Life Fitness X3 Elliptical Review
For those looking for a quality elliptical at an affordable price, the field tends to get narrower and narrower the more you search. Fortunately, there are still some pretty good options out there. One such option is the Life Fitness X3 elliptical.
We’re going to be looking at X3 and figuring out if it holds up under closer examination. We’ll be checking out the monitor options, resistance, build, and so on. Then we will compare it to the prices and warranties that come with the X3 before giving our final verdict of the entire package. So with all of that out of the way, let’s hop right into our review of the Life Fitness X3 cross-trainer!
Life Fitness X3 Elliptical Machine Review:
Life Fitness X3 Trainer Specifications:
It only makes sense that we start with the technical specifications of the Life Fitness X3 cross-trainer. After all, generally people want to know the colours, size and weight that these machines come in before anything else. If it won’t fit in the home, that automatically rules it out as an option. We’ll start with the colours, since that’s the easiest to look at. You get black and gray. That’s it. No wild colourful options here. See? Easy.
Like many Life Fitness ellipticals, the X3 elliptical is a rather large machine. You won’t find any folding capabilities here, or even any real mobility. It doesn’t even have wheels. This makes it hard to move a machine that measures out to be 81 inches (206 cm) long, 30 inches (76 cm) wide and 59 inches (150 cm) tall.
The weight also doesn’t help with the mobility issue. While 250 lbs (114 kg) might not be the heaviest weight that Life Fitness have put on their ellipticals, it is still a pretty sizable weight. Again, with no wheels anywhere on the X3, it will be extremely difficult to move around once it is set up. Fortunately, this weight does have a good side. It means that it can hold up to 350 lbs (159 kg) with no problems.
As with most Life Fitness ellipticals, you’ll find very little to complain about with the actual build and frame of the X3 cross-trainer. While it might not be mobile, it offers plenty of stability, which is what most people want in the long run.
Life Fitness X3 Cross Trainer Monitor:
Considering how important consoles are to any modern piece of exercise equipment (ellipticals in particular), it only makes sense that they are next up on the list. Fortunately, Life Fitness has come up with a solid method of handling this piece of the machine. They offer 2 choices when you are purchasing the X3: the Go Console and the Track+ Console.
The Go Console is the more basic of the two, but also the more affordable. You have 12 preset workouts available that come with the Go Console, as well as the ability to set up 2 of your own. There is a feature to create 2 different user profiles, just in case that there are multiple users in the home. Otherwise, all the other features can be found in both consoles.
The Track+ Console is a better monitor for those who are looking to add more to their workout for a higher cost. There are 14 different preset workouts available here and you have the ability to set up 12 more custom ones. If you have a bunch of people in the home or want to keep track of different stats through different profiles, there are 4 different ones available. The Track+ Console also has the ability to connect with mobile fitness apps for Android and Apple phones. It’s got a lot more bells and whistles compared to the Go Console, but again, it does cost more.
Both consoles track the same sorts of statistics, so you won’t find much difference there. They will display your heart rate, calories, speed (in both imperial and metric measurements), time, distance, and the level of resistance. It isn’t anything special, but it does the job.
Regardless of which console you choose, you will likely be satisfied. Both do the job of letting you know how the workout is going, give you plenty of options in how to workout and offer a couple of different customization options. It just depends on how much you want those extra features of the Track+ Console.
Life Fitness X3 Drivetrain and Resistance:
Now we’re going to cover the drivetrain and resistance features of the Life Fitness X3 elliptical. This is one of the more crucial elements of the elliptical, as it determines how challenging the workouts are and how quiet the machine itself is. Fortunately, Life Fitness has a pretty good record in this field, and it is no different here.
There are 20 different resistance levels by default on the X3 cross-trainer. While this isn’t as many as you might find on some other machines, it should still give a pretty good variety to the majority of users. The upper end of this resistance is challenging enough to everyone, even veterans. Therefore, nobody should have to worry about the elliptical not being challenging enough.
While the drivetrain is not specifically mentioned, the Life Fitness comes with the typical “Whisper Stride” tech that seems to be universally implemented on these machines. This pretty much guarantees that it is a belt drive, making the entire experience a lot quieter than you might otherwise expect.
Both the resistance and the drivetrain of the Life Fitness X3 fulfill the standard quality that we’ve come to expect from them. While it doesn’t do anything spectacular, the fact that these are professionally implemented features means that you won’t be disappointed with the standard features.
Handlebars, Stride Length and Pedals:
Up next, we’re going to look at the elements that you’re going to be physically interacting with the most. The handlebars, stride length and pedals are all important aspects that should be considered. While these elements might be more comfortable than the X1 elliptical in this series, it doesn’t quite hold up to the X5.
