Schwinn 470 Elliptical Machine Review: Has it All the Features You Are Looking For?

The Schwinn brand is one of the most recognizable names in America. It is synonymous with biking and fitness equipment. For more than 100 years, the Schwinn name has meant quality and excellence in the biking community.

But the Schwinn name is not just for bicycles. Since being purchased by Dorel Industries, the Schwinn Company has expanded its brand into a wide range of fitness products including upright and recumbent bikes, Airdyne machines, ellipticals, and treadmills! The Schwinn 470 Elliptical Machine is one in a series of high-quality personal fitness machines.

The Schwinn 470 won the 2016 “Best Buy” award from Consumer Products Rating. This high-tech elliptical trainer offers an amazing low-impact workout that is great for cardiovascular exercise and basic strength training.

But is this elliptical right for you? Schwinn offers several ellipticals in their product line. In this Schwinn 470 Elliptical review, we will explore everything you need to know to decide if this is the right machine for you. A quality exercise machine is often a necessity for many people who need to stay fit and healthy. With this machine, you could change your whole view on exercise!

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How Does the Schwinn 470 Elliptical Machine Work?

An elliptical machine is much like a treadmill except that instead of walking on a belt, you walk using foot pedals which turn a flywheel. This removes the need for the legs to come down hard on a surface in the way they do when walking or running or using a treadmill. Because your feet are moving articulating pedals which feel like they are in mid-air, the elliptical trainer is a zero to low-impact machine.

Many people who suffer from joint and back problems find the elliptical trainer to be the only machine they can use. It is also highly sought after by those rehabilitating from knee, joint, or back surgery.

Machines create resistance in different ways to allow the user a force to work against. This increased resistance helps the body work harder, thus increasing the cardiovascular exercise.

But you are not simply moving your legs. In addition to a lower body workout, ellipticals like the 470 come with arm bars that allow you to work against the resistance also. By pushing and pulling on the arm bars you give your arm and abdominal muscles a workout too.

Many people find the motion of the elliptical to be rather exciting. Rather than just running or walking along on a treadmill, you feel like you are gliding through the air. This exhilarating motion can be quite the boost that a lot of people need to keep up with their exercise program. When exercising ceases to be enjoyable, most people do not want to continue in the drudgery. With elliptical machines, you should experience a thrilling exercise every time.

Internal Mechanism

The Schwinn 470 utilizes a front positioned, weighted flywheel, which can provide resistance to the user. The flywheel has no working motor; therefore, the trainer is relatively quiet. Instead, the flywheel relies on an eddy current to generate resistance.

This flywheel is specially weighted and has a small, magnet adjacent to it. As the magnet receives an electrical charge and is moved closer to the flywheel, it is more difficult for the flywheel to work through the magnetic field. This is where you come in.

It will require more effort on your part to drive the flywheel through this magnetic field. In this way, you are able to increase the difficulty of your workout as well as the energy it takes to move the machine.

The 470 comes with 25 different levels of resistance, which should allow you to pinpoint your exact desired difficulty level. With the touch of a single button, the elliptical will increase or decrease the resistance level. Creating your own customized workout has never been easier.

But increasing the resistance isn’t the only way to crank up the difficulty of your workout. The 470 also comes with a 10-degree incline range with six different settings. By utilizing this feature, you can replicate the experience of going uphill or being on a stairmaster. Either way, experienced trainers know that working at an incline can be a great way to increase the difficulty of your workout.

Frame & Body

The flywheel and foot pedals sit on a crossbar which is oversized to create greater stability. This crossbar links the supporting structures of the front and rear bars. The rear bars feature two disc levelers which can be used to keep the elliptical even when the floor might not be perfectly level.

Proper operation of the elliptical requires that it be level, so you should take the time to use these levelers to compensate for any floor unevenness.

The front support bars come with transport wheels to make it easy and convenient to move the trainer when necessary. By picking up the rear of the machine, you are able to use the front rollers to ease the elliptical into the desired position.

The 470 is not really meant to be moved around a lot, so you should find a convenient place with plenty of clearance where it can remain relatively stationary. But if you do have to move it, these front rollers make it nice and easy.

