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If you are thinking about buying a new elliptical trainer but don’t want to spend thousands on Precor equipment, the Schwinn A40 Elliptical Machine is certainly worth considering, and the price range is much more reasonable.
So, how do you know if this is the best elliptical trainer for your personal fitness goals? That is what we are here for.
In this Schwinn A 40 elliptical review, we’ll guide you through all 7 workout programs, the benefits of the LCD screen, and even what to expect from the assembly. We’ve also summarised the feedback from many customers who are already using the Schwinn A40, and from that, we’ve compiled an easy-to-read pros and cons list.
Design Features
Being a front-driven elliptical, the Schwinn A 40 provides a workout that feels much more like a hill climb or using a stepper compared to rear-driven designs.
The rear glide rails provide a stable platform over which the rollers can move, creating a smoother and lower impact motion compared to conventional ellipticals.
Being a front-drive elliptical, it’s also important that articulating footplates have been included over the fixed position option. This slight movement will help to keep your feet following a more natural running motion, as well as reducing any strain on your lower back.
The high front and side lip sections also help to prevent your feet from slipping off the machine mid-stride. This is extremely useful when training at high speed.
As to be expected from any quality machine, the Schwinn A has a convenient water bottle holder and a basic reading rack.
If you have looked at the Schwinn 430 and Schwinn 470 ellipticals, you’ll notice that the handle design is one of the major differences between the machines.
The larger set of handles for the Schwinn A40 has been designed to be shorter than the 430 or 470, with fewer angles to use as grip positions, making it the better option. Ergonomic handles make it as easy as possible to get the most out of your workout while still maintaining high quality and correct body position.
Stride Length and Stability
Similar to how treadmills are suited to user heights based on the running area size, most ellipticals will be best suited to a particular range of user heights based on the stride length.
With a stride length of 17.5″ compared to the 20″ stride of the 430 and 470, it’s worth bearing in mind that the Schwinn A 40 is an elliptical that is best suited to people under 6ft tall.
To help improve the stability of the machine there are also 4 oversized stabilizers at the base of the frame. The height of these can be easily adjusted to compensate for any unevenness in the floor.
One final design feature is the transport wheels built into the front stabilizer bar. Using the rear stabilizer bar as a handle makes it much easier to move the machine once set up.
Schwinn A40 Elliptical Machine – Features Summary
- Easy-to-read large LCD window tracks your speed, time, distance, calories, and more
- 7 workout programs to keep you challenged
- 8 magnetic resistance levels
- Grip heart rate monitor
- Speakers
Ease of Assembly
As with any elliptical machine, you have to expect that there is going to be a bit more to the setup than for other fitness equipment, such as exercise bikes.
What makes a difference is how comprehensive the instructions are in the user manual and how easy they are to follow.
Fortunately, Schwinn has an excellent reputation for their assembly instructions, with the A40 being no exception.
Each step combines clear part references with exploded drawings and a focus on the order each bolt and washer fit together.
This means you can enjoy your first workout less than 60 minutes from unpacking the box.
This is backed up by several customer reviews from people who bought the Schwinn A40 and were impressed with how easy it was to set up.
Display Console Design
Despite a similar shape and size, the display console for the 2013 Schwinn A40 offers some significant differences and improvements over the 2011 model.
The larger 5″ x 3″ LCD screen provides more space to display important workout information, making it easier to keep track of your progress throughout your workout.
This allows you to monitor your heart rate, workout time, speed, distance, calories, or even see how far you are through the current workout program.
The console for the 2013 model also makes it much easier to select the workout program you want, with touch control buttons helping to navigate through the different options.
Workout Programs
Although you don’t get the same wide range of preset workout programs or user profiles as the Schwinn 470, the A40 still provides enough variation to help you train toward a variety of fitness goals.
The programs have been split into 3 main categories; Fun Rides, Mountains, and Challenges.
- Fun Rides – 2 lower intensity programs designed for beginner to intermediate levels of fitness. Gradual changes in resistance make Fun Rides ideal for fat-burning workouts.
- Mountains – Less variation in resistance levels than the Fun Rides, the Mountains programs gradually build up to peak levels of resistance in the middle of your training session. The best option if you are looking to improve your endurance and overall aerobic fitness.
- Challenges – With one program designed to imitate a continuous uphill climb and the other based on interval training, Challenges are ideal for improving both your endurance and muscle tone.
Although there are fewer programs per category compared to the higher-priced Schwinn ellipticals, these are still some of the same options you would find on the 430 and 470.
Customer Reviews
While reading articles, user manuals, and watching videos are all useful ways to find out more about a piece of fitness equipment before you buy, customer reviews are still extremely valuable. One of the best ways to know if this machine is for you, is to read an elliptical machine review.
An upgrade of the 2011 Schwinn A40, although there aren’t yet as many reviews for the 2013 model, they do have a higher average rating. To help decide if this is the best elliptical for your home gym, we’ve summarised the most frequently mentioned positives and negatives from the reviews.
Pros:
- Very quick and simple assembly
- Perfect for entry level or long time trainers
- Smooth and quiet to use
- The lower price range for the quality build
- Compact, space-saving design
- The effective range of workout programs
Cons:
- The stride length felt a bit short for users taller than 5’8″
- A couple of reviewers found that the speakers weren’t very loud
What’s Included in the Warranty?
Frame: 2 years.
Electrical parts: 6 months.
Wear parts: 30 days.
Schwinn A40 Elliptical Trainer Machine Review Summary
Overall Review Rating
4 / 5
With its perimeter-weighted, high-inertia flywheel and rear glide rails, the Schwinn A40 elliptical trainer runs smoothly and quietly through all 8 of its resistance levels.
The 7 different workout options help to provide some variety and keep your workouts fresh, while the easy-to-read display screen does an excellent job of keeping you up to date with the important workout information.
The most important thing is making sure the 17.5" stride length is suitable for your height. If you are taller than 5' 8" it might be better to look at an elliptical with a 20" stride, such as the Schwinn 430.
Product dimensions: 64.5" (H) x 23.7" (W) x 56" (L)
User weight limit: 275 lbs
Product weight: 91 lbs
USA Home Gym gives in-depth insights into gym equipment, supplements, and fitness training methods. The motivation behind USA Home Gym is to provide you with information that goes beyond what you can find in any user manual, customer review, or other online review sites.
We go to great lengths to ensure that our reviews are completely comprehensive, usually covering everything from the design features to the warranty coverage and exercise options. This is all to help guide you towards the home gym equipment that’s best suited to your goals and budget, whilst also being the highest quality option in your chosen price range.
