Horizon Peak Trainer HT5.0 Elliptical Trainer

Bowflex Challenged, Horizon Answered!

When it comes to in-home fitness, new machines are being introduced at break-neck speed. With new fitness innovations like the MaxTrainer from Bowflex and the ProForm HIIT Trainers, you can believe that Horizon wasn’t going to be left in the dust.

They built on the idea of a single machine combining the benefits of an elliptical and a stair-stepper into one HIIT workout beast.  Meet the new Horizon Peak Trainer HT5.0.

According to Horizon, using the machine for 20-minute HIIT workouts will burn more calories, build lean muscle and have you in your best shape ever. To be more specific, Horizon claims when used with their Sprint-8 HIIT programming, the Peak Trainer can trim body fat by up to 27% and significantly reduce bad cholesterol in eight weeks.

As with all claims on workout equipment, it is worth noting the “individual results may vary” disclaimer. If you aren’t adopting a healthy lifestyle to go along with your healthy workout routine, you probably aren’t going to look like the people in the promo video.

So let’s look at what this machine has to offer:

Features on the Horizon Peak Trainer HT5.0

• Less Wear and Tear for Your Body – The Peak Trainer offers a tough workout that is also low impact to save your joints. This cuts down on the potential for injury and is great for those that may already suffered a set-back. This is accomplished by using Horizon’s exclusive suspension design which delivers a smooth use no matter how much you challenge yourself.
• Less Wear and Tear on the Machine –  Horizon utilizes design elements to reduce wear and tear on the machine as well. By eliminating tracks and wheels, there is less friction and noise created during use. This results in less wear on the machine so you can take advantage of its benefits for longer.
• Full Body Workout – The elliptical / stair-stepper motion that you get with the Peak Trainer HT5.0 is certainly going to get you a lower body workout, but the benefits extend above the waist. There are two places for you to hold on with your hands, one of them is stationary and the other moves back and forth in tandem with your legs. When you are also have to push and pull with your arms, you are having to stabilize yourself by engaging your core. These coordinated motions mean you are getting a full-body workout all at once, which does save you time in the long run.

• Horizon Sprint 8 – Sprint 8 is the pre-programmed high-intensity interval training that comes on the Peak Trainer HT5.0. Each workout done using Sprint 8 is 20 minutes and Horizon claims you will see results if you do them three times a week. HIIT workouts are shown to help burn more fat and build muscle in a shorter period of time, so these claims do have some scientific backing behind them.
• Pre-programmed Workouts – Using Sprint 8 isn’t your only option for a routine when you hop on the Peak Trainer. You will also find some of the traditional programs that come on most any in-home equipment. Try out Calorie Burn, Weight Loss or Distance. And, of course, you have the manual option to just design your own workout.
• Compact Design – The slim and trim design on the Peak Trainer is ideal if you live in a smaller space or just don’t want to have a huge piece of exercise equipment taking up space in your home. The Peak Trainer is smaller than a treadmill or an elliptical, measuring in at just 47” x 28” of floor space.
• Max User Weight – With a max weight recommendation of 300 lbs, this machine may be small, but its heavy duty construction means it can accommodate most users.
• Stride Length – Like a stair-stepper, when we talk about stride length on the Peak Trainer we are talking about vertical stride. Unlike an elliptical that simulates a forward and back motion, the Peak Trainer is all up and down, a full 12” of up and down. This may not seem like a lot at first, but keep in mind the average stair is only about 7”.
• 10 Resistance Levels – The 10 resistance levels on the Peak Trainer guarantee you a challenge no matter what your ability level. This is another aspect of the Peak Trainer that ties in with its focus on HIIT workouts. Speed and time are just two parts of a well-rounded HIIT workout, changing resistance completes the picture.

Our Review of the Horizon Peak Trainer HT5.0

It is always exciting to see new at-home exercise equipment hit the market. The ability to better yourself from the comfort of home is great, and having options outside of a treadmill and/or elliptical opens up new opportunities.

Recently we have seen multiple companies introduce hybrid-style machines that pack more punch into a smaller package. Not one to be left behind, we now have the Peak Trainer HT5.0 from Horizon. Similar to the Bowflex MaxTrainer and the ProForm HIIT Trainers, the Peak Trainer combines the benefits of an elliptical and a stair-stepper into a single HIIT training machine.

As with all of these new, more-intense machines, it comes with claims of how much fat it’s going to burn in a short period of time. Horizon claims that by using the Peak Trainer for just 20 minutes a day, three times a week, you will cut your body fat by 27% in eight weeks.

While we know the fat burning benefits of HIIT workouts, these are incredibly specific numbers and it’s probably safe to say that there may be a little more involved in reaching them. That’s most likely why the claim is accompanied by a disclaimer that “individual results will vary”. Always remember that your fitness is a multi-faceted system that includes not only exercise, but healthy eating and lifestyle choices.

All of that being said, there are certainly some very tempting benefits that go with the Peak Trainer.

First and foremost, you get a truly full-body workout that is low impact on your joints. The exclusive suspension system delivers a smooth ride that reduces wear and tear on your body. You can also use the moving hand holds to engage your arms and core at the same time as your legs.

You will also get the Horizon Sprint 8 programming only on with the Peak Trainer HT5.0.  It’s not offered on machines from Bowflex and ProForm. Sprint 8 is specifically designed to deliver HIIT workouts that will get your muscles firing and blood pumping in just 20 minutes. This program is only available on the Peak Trainer HT5.0.

If you live in a smaller space, or don’t like your exercise equipment taking up valuable floor space, the Peak Trainer may be just what you’re looking for. With a footprint of just 47” x 28” the Peak Trainer is much smaller than an elliptical or treadmill in terms of floor space.

Unlike most in-home equipment, the Peak Trainer does not come with a fancy touchscreen display. It does have a tablet rack if you want to watch Netflix, but since this machine is built for faster, more intense workouts, you probably won’t be needing much extra entertainment.

Overall, the Peak Trainer embodies everything that we have come to expect from this new generation of in-home exercise equipment. It works your whole body harder, gets your faster results and takes less time out of your day.

One area where the Peak Trainer is leaps and bounds ahead of the others we mentioned is price. The Peak Trainer is going to cost you about $899, which is up to $500 less than the ProForm machines’ regular price, and a whopping $1700 less than some of the Bowflex MaxTrainers.

With that in mind, if you are looking to turn up the intensity on your fitness game, the Horizon Peak Trainer should be the first place you look. Learn more and see if it’s right for you.

To learn more, check out HorizonFitness.com.