Life Fitness Elliptical Machine Reviews

A global leader in the fitness industry, Life Fitness has been innovating new and unique fitness equipment for over 40 years, starting with their very first model, the LifeCycle, the very first electronic stationary bike. Founders of Life Fitness Augie Nieto and Ray Wilson first purchased the design for the world's first electric stationary bike in 1970, marketing it as the LifeCycle. By 1991, Bally Total Fitness sold Life Fitness to investors for $62.5 million, and in June of 1998, Life Fitness was finally acquired by Brunswick Corporation, sellers of a number of other products whose headquarters is currently located in Lake Forest, Illinois.

Today, Life Fitness manufactures, designs, and sells both commercial and residential fitness equipment. The Life Fitness cardio product line features treadmills, elliptical cross-trainers, stair climbers and exercise bikes, while the strength line of equipment features the Hammer Strength brand line of plate-loaded and circuit series equipment.

Life Fitness is known for its innovation in both the design and look of their equipment. Their elliptical cross-trainers are popular for their incredibly quiet and almost noiseless Eddy Current system, ergonomically sound design, and attractive consoles. Currently, Life Fitness offers the X series of elliptical cross-trainers as well as the Club Series and Platinum Club Series for online at-home purchase.

E Series of Elliptical Cross-Trainers:

If you want a fast and effective way to get fit at home, the E-Series of elliptical cross-trainers by Life Fitness is the way to go. These machines are designed to give you a maximum level of comfort while being convenient and easy to use. You’ll find three different models in this line up including the E1 for those just starting, the E3 for intermediates, and the E5 for those who are more advanced.

These models have varying features depending on which you choose and also come with different price points as well.

The Go Console is the lower cost of the options and gives you basic programming along with the ability to store two user profiles. It offers a sleek and modern design and offers some basic programming capabilities.

The Track + Console on the other hand is the more expensive option of the mix and gives you interactive workout programs, Bluetooth capabilities, four different user profiles, as well as a wide variety of different workout programs. If you like to be in charge of your fitness level, this is the console for you.

The prices of these will range from $2199 to $4948 depending on the options you select so there is something for every budget.

Regardless of which machine you choose, you will get a blue back-lit LCD display along with a place to put your water bottle and an audio jack.

Life Fitness Ellipticals also give you the Coach Zone program, which is a special program that allows you to pick and choose which areas of the body you want to put the most emphasis on, which will then dictate the type of training given out by the machine. This is a fantastic way to really customize your workout and ensure that it’s going to give you the absolute best results possible.

The three different Life Fitness Elliptical all come with a stride length of 20 inches, however if you need more, you can jump to the E5, which gives a variable stride length of between 18-24 inches depending on your needs.

You’ll get a weight capacity of 350-400 pounds with these machines, ensuring that you are going to feel well supported by its sturdy frame and heavy flywheel. From this weight rating, you also know the drive system is very strong and should be able to keep up to any intensity you desire for your workout session.

The warranty on these machines is set to three year’s coverage on parts coupled with one year coverage on labor.

X Series of Elliptical Cross-Trainers:

Moving on, we come to the X Series. This is a group of rear drive elliptical models that also feature the Track + Console or the Go Elliptical Console. You’ll find the X1, X3, and X5 in this offering and all of these will give you the WhisperStrideTM feature, which is a self-aligning ball bearing system and will ensure that you can exercise in complete silence – perfect for the home user.

The key difference between the consoles is that the Track+ gives you LF Connect, with both Apple and Android connectivity. It also features more custom and pre-designed workout programs and allow for multiple user profiles. The Go console is more basic, however will still get the job done and includes two user profile options.

The strides on these trainers are set to between 18 and 24 inches with the X5 giving you the option of having a customizable stride length.

The weight rating on the X series 300-400 pounds, indicating a durable and sturdy machine with great drive capabilities.

One unique thing about these is that they include oversized non-slip pedals, which will help give the user more security as they exercise and also offer FlexPedalTM integration, which helps improve the absorption system for the joints.

Overall, this is a great series for anyone looking to get into fantastic shape at home.

Club Series:

Next we come to the Club Series. This series is a more advanced series, similar to the Platinum Club series, which we’ll discuss next. These are very high quality machines, but do lack the entertainment features that you’ll see shortly.

This said, they do bring you Apple compatibility, and are still designed with a great durable build and with home user comfort and convenient in mind.

Because so many people loved the club series for commercial use, Life Fitness came out with this Club Series for residential users, so you get the same great quality but a lower priced machine.

