Life Fitness X1 vs E1 vs X3 Review

You may have seen Life Fitness commercial grade equipment in health clubs and gyms. You can enjoy the same quality in your own home and get a full body low-impact workout with their line of elliptical cross trainers. Let’s review three of the most popular models to see which one will be the best for you.

Life Fitness X1 Go Cross-Trainer

Life Fitness X1
Life Fitness X1

The Life Fitness X1 Go is the entry level elliptical trainer sold for home use. It works your whole body with its eddy current magnetic resistance system. There are 16 levels to choose from so it will take quite a while to outgrow this machine.

While you can’t adjust the pedals, the X1 has a 19-inch diameter stride. That’s the ideal size for most people from 5’6” to 6’ tall. Most users in this height range will find that their shoes fit fine, too. Shorter people may have to overreach and taller people may find that the shorter stride isn’t comfortable for them.

The super quiet Link 6 elliptical drive system is designed to allow for biomechanically correct movement. The pedal track and handlebars move in the most effective way possible to give the best workout and protect against injury.

As you exercise, you can follow certain statistics on the display of the control panel. It shows distance, RPM or speed, calories spent, level of difficulty, time passed, and weight, plus heart rate. There are 6 programs built-in: Challenge, Interval, Peak, Hill/slope, Random, and Manual. You can perform a full body cardio cross training workout, or exercise your lower body only by using the stationary handgrips.

You can use the heart rate monitoring system to track progress in cardio workouts. There are pulse measuring sensors embedded in the stationary handlebar grips.

The X1 Go needs to be plugged into an electrical outlet to operate. It does not come with wheels, but is designed as a stationary piece of equipment. It comes with floor levelers and has a very durable welded steel frame. The X1 supports users weighing up to 300 pounds.

More features of the Life Fitness X1 Go Cross Trainer:

  • Life Fitness offers a lifetime warranty on the frame,5-year warranty on the electrical and mechanical parts, and a 3-year warranty on the console Console: 3 year
  • Warranty includes 1-year for free labor
  • Comes with a water bottle holder mounted by the handlebars

 

Life Fitness E1 Go Cross-Trainer, Titanium

Life Fitness E1
Life Fitness E1

The first question most people have when they compare the X1 Go and the E1 Go is what arethe differences between them. Those go well beyond the darker coloring of the frame.

First, the E1 has a 20-inch diameter stride, one inch more than the X1. That makes the E1 suitable for users over 6’ tall but not as comfortable for persons under 5’6”.

Second, it comes with more workout programs, thirteen in total, plus 20 levels of resistance instead of 16. You can create separate user profiles for up to 2 users, including two user-designed programs.

Third, it can support users weighing up to 400 pounds. The pedals are not adjustable, but they are large enough to accommodate most shoe sizes.

Other than these points, the E1 is quite similar to the X1. It has the same whisper quiet 6 Link elliptical drive system so you can get a low impact full body workout, or just focus on your lower body by using the stationary handlebars.

More features of the Life Fitness E1 Go Cross Trainer:

  • Life Fitness offers a lifetime warranty on the frame,5-year warranty on the electrical and mechanical parts, and a 3-year warranty on the console Console: 3 year
  • Warranty includes 1-year for free labor
  • Comes with water bottle holders mounted by the handlebars

 

Life Fitness X3 Elliptical Cross-Trainer with Advanced Workout Console

Life Fitness X3
Life Fitness X3

The Life Fitness X3 is about the same size as the X1 Go. It’s similar in that it offers 16 levels of resistance and it can support users weighing up to 300 pounds. Although the pedals are not adjustable, they will fit most users. Like the E1 Go, it has a 20-inch diameter stride, perfect for taller users.

The advanced display and control panel has all the typical features. It shows your speed, calories burned, resistance level, time elapsed, heart rate, and weight. There is a water bottle holder and a reading rack for a book or tablet. But the X3 comes with a Polar Telemetry wireless chest strap. When you wear this while exercising, you can monitor your heart rate and target heart rate on the display, too. It also shows METs and watts.

Although there is no specific cardio program for working on your heart rate, the X3 comes with the standard 6 programs: Peak, Interval, Challenge, Random, Hill/Slope, and Manual (user-designed).In the control panel, you can save the name, age, weight, and preferences for multiple users. You can also keep custom exercise programs that each user designs.

With the two sets of handlebars, you can choose a low impact full body workout, or else focus only on your lower body. The stationary handlebars have built in digital Lifepulse sensors in their grips.

More features of the Life Fitness X3 Cross Trainer:

  • Life Fitness offers a lifetime warranty on the frame,5-year warranty on the electrical and mechanical parts, and a 3-year warranty on the console Console: 3 year
  • Warranty includes 1-year for free labor

 

Recommendation

Many fitness experts wouldn’t hesitate to recommend products made by Life Fitness. You could benefit from any of these three elliptical cross trainers because they can help you get a full workout without stressing your body’s joints. But you may need to consider a few of the details first.

If you are under 5’6” or over 6’ in height, measure your stride before purchasing an elliptical machine. The X1 has the smallest stride diameter at 19 inches. The E1 Go and the X3 have 20-inch diameter strides.

If you weigh up to 300 pounds, any of these three machines will work for you. If you weigh over 300 pounds, choose the E1.

If you want to monitor your heart rate, all three machines have this capacity. But the X3 may be the best for you since it shows both your heart rate and target heart rate, plus it comes with the Polar Telemetry wireless chest band.

Click here to Check out Life Fitness X1 Price on Amazon.com!

 

Click here to Check out Life Fitness E1 Price on Amazon.com!

 

Click here to Check out Life Fitness X3 Price on Amazon.com!

 

 

 

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