For the handlebars of the X3, you have 2 options: the moving handlebars on the outside and the stationary handlebars on the inside. These inside handlebars have sensors on them to keep track of that heart rate. There is also a chest strap that can be used, but this is for those that don’t particularly feel like using one of those.
The stride length of the Life Fitness X3 sits right at 20 inches and cannot be adjusted. While this isn’t too surprising, it would be nice to see the same sort of adjustment system that is available on the X5 elliptical. That way, people with different natural stride lengths could adjust to the movement onboard the X3.
The pedals are oversized and have cushioned inserts for comfort, but otherwise don’t do anything too special. You will be happy enough with them. Just don’t expect anything fantastic or life-changing.
As per usual, all of these elements have the professional feel that Life Fitness consistently puts into their products. The handlebars are more comfortable than the X1 thanks to their contoured design, although the stride length is less fantastic than the X5. The pedals are fine. Overall, a pretty professional job all around.
Life Fitness X3 Price and Warranty:
We finally come to the point that will be the deciding factor for many. With the professional build that Life Fitness often makes often comes a fairly high price. Fortunately, because the X3 elliptical is not one of the higher-tier machines, it does not cost as much as you otherwise might fear.
With the Go Console, you can generally expect the price to fall around $2000. With the Track+ Console, you are generally going to get an addition of $400 (so around $2400). Of course, these prices can vary based on where you are looking online. For what the Life Fitness X3 elliptical offers, these are pretty reasonable prices and we can’t complain too much about them.
The warranties that come with the Life Fitness X3 are pretty respectable, which is always good to see. Especially after looking at some of their other machines and finding that they don’t match the price at all. The X3 comes with a lifetime warranty on the frame, 3 years on the console, 3 years on the parts and 1 year on the labour. While it would be nice to see a long labour warranty, these are all pretty fair for the price point.
Life Fitness X3 Assembly and Shipping:
The assembly process of the Life Fitness X3 is a similar level of professionalism that we’ve come to expect from each of these machines. If you choose to not have the machine preassembled, the guide that comes with the X3 will tell you precisely how to get it up and working. Even if you aren’t particularly handy or skilled at making these machines, you should still find that it won’t take a horrific amount of time or effort.
The shipping is something that we have less control over and can only estimate. Life Fitness is based out of the United States, so it should take about a week or two to arrive. Of course, this does depend on where you live and/or order from. This shipping can also be affected by different factors like human error and the pandemic.
Life Fitness X3 Elliptical Machine Pros:
Quality Monitor Options:
Whether you decide to pick the Go Console or the Track+ Console, you won’t be disappointed with what you get. They both give you options in regards to the preset workouts available onboard, as well as customizable workouts. Of course, one gives you more of these than the other, but they will both serve as a quality option.
Professional Build:
Whether it is the durability that you can feel emanating from the X3, the quiet WhisperStride tech, or the choice of handlebars for different workouts, you will be sure to enjoy workouts on this elliptical. It feels like it wouldn’t be out of place at a full-time gym, while also offering the same sort of comfort and familiarity that you would want from home machines.
Additional Features:
There are also little nice additions that make the X3 feel even nicer. There are cup holders available to keep hydrated during exercise sessions, as well as an accessory tray that you can store more things in. The minor additions of cushions in the pedals are also small, but appreciated features that should be mentioned.
Life Fitness X3 Elliptical Machine Cons:
The X3 Has A Large Footprint:
The X3 is a big machine. We mentioned how it wouldn’t look out of place in a professional gym, and this is certainly part of the reason why. If you have a smaller living area or home, this might be an issue. While it might not be the largest elliptical Life Fitness has put out, this doesn’t mean it is exactly a small one either. This is combined with another factor to create a double whammy…
Extremely Poor Mobility:
The fact that there are no wheels on the X3 is most certainly a strike against it. With such a large machine, you would think that you could at least toss in a pair of wheels to help with some sort of transportation. Nope. You’ve got to pick a spot for the X3 to go and stay for the rest of time.
Non Adjustable Factors:
This is more of a minor nitpick than anything, but it would be nice to have the same sort of stride adjustment that the X5 has. Also, it doesn’t have incline adjustment. Such a feature would lead to more customization and comfort levels for a wider variety of people.
Our Final Verdict
The Life Fitness X3 is a professional machine. You have a solid duo of options of consoles to pick from, while almost every other element of the elliptical wouldn’t look out of place in a regular gym. Throw in the fact that this is a pretty affordable machine compared to many others and you’ve got a pretty appealing prospect. Yes, it isn’t particularly mobile and takes up a lot of space, but those are the only major strikes against it.
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.