Handle Bars

When it comes to the question of what to do with your arms while using an elliptical, you have two basic options. Most people choose to use the ergonomically designed handlebars which are connected to the rotation of the flywheel. They also operate in sync with your footsteps and simulate your natural walking patterns. By using the handle bars, you can increase the overall effectiveness of your workout by including your upper body.

If you do not want to use the handle bars, the 470 also comes with two stationary hand grips that allow your arms to be at rest and only work your lower body. This can be a good way to do an isolated workout. It is also a great way to ease into using the elliptical for those who are unsure of their coordination. This allows you to gradually become familiar with the elliptical and you can move to using the handlebars when you are comfortable.

What Features Come with the 470 Elliptical Console?

The 470 Elliptical console comes with Schwinn’s Dual Track™ Display, which separates the data into an upper and a lower display. In the Upper Display, you will find all the main metrics that deal with the “big picture” of your workout. In this section, you will find six metrics displayed:

Program Display

This section tracks the course of your workout program. Different bars are used to indicate your progress in terms of the resistance level. This tells you where you are in the different stages of your current workout. This can be a real motivator to finish that tough workout when you are feeling like quitting!

Intensity Display

This section of the Upper Display tells you how much work you are currently doing based on your current resistance levels. This just gives you a “quick glance” overview of what you are doing at the time. This can be a great way to verify just how hard you are working.

Heart Rate Zone Display

Tracking your heart rate is one of the keys to a quality workout and to make sure you are not over-exerting yourself. The Heart Rate Zone Display will tell you your current heart rate as it relates to your progress during your workout. The main way you can have the console check your heart rate is through the stationary handlebars, which have electronic ways of checking your pulse.

You should make sure to consult a physician about your target and peak heart rates so that you can maximize your workout and ensure you do not harm yourself. This is one of the areas that beginner exercisers overlook, so make sure to go through the proper steps concerning heart rate.

Goal Display

You can customize an objective by setting this display to either calories, time, or distance. This is a great way to motivate yourself to reach your particular goals.

User Display

You can program the 470 elliptical with four custom user profiles. This way, each member of your family can have his or her unique workout program and track their own goals!

Achievement Display

“Badges” are a popular way to motivate people. With this display, you can track your progress towards different goals over the course of several workouts. This can give you a bird’s eye view of the progress you have made. Often it is encouraging to see just how far you’ve come and this can increase your motivation to keep going on.

Lower Display

The lower display is fairly straightforward. It gives real time metrics for your current workout. It will give you your speed in either mph or km/h. It will also give you read-outs of time, distance, RPMs, calories, resistance level, and heart rate.

These are all useful metrics that you can track while you are working out. Keeping track of these levels can give you an idea of the effectiveness of your exercise regimen.

Dock and Speakers

The console also features a USB docking station to keep your mp3 player or tablet charged. It can also be used to connect to SchwinnConnect™, where you can upload your workouts, set goals, and track your progress. This is a great way to tailor your workouts to your unique fitness level and body type.

The console also features a set of speakers through which you can listen to your favorite music, books, or podcasts. This is a great way to alleviate boredom, one of the sure killers of an exercise routine!

Fan

And to help keep you cool, the 470 also features a three-speed fan. This helps reducing the heat buildup while you work out and keeps you feeling refreshed.

Are There Any Pre-Programmed Workouts?

If you aren’t sure of the best program for your level of fitness, the 470 elliptical comes with two fitness tests that can help you track.

It also offers 12 different pre-programmed workouts, with four “rolling hills” workouts, four “mountain” workouts, and four “challenging” workouts which combine intensity and interval training. You are sure to find the perfect workout for your level of fitness.

It also comes with a Heart Rate Control program in which you can target a heart rate zone. This allows you to hit target heart rates and make sure you are exercising safely. Again, you should consult your physician about good heart rate targets for your specific situation.

What Are the Dimensions of the 470?

Physical Dimensions

The “footprint” dimensions of this model are 2.4 feet wide and 5.8 feet long. You will want to make sure you have this physical space with some extra room for comfort. The machine itself is 5.3 feet high, but to make sure you have enough height clearance you should account for the foot pedal height.

