Customer Reviews

Life Fitness X5 Elliptical Cross-Trainer with Advanced Workout Console

5 star:		(2)
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I used a Precor at my local YMCA facility for over four years, so I knew that I was going to stick with workouts on an elliptical. After getting tired of the outing to the gym every day or two (not to mention their increasingly-nasty showers), I decided to get an elliptical for home.

I tried out several at various exercise shops. I checked out a home version of the Precor, which wasn't bad, although it was pretty expensive and had a console that was only fair.

After reading some gushing articles about it, I tried a Keys Fitness CenterG, which was just awful. Overpriced, short stride, and a mediocre console. I felt like a bobble-head doll on it as I bounced around. It was so bad, I went back and re-read the articles to see where the disconnect was. It appears that those articles were simply marketing plants. That brand has now pretty much vanished from the scene.

But the CenterG did me a favor, because the machine right next to it was a Life Fitness X5. I tried it out, and decided right then and there it would be the machine I would get.

The main reasons at that point were the smoothness and the adjustable stride. This machine is quiet. My wife came through the house as I was exercising and commented about how she could easily hear my breathing but could barely hear the machine.

I like the adjustable stride because, even though I'm a bit below average height, I have a longer than normal stride. I have settled in on the 22" stride after checking out both 20" and 24". (I knew the 18" would be too short for me.) But I use the 24" as a change of pace sometimes. Let's face it - exercise on any machine is boring and repetitions, so anything that breaks up the monotony is good.

I got the advanced console (which this Amazon item has) and it's pretty good. Not perfect; I don't think their distance measurement makes much sense for example. Maybe their algorithm doesn't take the adjustable stride into account or something, but I'm pretty sure that at the pace I'm exercising, if I were out on a real street I would go more than 2 miles in half an hour.

The workouts are OK, but I don't have a use for most of them. I use the Random and Hill Climb mostly. You can set up your own manual workout regimen, and I keep telling myself I'll try that but I have not yet.

The hand-grip pulse monitor is quite good, especially for a home machine. It's as good as any I've used in a gym. Plus there is the chest strap that does an even better job. I don't really understand how it works, because it appears to have no power source, but it tracks heartbeat extremely well.

Other nice touches include dual cup holders and a ridge on the console so it will hold a book.

This machine costs quite a chunk of change. If you're not sure you're going to commit to using it, then don't get it. Try out a gym membership for a few months. But when you are sure you want a home machine, and you want one that's high quality for a long-term exercise program, this is a good choice.

Motion: Very natural and the deciding feature of this purchase. I compared this model to the precor machines. The precor machines are very nice but their stride feels 'restricted' to me and I just could never feel 100% natural on it. Not only is the x5s (and the x7s) stride very natural, but it is adjustable to fit my 5'6" wife and my 6'1" height (from 18-24" in 2" increments). The machine is very quiet- no problem watching TV on this machine.

Quality: Feels very high. I've only had it for 2-3 months but it works flawless and is very heavy (and comes with a nice long warranty just in case). Certainly at this price point the thing had better last a long long time...

Console: Ok I guess. Nothing fancy like a tv, but no true high end elliptical will have that junk built in. I do use the polar H.R. strap along with the cardio workout routine. It adjusts the tension to keep your HR up- pretty cool. The console itself seems cheaper than the overal machine, but I'm sure it will hold up fine overall. You can program 2 peoples settings (sex, weight, height, exercise goals, etc) into the machine which is nice.

Amazon purchase: I ended up buying this through amazon due to the significant $$ savings. It cost about $1000 less if you factor in taxes and everything. It took maybe 1.5 weeks to get it in. Overall a good buying experience.

Bottom line, if you want an elliptical to USE (not a coat hanger), then you need a high quality elliptical and should plan on spending at least $1000++ (with true high end machines running 2,000-5,000). Precor and life fitness are the top 2. TRY them out, find the one that fits YOU best, and spend some $$, and USE it- your health is worth it.