Bionic Body Compact Under Desk Elliptical Stepper Review

Packaging

First off, when I saw the package for the Bionic Body Compact Under Desk Elliptical Stepper on the porch, I was a bit surprised by the large size.  Then when I moved it in the house, I discovered how heavy it was.  The packaging was fantastic, though.  They had bracing on every corner and straps around the package so it was protected from busting open.  You typically only see this type of effort on oversized packages

Note:  I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.

Instructions

The instructions for putting the “elliptical stepper” together were straight forward.  It is just a matter of connecting the base to the body, the pedals to the base, and a cover to one end of the base.  It is 11 bolts and 2 screws.  It took less than 10 minutes to get up and running. That being said, the instructions for using the device are practically nonexistent.   They have a section in the manual about the “computer”,  but I am still not sure how to turn it completely off.   It seems to go into a sleep mode on its own after a while, though.

The instructions talk about stretching, warming up, and cooling down, but there is very little information about actually using the device.  However, use seems pretty straight forward.  There is a lever you use to adjust the resistance and it goes from easy to difficult by sliding it up.  In the photos, they show the model using this device standing up.  I don’t think the elliptical motion has enough range (the circular pattern is too small) for it to be useful when standing up.  I can’t stand up, use the device and use the resistance bands at the same time.  It feels very awkward.   I am 6’5, so I have a longer stride than most, but I can’t see this as being very good exercise for most people.   I had a 5 foot 7 inch person test it and they had the same issues I had while standing.  The instructions say this should be placed 24 inches from walls or other objects, but if you go that route, you won’t have anything to grab onto if you lose your balance.  I tested it next to a heavy bookshelf and it made it easier to get and stay upright.

Sitting Exercise

Since I will never use it standing up, I put it next to my work chair and tried it sitting down.  I find it to be much more useful when sitting.  It is a bit bulky for putting under a desk, but I can push my chair back so my knees aren’t under the desk and use a wireless keyboard and mouse to make it easy to still get work done.   You can’t rest the keyboard on your lap, since your legs are going up and down, so if you plan to use it while working, you may need to figure out how you will manage that.  I have a small Apple keyboard that I can hold with my left hand while typing with my right.  I am using the elliptical stepper at home, so work productivity isn’t a major concern.  

One other thing to consider is the weight.  The stepper weighs 37 pounds, so if you put it under a desk, you may not want to move it out when you aren’t using it.  That means you will be giving up a lot of leg and feet room when you aren’t using the device. While the manual recommends that you utilize two people to move it, I found it manageable to move by myself because it has a handle built into the top of the unit.  However, I still wish they had included rollers on one end so you could just lift up one end and roll it from pace to place.  
Note:  I get paid commissions for purchases made through any links to Amazon products in this post.

Things I Like 

The things I like about the product is that I can burn calories while working at my desk, watching TV, or just sitting around.  I wear size 14 shoes and my feet fit into the pedals without an issue.  I found its compact design convenient in my small home office.   I also like the fact that you can rotate the pedals in either direction, so you can work different muscles.  The ability to adjust the resistance is a great feature, too.  The ease of setup was also very nice, my standard sized elliptical machine took almost 3 hours to put together.  (As a side note, I could barely move the pedals when I first used it.  I found out that you have to have some momentum to get over the top of the circular pattern.  It helps to have one pedal just on the other side of the peak of the circle when you begin, so you will have momentum when the other foot approaches the peak of the circle.)

Things I Don't Like

The things I don’t like is that they have so many photos with the model using this standing up.  I can’t imagine that very many people will find it useful for that type of use.  I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone planning to use it that way.    One thing I thought was strange is that the Amazon page says this is for people that weight 250 pounds and under.  However, the warning sticker says 300 pounds is the max.   Also, if you use it while sitting, I doubt that body weight comes into play because most of your weight is in the chair.  My other main concern is the noise that it makes.  In the video I posted, you can hear how it makes noise with every rotation.  The video shows me using it on carpet, but I have tested it on hardwood and the sound is still there, if not as loud as it is on carpet.  If you want to use this in a work environment, it is probably okay for office use, but if you are in a room with others, it could bother your coworkers.  I have used it while watching TV and it isn’t so loud that it was a problem.  

Resistance Bands

The resistance bands that came with the device are somewhat useful if you are using the machine to exercise while sitting.  You can do bicep curls and other arm exercises, but it would have been nice if they had included some suggested exercises in the manual.

Quick Wrap Up

So, I will happily be using the Bionic Body Compact Under Desk Elliptical Stepper with Magnetic Resistance Tubes NS-1009 under my desk at home and next to my desk at home.  I won’t  be using it for standing because I feel that it isn’t a worthwhile use of the stepper.