With the machines in this series, you’ll be greeted with 20 resistance levels, which will ensure that you are always able to put your body to the test each and every workout you do. You’ll also get a heart rate monitoring system so that you can keep tabs on your workout efforts and a comfortable to use console that comes complete with cup holders a reading rack and a tray to store your fitness gear.

This model comes with their ErgoGripTM stationary handlebars which can give you support and completes your workout session.

The real only downside to this series is that it’s not so customizable and you can find other series models for home use at a similar price point.

Platinum Club Series:

Which now brings us to the Platinum Club Series Elliptical trainer models. These provide you with the option of either the Discover SE Tablet Console or the Discover SI Tablet Console, both of which are going to provide you with an amazing workout experience.

The price difference between the two however is $1500, so budget will likely be your determining factor. The Discover SE model is the pricier of the two and gives you a 16 inch LCD touch screen that has integrated TV and LifescapeTM Interactive course workouts. For those who are easily bored with their workout routine, this will be an unbeatable feature that will get used time and time again.

The Discover SI Model, on the other hand doesn’t have these advanced entertainment features that include TV and the ability to use the internet, but does still give you a 10 inch LCD touch screen, so is still miles ahead of some machines out there.

Both of these consoles will provide LF Connect, Apple, and Andriod compatability, so you are all set there.

The Platinum Club Series also has their QuietDrive TM feature so you can rest assured you won’t be making a lot of noise when you are doing your workout and can easily do this at home while other people are around.

All of the Life Fitness ellipticals are built with ergonomics in mind and will give you cup holders to store your water bottles and handlebars that are comfortable and easy to use.

Wireless heart rate tracking is another feature of these models as they use Polar Telemetry wireless heart rate monitoring and LifepulseTM digital contact heart rate monitoring in the handles.  Keeping tabs on your workout has never been easier.

The last benefit you’ll see with this series is that it offers an energy and power saving mode so you can use less power and keep your running costs down.

Brand Highlights

  • Frame: Durable commercial grade steel frame construction
  • Incline Controls: Controls built right into the ErgoGrip™ Stationary handlebars
  • Console: Varies in design but most offer Apple or Andriod compatibility and a number of customizable workouts
  • Customizable: Many top to mid-range models offer customizable features such as adjustable foot pedals and adjustable stride
  • Warranty: All trainers come with a lifetime warranty on the frame

Brand Lowlights

  • Console: Lacks basic features like a built-in fan; some lack oversized accessory trays or two cup holders
  • Customizable Options: Some of the most top of the line trainers lack adjustable pedals or adjustable stride, some with shorter strides of only 18 inches
  • Price: Some of the priciest trainers lack features that are included on the less expensive entry to mid-level trainers

Bottom Line

Life Fitness knows how to put on the bells and whistles, and while they build incredibly durable and well-designed trainers, they are also some of the most expensive elliptical cross-trainers on the market. Each trainer and each series is different so it is easy to choose the machine that is right for you, but if multiple people use these machines, look for adjustable and customizable options that not all trainers have. Another consideration is that these trainers do not fold up for easy storage and very few have wheels. With most of the trainers weighing in well over 200 pounds, this is also a consideration if you are working with smaller spaces. The verdict on the Life Fitness line of elliptical cross-trainers is that they can be a bit overpriced, but you in fact do get what you pay for when it comes to a reliable and durable trainer with top of the line features.

All Life Fitness Ellipticals

ImageModelRatingEstimated Price
Life Fitness Platinum Club Series FlexStrider Variable-Stride Trainer5-StarsSee Best Price
Life Fitness X1 Elliptical Cross-Trainer4-StarsSee Best Price
Life Fitness Platinum Club Series Elliptical Cross-Trainer4-StarsSee Best Price
Life Fitness E1 Elliptical Cross-Trainer4-StarsSee Best Price
Life Fitness E5 Elliptical Cross-Trainer4-StarsSee Best Price
Life Fitness E3 Elliptical Cross-Trainer4-StarsSee Best Price
Life Fitness Club + Series Elliptical Cross-Trainer4-StarsSee Best Price

1 Comment

  • Rob Crymes February 13, 2019 at 4:10 am from VA
    I’m a Soldier who works at the Pentagon. The Pentagon Fitness Center just installed probably 20 new machines. Most make a clunking noise and others are out of service. I would never buy anything from life fitness if that’s the quality. Absolutely terrible. Why would all of them break?

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