activated Ifit (it's free for 30 days) I find that just doing manual exercise at various speeds and resistance levels is adequate. The only thing I use Ifit for is tracking my workouts which is not worth $15 per month so I think I will cancel after the 30 day trial. I did try one of their "tours" and found it not too useful. It shows Google Street View images as you move along various courses while changing the resistance along with virtual terrain gradients. The first one I tried quickly shot up to resistance level 24 which was nearly impossible for me to pedal. I reduced it down to 5, but that ended up cancelling the automatic changes so the result was the same as a manual workout while watching Street View. Consequently I normally just vary the resistance and speed manually during my 15 minute sessions while watching TV news broadcasts. The unit is quiet enough so that TV watching while exercising is not a problem. I'm hoping to gradually work up to higher resistance, longer sessions, and using the built-in programs, but for now I feel like I am getting some regular exercise which was the objective of my purchase. The only negative I have found so far with the machine is that the heart rate monitor does not seem to work consistently. The rate it displays jumps around between 60 and 130 and can't be used reliably to guide settings to control how strenuously I am working out.

I've had this machine for just under a month, and in that time have been using it about three times a week.Setup, by myself, took about two hours, which is how long most other people say. It wasn't difficult but did require use of an ottoman for help. When it was fully assembled there was a loud squeaking noise when using the equipment. This appears to be due to the six bolts on each side at the base. Tightening those bolts reduced the squeak to almost nothing.Pairing with a tablet was relatively easy but I didn't try the iFit service.I also didn't pair a bluetooth heart rate monitor, but I do have one paired with my phone. Frankly I'd rather keep my heart rate stored in my phone so I can see it graphed, etc. The built in heart rate monitor wasn't even close to the reading on my chest strap. We also have a Pro Form treadmill and both of them have useless heart rate monitors. When the chest strap says 150bpm, the hand based ones read closer to 80. So basically don't let that functionality sway your decision on this machine. As I understand it only the chest straps really work.While there is a variety of pre-programmed workouts, especially at the beginning they were very tough for me. In general I preferred to manually control the difficulty and focus instead on my heart rate graphed on my phone in the Polar app. The limited amount of time I tried the pre-programmed workouts I found that they were good and challenging, if not a bit redundant. You'll probably only have one or two workouts to which you'll stick.Overall the machine gave me a great workout. I can do a hardcore workout that creams me in 15 minutes, or I can lower the difficulty and achieve me heart rate goals over the course of an hour. It is easy to change the resistance quickly with the row of numbers on the machine. They increase in increments of three, which is better than a machine that uses plus/minus.My preference in the past has always been an elliptical over a treadmill, etc. The vertical elliptical seems to be a great alternative that I prefer because the up/down motion can be more challenging. On a normal elliptical I think I also use my arms more. When I need variety I just hop onto a treadmill for a few minutes or do some fast walking before hopping back on.

the only recommendation I have is where the power cord is positioned. If it was up higher it wouldn't be in the way when you want to move the machine (which for the size is easy to move on the wheels). If it isn't removed first it could be snapped off. I am still exploring the options on the Elliptical, but so far I like it.

What a killer workout! 3 minutes on this and legs were burning and i was almost tapping out

This machine arrived on time.Easy to put together. (Check the internet for videos.)Sturdy and well made.Goodbye to gym fees and dragging my behind out when it's raining or frigid.