Life Fitness Lower-Body Arc Trainer Review
If you are someone who is looking to improve your cardio or general lower body fitness but don’t particularly care about/have already got a fit upper body, the market might seem abandoned. However, Life Fitness has come up with a solution and created two separate machines, the Total-Body Arc Trainer and the Lower-Body Arc Trainer. The Life Fitness Lower-Body Arc Trainer (almost identical to Cybex 750A) seeks to help those focus on their lower body and get some real challenges. But is it worth it?
That’s what we’re here to look at. We’re going to examine the various elements of the Lower-Body Arc trainer and see how it does. These elements include resistance, monitor options, and more. Then we’ll compare it all to the price and give our final evaluations. So with all of that out of the way, let’s hop right into our Life Fitness Lower-Body Arc Trainer review!
Life Fitness Lower-Body Arc Elliptical Machine Review:
Life Fitness Lower-Body Arc Cross Trainer Specifications:
It makes sense that we look at some of the more fundamental aspects of the Lower-Body Arc Trainer first. These include the size and weight of the machine, how much weight it can hold, and even the sort of colour options that it can come in. We’ll start with the latter, since that’s pretty easy to get out of the way. The Lower-Body Arc Trainer can come in “Titanium Storm”, “Arctic Silver”, “Diamond White” and “Black Onyx” colour schemes.
The footprint that this Arc Trainer takes up is a fairly large one and that should be acknowledged by all who are looking at it. It measures out to be 76.5 inches (194 cm) long, 33 inches (93 cm) wide and 62.5 inches (62.5 cm) tall. This will take up a pretty good amount of space, especially in smaller homes. It is also not mobile at all thanks to the lack of any sort of wheels anywhere on the Arc trainer. Thus, once you set it up, it will likely be staying there.
The weight of the Arc trainer is also quite high. It weighs around 412 lbs (181 kg). This is a heavy piece of machinery. This does mean that it can hold a hefty amount as well, with the upper weight limit being about 400 lbs (181 kg). If you choose to purchase these or Cybex arc trainers, you’re getting a professional machine. This means that it will take up quite a lot of space and weigh quite a lot. This isn’t;’t always an issue for all people, but it could be for some.
Life Fitness Lower-Body Arc Elliptical Trainer Monitor:
You know the police line-up scene in The Usual Suspects? That’s pretty much what you get in regards to the monitor choices for the Life Fitness Lower-Body Arc Trainer. Whichever one suits your fancy can affect the total experience of the machine, but it’s unlikely you’ll dislike them all.
You’ll find that the most expensive of these to be the Discover SE3 HD Console. It also is the one with the most features. It has a 16 inch 1080p touch screen and 22 different languages available. There are simple statistics like speed, time and distance that can be tracked, as well as more advanced ones like the watts, average heart rate and calories per hour. You also have the option of 6 interactive courses, 7 fitness tests, compatibility with smartwatches and apps like Netflix, YouTube, Pandora and even chess. You get a lot with this monitor.
The second most advanced of these is the Discover ST Console. It is similar to the Discovery SE3 HD, just with slightly less features. It doesn’t have the same sort of smartwatch compatibility that the SE3 HD console does. It also does not have the same sort of connections to apps and games, although it does still have virtual courses. Otherwise they have the same language options, fitness programs and so on.
In third place, we have the Integrity X Console. The first thing that you’ll notice is that it has a much smaller touchscreen than the Discover Consoles. There are only 19 languages available and only 17 workouts. You’ve still got similar statistics displayed, with speed, incline, pace and distance being the standard. This time there are no virtual courses, no smartwatch compatibility, no web browsing and so on. The monitor might be slightly more basic than the aforementioned ones, but it will still do a mighty fine job.
Last but sort of least, there’s the Integrity C Console. This is by far the most basic console. You’ve only got 4 workouts available with 7 statistics that come with it. That’s pretty much it. This console is for those who want as cheap a monitor as possible and don’t really care about what all it offers.
You’ve got an excellent amount of choices for the consoles that can come with the Life Fitness Lower-Body Arc Trainer. You can go for the most advanced or the most basic, with anything in between.
Life Fitness Lower-Body Arc Trainer Drivetrain and Resistance:
Up next we’re going to look at the resistance and drivetrain systems of the Life Fitness Lower-Body Arc Trainer. These are two of the more crucial elements to any piece of exercise equipment and the same is still true here.
There are 100 different levels of resistance on the Lower-Body Arc Trainer. This is absolutely fantastic. You have so much room for fine-tuning and changing various resistance levels to make sure that you get a complete experience. It’s simply brilliant. The official resistance that is listed says that it can offer up to 1200 watts, which should give just about anyone, veteran or otherwise, a challenge.
The drivetrain of the Lower-Body Arc Trainer is listed as a two-stage drive. It isn’t as quiet as some of the machines that Life Fitness has built. Especially with so many ellipticals that have the WhisperStride technology and belt drive implemented. While the Lower-Body Arc Trainer isn’t as quiet, it is still smooth and requires less maintenance.
These crucial elements to the Arc Trainer most certainly get checkmarks next to their name. The resistance is fantastic and the drivetrain does a professional job of making sure everything works nice and smoothly.
Lower-Body Arc Handlebars, Stride Length and Pedals:
Now we’re going to look at the elements that you’ll be interacting with the most. The handlebars, stride length and pedals can all make the difference based on whether or not they work and are comfortable.
