Burn More Fat! Top-Rated Treadmills and Elliptical Machines

Let's be honest, most of us don't really know what we're getting for our buck when it comes to purchasing pricey fitness equipment. And since treadmills and ellipticals are not all created equal, it pays to do your homework and try before you buy any equipment for home usage. Oh, and don't forget to use it once you have it home.

In their well-researched report, "Get Fit In 2010," a team of health and fitness experts for Consumer Reports Health division examined the best exercise machines for the buck and rated their top picks, below. Experts looked at treadmills and elliptical machines, the most popular at-home cardio equipment, that have pre-determined programs (hill, manual, etc.), and keys to modify speed, inclines and duration.

Treadmills: Testers tried 29 treadmills, analyzing ease of use, ergonomics, exercise range, quality and durability of construction and safety. Prices range from about $500 to $3,300. Users want a clear display with easy-to-use controls, and a machine that is easy to adjust with a variety of workout levels. A good display shows a combination of your heart rate, calories burned, speed, and incline levels, and details such as time and distance. Also, consider the machine's speed and incline. The top speed on the models tested ranged from 8 miles per hour to 12 miles per hour. Look for treadmills with programs that allow you to adjust routines based on your fitness level and have heart-rate-controlled workouts that consider age, weight and gender.

Here were the winners:
Top 5 Treadmills

1. Precor 9.31 ($3,300)
2. Landice L7 Cardio Trainer ($3,300)
3. PaceMasterPlatinum Pro VR ($2,000)
4. True PS300 ($2,400)
5. Vision T9500 Deluxe ($2,400)

* One budget fold-up model Consumer Reports Health also recommends is the Bowflex 7-Series ($1,500).

Ellipticals: Testers pedaled 22 machines to evaluate exercise range, construction, safety, and ergonomics. Prices ranged from about $300 to $3,700. The pricier versions have far sturdier designs and more features. Most let you adjust the resistance to determine the intensity of your workout using an electronic resistance control. But some machines have mechanical controls that tend to be cumbersome and work poorly. Recently, newer ellipticals have innovative design features that allow you to adjust the incline and stride length. Some machines even allow you to adjust the incline enough to do a step-climbing-style workout. Many also have inputs for MP3 players.

Top 5 Ellipticals

1. Diamondback 1260 Ef ($2,600)
2. Sole E35 ($1,300)
3. PaceMasterSilver XT ($2,200)
4. Octane Fitness Q37e ($2,800)
5. Precor 5.31 ($3,700)

That's Fit has a host of equipment-based workouts available online!

Fitness expert Nicole Dorsey Straff is a Los Angeles-based exercise physiologist and author, and frequently writes about diet, health and wellness.