Yowza Pompano Elliptical Review

Yowza are probably one of the biggest fitness company’s that you have never heard of.  This is because they are not available in stores, only on line.  Because they can cut out the middle man they are able to make some great quality machines for a good price.  In this review we examine the Yowza Pompano a mid tier elliptical and part of the new Cardio Core range of ellipticals from Yowza.  I will come on to Cardio Core later in the review as it adds a feature that we have never seen before in other elliptical.
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Read on for our full Yowza Pompano Elliptical Review

As with all Yowza products, this has the build quality that is reflective of the whole range.

are little heard of company yet they make some fantastic machines.  This one, the Yowza Pompano is their entry level machine for their Cardio Core range of machines.  This means its available at a great factory direct price, with the build quality that goes all the way up the range.

Features of the Yowza Pompano

Sitting in the mid tier of the Yowza Cardio Core range this has a balanced range of features that you expect on a modern elliptical.

Cardio Core

As part of the Cardio Core range, the Pompano has patented rotating handle bars.  While they do take a little getting used to, after a few minutes you start to feel your core muscles start to work.  This is the only range of ellipticals that carry this feature, and due to the patent its likely that it will stay with Yowza.

Toned abs are what everyone wants from their workouts, the Cardio Core system works by targeting moment on the core muscles helping to sculpt them into great shape.

If you are looking for an elliptical that will do more than just arms and legs then any of the Cardio Core range make a great alternative.  If you check out our video below you will see how the cardio core works, developing fluid movement of legs, arms and torso.

Stride and Drive

In common with commercial gym ellipticals the Yowza is rear drive.  This give a true elliptical motion and is extremely comfortable to use.  Because the drive is behind you, the already quiet mechanics are virtually impossible to hear.  Most ellipticals have rollers to support the weight of the rider, the Yowza is roller-less, this all but eliminates the noise from the machine, letting you focus on the workout.

This mid level model is equipped with an 18″ stride that will exercise the whole leg. I’m 5’10” and found this perfect, although if you are over 6′ tall then you may benefit from the 20″ stride of the next model up.

As with all Yowza Ellipticals the motion is reversible.

Console

The console has to be one of the best I have seen on any of the current crop of ellipticals.  Most comments say how good the Pompano is to use, mainly due to how nice the feedback is.  Its great to know how hard you are working and see the effort do you good.  So the pompano can store up to 9 users details letting the whole family store their details separately.

With an easy to read back lit display you can workout in any light condition, and its not to bright as to be distracting.

It has a very luxurious feel to it.  All the buttons have a nice feel to them, are large and easy to use. We felt it was like driving a quality car with the thought and detail put into the design. Yowza have gone for a simple design, there is only a handful of buttons which keeps thing nice and simple to use.

Also built into the console is a 3 speed fan that does a great job of keeping you cool, plus a set of high end speakers.  These speakers are easily the best we have heard on any elliptical.

Workout Programs

The most useful function of any fitness equipment are the workout programs that come built in.  At the gym it common to hop on set the time and go, while just setting the resistance on the fly. To get the best of any workout its a great idea to use the built in fitness programs.  Especially those that use the heart rate to keep your workout in the best hear rate training zone for you.

Accessed via the console the Pompano has 9 built in programs, all easily accessible through the console.  They have all the usual programmes for distance, calories burned, time.  Some of the highlights for me is being able to key in exactly how many calories I want to burn in my workout, which the Pompano works out through my age, height and weight stored in my user profile.

All the programmes are based around a 16 minute workout.  Don’t worry if you want to go longer, its just that each workout – no matter how long, will be have 16 changes of resistance.  So a 32 minute workout will have a change every 2 minutes.  What we like about this is that it breaks the workout into chunks, and the warm ups and cool downs are tuned to your workout length.  Perfect for preventing injury.

Arguably the only thing holding this back from being perfect is a lack of Core workout programs.  You will always be able to access the core workout feature we just feel that a nice addition would be a way of having some tailor made programs for the core.