There are 2 pairs of handlebars on the Life Fitness Lower-Body Arc Trainer. Both pairs do not move, unlike the Full-Body Arc Trainer. On that machine the upper pair moved with the pedals in order to allow a full-body workout. Here, everything is focused on the lower body, so the handlebars don’t need to move. The upper handlebars do have the ability to change the resistance and have heart rate sensors on them. Then you have the pair of handlebars by your side that just offer a different place to put your hands.
Up next is the stride length. While some Life Fitness machines have adjustable stride lengths, the same is not true here. It is fixed at 24 inches. However, there are different ramp angles. There are 21 different angles that allow for climbing (high incline), striding (medium) and gliding (lower incline).
The pedals are absolutely not special at all. They are oversized and that’s it. They’ll be comfortable enough, but otherwise, don’t expect anything too out of the ordinary or eye-catching.
Life Fitness Lower-Body Arc Trainer Price and Warranty:
Now we’re going to cover the part that will capture so many eyes and ears (if you’re using text-to-speech). The prices and warranties that come with the Life Fitness Lower-Body Arc Trainer can really determine whether or not you’d want to purchase it.
The price generally depends on which console you are trying to get with it. With the basic C Console, it costs about $7,700. With the Integrity X Console, that price jumps to $8,500. With the Discover ST Console, it rises even more to $8,800. Finally, the SE3 HD Console brings the price all the way up to $10,700. The Lower-Body Arc Trainer can clearly become quite an expensive machine.
The warranties that come with such an expensive machine must be brilliant, right? Unfortunately, that is not the case. It comes with a 2 year warranty on the frame, 2 years on the motor, 2 years on the electrical parts and 2 years on the mechanical parts. This is rather awful, as we would at least expect a lifetime on the frame. If you’re going to be paying at least $7000 for a piece of equipment, you want a long guarantee on it.
The Life Fitness Lower-Body Arc Trainer is a pricey piece of equipment. It is mostly less expensive than the Full-Body Trainer (depending on which monitor would be chosen). However, it does not have the warranties to match such a price, which is not a good look.
Life Fitness Lower-Body Arc Assembly and Shipping:
The assembly process is generally one that you want done for you with this arc Trainer. Life Fitness has a “White Glove” policy, where they will assemble the equipment for you free of charge. This is rather pleasant, as you can give them a date and time that it would be convenient and they will send people to assemble it.
The shipping is less predictable. Life Fitness is based in the United States, so it should generally take 1-2 weeks to arrive. Similarly, the White Glove policy will allow for updates on how the shipping is going. Of course, this shipping can always run into issues like human error and the pandemic.
Life Fitness Lower-Body Arc Trainer Pros:
Plentify of Monitor Options:
You’ve got a lovely amount of options to choose from in regards to the monitors of the Lower-Body Arc Trainer. Whether you want to go for the super advanced SE3 HD Console or the very basic C Console, you can’t really go wrong. They all perform extremely admirably and should be praised for it.
Professional Build:
You wouldn’t be surprised to see the Lower-Body Arc Trainer at a nearby gym. Nor should you. It is built so well and just feels like it will help anyone get fit. For those who are wanting to focus on their lower body fitness, they’ve got a pretty clear and clean option here.
So Much Resistance:
You have so many resistance options with this machine. The arc Trainer has 100 different resistance levels. Toss in the inclines and you have got so much content with this machine that you won’t get bored for a very, very, long time. It also means that those workout routines can be customized a lot for you.
Life Fitness Lower-Body Arc Trainer Cons:
This is a Huge Machine:
The Arc Trainer is a big piece of gear. Like we said, you wouldn’t be surprised to see it in a local gym. Add in the weight and lack of transportation and those with small homes could find themselves squeezed in with it.
Highly Expensive:
Even with the most basic console, this is an expensive machine. With the most expensive console, that price can rise up past $10,000. You had better be ready to spend if you want the Lower-Body Arc Trainer.
Extremely Poor Warranties:
You would think that the warranties for such an expensive piece of equipment would be worth a lot and can back it up. Nope. These warranties are pretty awful in comparison to the price and Life Fitness deserves criticism for it.
Our Final Verdict
If you want to improve and focus on your lower body, this is a brilliant machine for you. Yes, it will cost quite a lot, but it will also offer nearly endless workouts for your lower body. Climbing, running and generally challenging your legs is the goal here, and it succeeds quite fantastically. It’s not a perfect machine, but it accomplishes the goal that it set out to do.
Sayed Hamed Hosseiny
Hi, my name is Sayed Hamed Hosseiny. I am a professional health and fitness trainer with nearly 20 years of experience using ellipticals, rowing machines, and spin bikes. I also have my own EU-based Rock Fitness Pro fitness brand where I design, import and sell exercise equipment such as rowing machines and spin bikes. I and writers on my team also often receive fitness equipment to review and evaluate their functionalities and performance from tens of different exercise machines manufacturers. Fitness equipment tips, guides, reviews, and comparisons on this website are my opinion (and opinions of my fitness expert colleagues) based on tens of criteria. I never accept payment to write reviews of products or say positive things about fitness equipment products. If brands are interested to have me review their rowers, ellipticals, or spin bikes, they can get in touch with me via email provided on the contact page and send a sample of their product.
