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(More customer reviews)In my personal effort to keep our economy moving, I decided to make my otherwise unused living room (save for the 2 dog crates that is) into a home gym. I have an old stationary bike, so we moved that into the space from my bedroom. I set out then to buy a treadmill and elliptical. I researched what to buy for days. I've never owned an elliptical, but have used a friends and know they give good workouts. I was not intending to spend this much money on one, but I was intrigued by the reviews that the Agile was part of the new technology. It seems that the arc-type trainers can give many more muscle groups a workout, and Smooth Fitness touts that you can strength and cardio train at the same time. I decided to bite the proverbial bullet and ordered one from their website. They sent me emails detailing the common-carrier freight shipping. It took around 2 weeks from the order until delivery.
My first real comment, besides the fact that you drop a lot of cash to buy this thing, is that you'd better be prepared for it's arrival, both mentally and physically. Smooth has a video and the manual on it's website that outlines how to put the thing together. I watched the video prior to the arrival and felt I was prepared. WRONG. This thing is so big, I can't even describe it. There are 2 boxes it is shipped in. The SMALL box weighs nearly 150lbs. The large box is truly huge. I'm so glad I was putting it into my relatively empty living room. It weighs some 330pounds. Now, I'd like to take a moment to describe my ability to put things together. In my 39 years, I have successfully assembled literally hundreds of pieces of furniture. I've even lent myself out to friends who are assembly-impaired. I've done massive desks, cribs, bookshelves, tables, credenzas, I mean you name it, I've assembled it. I'm good at it and I like doing it. Most things I do all by myself because I'm a perfectionist and I follow directions to a T. Ok, so you get the idea. Now, despite the manual and the video (which I kept referencing religiously as things spiralled out of control) it took me 8 HOURS to put this thing together. No lie. It was absolutely the most horrific experience I've had. This thing is zip tied by some sadists when they pack it. Don't get me wrong, I know it needs to be secure for shipping, but I had real problems just cutting some of the ties. In the video they just touch them with their box cutter and they break. Not in reality. I used a combination of box cutter, wire cutters and sharp scissors and really struggled. Also, I feel the manual is not easy to follow. It refers to pieces by name but there is no diagrams that name the major pieces. There are diagrams with the whole thing blown apart, but it contains every piece, down to the last screw, so it's way too overwhelming to figure out what is what. In the end, I was able to assemble the entire thing by myself, but it is definitely not for the faint of heart. I consider this the Everest of assembly required.
Now, given that it took me 8 hours of literal blood, sweat and tears (and cursing), how is it? Well, mine is still on top of it's cardboard box in the middle of the living room. It's so heavy, I can't lift it to roll it on its handy wheels to move it. I'm waiting for an unsuspecting friend to visit and be recruited to help me. I have jumped on briefly, and I just in the two minutes I was trying it out I felt different muscle groups burning with each change on the "motion" button. Love the thumb "motion" and "intensity" controls. One other beef I have with the manual is it is horrible at describing how to operate the thing. I would like to know what each of the 11 different motions actually is or what muscle groups each one targets. I can't find that information anywhere. There are no youtube videos of people using this thing or workouts posted. I suppose it's price point keeps it from being a wide-spread product. Anyway, I'm looking forward to really using it. I'll post an update in a few weeks detailing how I've done with it.
******Update****** 12/13/08
So, I've been working out about 6x/week so far. I've lost 25 pounds since I started, and am clearly more fit than when I first began this new program. The first day I got on the Agile, I couldn't last more than a minute or two without stopping. Now I can go for as long as I want to on motion 1, intensity 1. I've gotten a polar HRM, which the Agile does pick up BTW, and if I get on the Agile and start at 1,1 it takes forever to get my HR up to my target...clearly I've improved! Generally, I'm doing 15 minutes on the agile and then I'm doing HIIT intervals on my bike for the rest of the time. I really like the Agile. First I warm up on my bike, then I jump on the Agile and go to motion 12, which is a very short stride length that is very deep--it's like high stepping and really gets my HR up to the target after a minute or so my quads are screaming. Then I usually go to motion 1 or 2. The lower the motion number, the longer the stride. Motion 1 is really comfortable for me and I can go all day on it. I'm having to increase the intensity at times to keep my HR where I want it. I also sometimes go backwards to work out my calves. I'm doing strength training too, and I'm really seeing the results in my leg muscles. I really love this machine...for a while, I had hurt my ankles..I think doing lunges with dumbells...and I couldn't do anything but the Agile and my bike. I really sweat with this workout and it feels great. Quibbles..still the readout on the machine. I don't like it much at all. But, I use my polar monitor to figure out how long I've been in my target zone, so I guess it doesn't matter. It is a very large machine, and dominates the room; however it looks good. I had one delivery guy say how impressed he was by the looks of the machine. So, overall still 5 stars! I highly recommend it if you have the desire and the savings to grab one of these!!
****Update, one year after purchase*****
Glad to say things are still going well. I've lost 110 pounds. I'm in good cardiac shape-my resting heart rate is now in the 40s. My cardio workouts vary from day to day, but I walk, run, elliptical, play racquetball, row and swim. I joined a gym for the swimming and racquetball part; they have tons of ellipticals, but I don't like any of them nearly as well as I like my agile DMT. So I still do my elliptical workouts all at home. With the different motion settings on this machine and with strength training, I've seen very impressive muscle development in my legs. I've had no problems at all with the machine: it works just as it did on day one. No maintenance issues or anything else. Very glad I bought it, as I owe a large part of my early weight loss and now continuing success to the use of this machine.
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See results in the half the time The Agile DMT Elliptical Trainer offers 12 adjustable motion levels and 20 intensity levels ensuring that your body will remain challenged no matter how frequently you train. Adjustable Motion Elliptical - Enhance your range of motion and recruit more muscle groups with the adjustable motion Agile DMT elliptical. Adjustable motion is a smarter approach to exercise helping you to get more of a workout in less time. Instead of restricting movement, the result is a more productive and all-encompassing workout session.Lite Touch Thumb Control - Adjust the intensity and motion of your workout with our Lite Touch Thumb Control. This feature allows you to conveniently slide your thumb over the infrared sensor and change your settings without distracting your workout. Articulating, Shock-Absorbing, Foot Pedals - Smooth has concentrated its efforts on perfecting the elliptical trainer experience. The Agile DMT elliptical has patented ergonomic pivoting foot pedals that reduce joint stress and eliminate the heel slap that can cause toe numbness and sore arches.Heart Rate Control with Wireless Chest Strap - The Agile DMT elliptical has ergonomically positioned handgrip pulse monitors so you can conveniently track your pulse when you are not wearing the strap. The unit also comes with a wireless chest strap so you can automatically adjust the intensity of your workouts to control your heart pumping at the rate you set.13 Preset Programs.Water Bottle Holder - The Smooth Agile DMT elliptical offers a convenient water bottle holder for your most intense treadmill workouts.Electromagnetic Brake System - The superior technology of electromagnetic brakes the Agile DMT elliptical trainer allows for smooth transitions and stops even during strenuous workouts.Patented Lite Touch Thumb Control - Simply and easily adjust the intensity and motion of your workout without taking your hands off the handlebars.
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