I thought I would post a video of where my desk setup is as we head into 2025. I plan to record a second video of the rest of the space in the next month or so.
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PackagingFirst 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. InstructionsThe 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 ExerciseSince 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 LikeThe 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 LikeThe 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 BandsThe 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 UpSo, 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. ![]() As I mentioned on the "Mac Attack" page, I mainly created this website after reading sites like "Sweet Mac Setups". I found that site and others to be an inspiration when I was setting my home office and I was hoping to inspire others with a detailed description of my office. Unfortunately, "Sweet Mac Setups" hasn't seen an update in a long, long time. As a result, I have switched to reading "Use This" . While "Use This" is very interesting, I wish they had photos of some of these setups. Unfortunately, the site only includes a pic of the person interviewed, so you have to imagine the work area they are describing. Last week, I was approached by the author of a site called "What They Use" for an interview about my office. I checked out the site and it has photos with an accompanying interview. My setup is featured at "What They Use/Derek, iMac+MBP+Mac Mini, Photo & Audio Work". However, I would also recommend browsing the other setups because it is interesting to see how others are using their setups. I will be bookmarking the site because I LOVE reading about setups for inspiration and just out of curiosity. ![]() The picture of my "home office" has gotten quite a bit of notoriety around the web. I discuss this space at length on the Mac Attack page, but I wanted to address some of the negative comments I have seen around the web related to the space. The negative comments I have seen are either from minimalists or from your typical jerks that feel empowered by posting anonymously on the web. There are definitely a lot of trolls out there, however, I am going to address these comments with the idea that they are into minimalism and why I am not. Minimalism, according to wiki is "any design or style wherein the simplest and fewest elements are used to create the maximum effect." "Maximum effect" is in the eye of the user/viewer, but I have seen many offices based on some version of this concept in the past. In the photos I have seen, the setting is often faked. In other words, they hide the printer, router, cables, wires, and anything else that might take away from the concept. If the "maximum effect" is to have an uncluttered pic, then I guess it could be considered successful. However, for "maximum effect" in my home office (sometimes called a "man cave"), I needed more than that. The negative comments are usually some form of the question "how can you work in an area with so much going on"? The answer is pretty simple. I concentrate on the task at hand. I leave the TV off while I am working. If I have a job to do, I don't piddle around with other things. If I am working from home, I want to get to it and get it over with. Have you ever read a book in the same room that you keep a TV or stereo? Same concept. I have also heard people say there is too much clutter to get anything done. The photo makes the desk look like there is very little space for actual work. In reality, there is a lot of space to work. The desk is actually about 60 inches wide and 43 inches deep. It leaves a ton of space for working. While I don't work with crafts, the space is plenty for folders, paper, stapler, and the few other items I use in addition to the computer. The picture above shows a pic of the most current setup. While I don't keep the laptop in the room, when I work, I move it into the office since it has Win7 installed and I need it for "real" work. The Wacom tablet is about 15 x 10. It slides under the iMac when it isn't being used. This, combined with the fact that one of the monitors can be swung completely off the desk, thanks to an Ergotron mount, leaves me quite a bit of space to work. Keep in mind that the iPad isn't glued to the desk, so it can be moved. I had a roll top desk in the room before and this gives me about four times as much empty space as the roll top with nothing on it. I don't even need that much space, but it came in handy when I ripped several of my DVDs to Vudu. Actually, there is more empty space on this desk than the one I have at work. At the office, I have a ten key, phone, stapler, two large monitors, a radio, a fan, papers, and a notepad on the desk, and it leaves me with a lot less space than I have here. If you think this area is cluttered, you should visit an office where people work. While I do have areas of the house that I can take my laptop and not have anything else around (see above), I don't really see the need for it. I have no issues with concentrating on work in my office.
That all being said, anyone that has looked at the room can see that it isn't used just for work. It is more of a "man cave" space where I go to edit photos, listen to music, play the occasional game, watch a program, strum a guitar, or do whatever else I want to do. Yeah, I can do most of these things in my living room, but occasionally I like to be in my own space. The entire space, as I have mentioned before, is based around my hobbies, especially audio. Yeah, I do real work in there on occasion, but I refuse to let work take over space in my home. This room was not designed around work. The other reason I did not design the space for minimalism is because I wanted the space to have personality. The pictures, stuffed animals, SpudTroopers, and other non-essential items in the room (some call it clutter) tell you more about me than an empty room with a laptop and a desk. Most of the stuff is meaningful to me. The basset hound sitting on the SACD rack reminds me of a trip to Graceland. The signed B&W Elvis photo reminds me of the day that I met Alfred Wertheimer at the Memphis Zoo when the Panda exhibit opened. The Hatch Show Prints remind me of a trip to Nashville to see the famous letterpress print shop. The stuffed tigers are gifts I have received over the years. One of them provides cushioning for my guitar. The sterile rooms without personality are boring to me. A robot could live in those type of spaces for all I know. I don't spend my time commenting on sites about how these minimal setups are boring, cold, and lifeless. I don't necessarily think they look bad in photos. However, if I want to listen to quality sound from a computer and want both speakers and headphones, I am going to need to take up space with speakers, DACs, amps, and headphones. I suppose I could live with a pair of earbuds plugged into a laptop, like a lot of people, but that idea just doesn't inspire me. If you are happy in an minimalist styled room, that is your business. I just prefer a more inspiring space with personality that excels in many different areas. |
About me:Dog loving, Big Green Egg worshiping, Tech enthusiast, residing in Memphis, TN. Home of the Tigers, Grizzlies, Elvis, Al Green, Stax, Hi Records, Ardent Studios, Beale Street, Peabody Ducks, etc.. I have also added the Jeep Wrangler to the list of things I am enthusiastic about. Archives
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