Life Fitness E3 Elliptical Machine Review
Life Fitness E3 Elliptical
Web Price: $2,999 | Sale Price: $2,999
A step up from the base E1 cross trainer with the innovative Coach Zone guide, multi grip handles and cushioned pedals among other touches and features. A commercial-grade machine built for home use.
Resistance:
20
FootPrint:
82″ L x 34″ W x 61″ H
Get the E3 Elliptical On Sale Now at the Life Fitness Store!
Overview: The Life Fitness E3 is a step up from the base E1 elliptical trainer with additional features including Coach Zone and multi grip handle choices. The E3 brings a gym-quality machine right into your home environment.
Let’s look at some of the main features…
Coach Zone
A special feature not found on the base E1 crosstrainer, Coach Zone technology guides you through your workout to help motivate and target different muscle groups to ramp up your workouts and maximize your results.
Multiple Console Selection
As on the other models, the Life Fitness E3 elliptical gives you the choice of two different consoles. There’s the basic Go Console, with 12 workouts built into the machine as well as 2 custom workouts and 2 different user profiles. There’s also the upgraded Track Connect Console, with 16 built in workouts as well as 12 custom workouts and 4 different user profiles. With the Track Connect you can plug in your smart phone or tablet and track all of your workouts. You can also plug in your iPod to listen to music. You’ll pay about $450 more for the Track Connect console, but most user reviews say it’s well worth the price for what you get.
Multi-Grip Handlebars
Another unique feature not found on the E1 or the similar X1 trainer is the multi grip handle which enables you to choose from a variety of positions to find your ideal grip. You can change it up during a workout or try different grips each time you train.
Other Benefits
In addition to the unmatched quality you get from Life Fitness, the E3 comes with contact heart rate sensors as well as a wireless chest strap for accurate monitoring, WhisperStride technology for smooth, quiet workouts and cushioned pedal inserts for increased comfort and reduced stress on the joints.
Life Fitness E3 Test Drive
As we’ve come to expect with Life Fitness, the E3 is a solid elliptical trainer that makes you feel like you are in the gym…it has that sturdy construction, functional design…a machine you know can stand up to years and years of heavy use. And this is what you are paying for. You’re truly getting a fitness club crosstrainer in your home.
And it’s not just the way it looks. The workout feels identical. Stepping on and grabbing the handlebars, it just feels solid and secure. The WhisperStride technology keeps everything very smooth and very quiet, even at higher intensity levels. The 20″ stride, although not adjustable, was ample for all of us. We also appreciated the cushioned pedal inserts that the E1 and X1 models do not have. The multi grip handles are a nice touch as well…it’s sort of like a D-shaped extension on the regular handles so you can find a spot that works best for you or vary it up as you work out.
We had the Go Console on this one, which doesn’t have the entertainment features of the Track + console, but it’s perfectly fine and if you don’t need those features you can save yourself a few hundred dollars. The workouts are challenging and varied and the blue LCD display gives you all of the workout metrics you need including heart rate, distance, time, calories burned and resistance level. The wireless heart rate monitoring strap works well and gives you a more accurate picture than the hand grips do.
All in all, we enjoyed our workouts on the Life Fitness E3 crosstrainer. It might not have all of the bells and whistles, but it can’t be beat for a good, solid workout. And that’s really why you are on the machine in the first place.
Conclusion
Although it’s on the pricey side, the E3 elliptical from Life Fitness is a great machine for those looking to bring a health club level trainer into their home gym.
The addition of the Coach Zone and multi-grip handles add another dimension to your workouts, but if you don’t need these features definitely take a look at the X1 and E1 models which will save you some money. We would however recommend the Track Connect Console, regardless of which model you end up with, as it does give you the ability to track your workouts which is helpful, as well as listen to music which helps move the workout along and adds to your enjoyment.