When you stand on the machine, you will be around 21 inches off the ground. You should add this to your own height plus several inches for comfort to determine if your room has the height clearance. The last thing you want is to be bumping your head when you exercise!

Stride and Footplates

The footplates on the 470 have traction rings to help keep your feet on the pedals, as well as raised lips around the edges in case you do slip. This will keep you safe on the machine.

The stride length is around 20 inches, which should be good for people of average height. If you are a very tall person, you might find this stride length somewhat uncomfortable.

Are There Any Negatives to the 470 Elliptical Trainer?

There are some things that could be better on this machine. First, the stride is somewhat short for people six feet tall or over. This can makes it feel like you are always taking shorter than normal steps. If this level of comfort is important to you, you might consider a model with a larger stride.

Some users have also noted that the electrical connections can be somewhat finicky when setting up the machine. You will have to make sure that those connections are tight and secure before finishing the setup. It might even be a good idea to test the console before you finish putting it all together.

The heart tracker on the console is a great option, but it will not monitor your heart continuously unless you purchase additional equipment. If you use only the machine, you have to grip the stationary hand bars and wait for the machine to calculate your heart rate. This can be somewhat awkward if you are used to using the handle bars. You will also have to remember to grab these grips regularly to track your heart rate over the course of your workout.

Lastly, Schwinn doesn’t always have the best customer service. Schwinn is now attached to a very large corporation and the customer service representatives may not be able to respond to all of your questions right away. They will take care of you, but this isn’t a “mom and pop” store you’re contacting, so be patient.

What Are the Benefits of Using the Schwinn 470?

The most obvious benefit of an elliptical machine is that it is extremely low impact, so even those recovering from an injury can safely use it. With their resistance levels, these machines can really get the heart racing.

As little as 20 minutes a day of good cardio exercise is all it takes to stay healthy, assuming that you also adhere to a healthy diet.

Ellipticals also provide more strength training than the standard treadmill because of the resistance options. And if you use the handle bars, you can work out almost your whole body – upper and lower. While this is not considered “strength training”, it does provide a vigorous workout to your muscles.

If you are looking to drop a few pounds, these machines will burn a lot of calories. The more resistance you use and the longer you workout, the more fat you will burn. With a good workout program that you stick to, an elliptical machine can really help shed those pounds.

Is the 470 Elliptical Easy to Assemble?

For most people, the 470 should not be too difficult to assemble. It will come with all the tools you need to put it together. If you have some experience assembling furniture, it should pose no major obstacles.

You should make sure to follow the instructions exactly. Read through the manual in full before you attempt to assemble the trainer. Failing to put this unit together correctly could cause it to malfunction, or worse could damage it. If you damage the elliptical due to improper assembly, Schwinn will not warranty the machine.

Experienced assemblers could possibly put this machine together in under an hour. For most people you should expect it to take between 1 – 2 hours for full assembly.

What Is the Warranty on the Schwinn 470 Machine?

Schwinn guarantees the machine frame for 10 years, the mechanical components for two years, and the electrical equipment for one year. This is fairly respectable as far as warranties are concerned. This warranty only covers manufacturer errors or parts defects. So if the machine fails due to user errors, they will not warranty the trainer.

Schwinn also offers 90 days of labor should your machine require a technician. While this isn’t the best warranty on the market, it should cover most people. Schwinn has a quality reputation for their machines and most users do not have any trouble with their ellipticals.

Is the Schwinn Warranty Transferable?

While it might be nice to be able to sell your warranty with your machine, it is not transferable. The warranty is only good to the original buyer. This is a good reason to buy this unit new rather than used.

Our Verdict

A quality home fitness machine is a great alternative to expensive gym memberships. The Schwinn 470 is one of the better ellipticals currently on the market.

Its console features have just about everything you could possibly want to thoroughly track your workout progress, and glide-on-the-step motion means no more wear and tear on your knees or back.

If you are looking for a great elliptical machine, the Schwinn 470 should fit most people’s needs.

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