Ride Comfort

Without doubt the stand out feature of this elliptical is the Cardio Core rotation handlebars.  While this may be the entry model of the cardio core range Yowza have not skimped on the offer.

Along with the programs there are 16 levels of resistance that are easily programmable.  These can be used to vary the workout and use high resistance at low speed, and vary it with low resistance at high speed.  This will target a wider range of muscles than just setting the resistance and leaving it through the workout.  By targeting different muscles you will maximise the benefit to your body, over time this will develop a great toned look.

We also like the pivot pedals fitted to the Pompano.  Most ellipticals have fixed pedals, as you can see in the video the pedals actually rotate with the movement of the elliptcla.  This does not lower the effectiveness of the workout, what it does do is limit the stress on your joints – ankles and knees.  By keeping your feet in a natural position through the workout its far more comfortable, and you don’t feel the ‘lifting’ of the feet, common on other machines.

Easy to move, despite the weight of the machine located at the back, its very easy to lift onto two travel wheels located at the front.  So you can move the machine out of the way after the workout.

Ipad Dock

These days no fitness equipment is complete without some ‘on board entertainment’.  The power of modern tablets has fortunately moved things on massively on this front.  Gone are the days of cheesy graphics built into the displays of the elliptical.  With the iPhone interface built into the Pompano you can access all your own music, and play it through the speakers.

Heart Rate

For any cardio workout the heart rate is the most important thing to keep track of.  There are two ways that the Pompano can detect this.  The first is through the grip detectors that you can see in the image.  The downside of this method is that while you have your hands on the grips they are static, and you lose the benefit of one of the best features of this machine, the Cardio Core.  The solution is to grab a polar chest strap, these are only about $30 and are a huge benefit.  They allow a constant monitoring of your heart rate, and feed the information back to the machine.  By keeping your heart rate in the training zone you will get the best out of each and every workout.  If you don’t have a chest strap we would really recommend the investment.

Other Features

• Warranty: Pompano is lifetime for the frame and braking system, 5 years parts and electronics, and 2 years in home labor
• Maximum user weight is: 330 lbs or 150 kg

Alternatives to the Yowza Pompano:

	Product name	Rating	Price
	Best Fitness E1 Elliptical Trainer by Body Solid		$1,045.00	Learn more >>>
	Horizon Fitness EX-59-02 Elliptical Trainer		$699.00	Learn more >>>
	Nautilus E616 Elliptical Trainer		$999.00	Learn more >>>
	Schwinn 430 Elliptical Machine (2016)		$649.00	Learn more >>>
	Yowza Fitness Pompano Cardio Core Elliptical Trainer Machine		Click to see	Learn more >>>

What are other users saying about the Yowza Pompano?

“I get to see all kinds of elliptical machines in hotels. Those are usually industrial grade machines and I can say that this is better than any elliptical I have ridden in any hotel. It has better motion, quieter and has more options. We’re extremely happy and completely satisfied with it.” Kirk of Lindenhurst, IL

“The machine is very high quality and working well so far. Yowza is reliable.” Mike of Columbia, MO

Read more consumer reviews Click here to read more about the Yowza Pompano

Pros and Cons of the Yowza Pompano

Pros

• This is a well built sturdy elliptical that will give years of reliable service
• Cardio Core will provide a workout unlike any other elliptical on the market
• Good Price for a mid range elliptical

Cons

• Really needs a chest strap to get the most of the fitness programmes
• No adjustable stride or incline

Our Verdict on the Yowza Pompano Elliptical:

This is clearly a high quality machine, we have really enjoyed reviewing it.  As an entry level machine (of a high end range) it has a high quality feel, excellent ride and great build standards.  What it lacks is an adjustable stride length and incline which is fixed at 35% which are available in the higher end models.   For us these are not issues, as overall the advantages of the core strength builder balanced these off.

Overall though Yowza Ellipticals are a great manufacturer, and this machine gets top marks for quality and ride.  If you are looking for great results with out paying over the odds for gimmicks that you may not use then the Yowza Pompano we have reviewed here is a great choice.