How to Convert Elliptical Strides to Miles

Most elliptical machines keep track of how many strides you take during your workout, but some models neglect to display the distance you've traveled. Thinking about distance in terms of miles instead of strides can be useful for making cross-workout comparisons, such as comparing an elliptical workout to a treadmill run. Calculate the distance you travel based on the distance of each stride.

Look up your elliptical machine's fixed stride distance, measured in inches, if the length is not adjustable. Most fixed distance elliptical machines feature a stride length between 16 and 21 inches long, although machines for tall users range up to 29 inches long.

Measure the distance in inches between the front of the elliptical foot plate at its farthest point forward and farthest point back to estimate the machine's stride length if accurate information isn't provided by the manufacturer.

Divide the stride length into 63,360, which is the number of inches in a mile. The resulting figure is the number of strides that you must take to travel a mile on your elliptical machine.

For instance, a machine with a stride length of 20 inches requires 63,360 inches divided by 20 inches = 3,168 strides to travel one mile.

Divide the total number of strides that you take during your workout by the strides per mile figure that you just calculated to find total distance covered.

For instance, if you take 5,000 steps on an elliptical with a 20 inch stride length then you will cover 5,000 divided by 3,168 = about 1.58 miles traveled.

Warnings

When purchasing a non-adjustable elliptical machine pick a model that has a stride length similar to your natural walking stride length. A close match between the machine's stride and your natural stride is important for an effective lower body workout with minimal risk of overextension.