Life Fitness X5 Elliptical Review
When looking for home exercise equipment, one of the higher-quality companies that you can generally look at is Life Fitness. They tend to offer professional-level ellipticals for the home, although this does tend to come with a decently high price. However, one of the more reasonably priced machines that retains a high level of quality is the Life Fitness X5 elliptical. It is the improved version of the Life Fitness X1 and Life Fitness X3 with some cool features.
We’re going to be looking at the X5 today and seeing if it holds up under scrutiny. The console, general build, resistance settings, and more will all be examined. Once we are done with those, we’ll compare it to the pricing and warranties that come with the X5. We will then give our final verdict on the X5, determining whether or not it is worth the price. With all of that out of the way, let’s hop right into our review of the Life Fitness X5 elliptical!
Life Fitness X5 Elliptical Machine Review:
Life Fitness X5 Elliptical Specifications:
It only makes sense that we start with the technical details of the Life Fitness X5 elliptical. These are the details that will tell you how big the elliptical is, how much it weighs, how much it can hold and any sort of colour options that might come with the machine. As to the last point, unfortunately, you don’t get any sort of options other than the gray and black that you see in all the screenshots.
The footprint of the X5 elliptical is fairly large, which makes sense. This is a commercial elliptical that wouldn’t look out of place at a regular gym, so making it small certainly isn’t on their list of priorities. It measures out to be 83 inches (211 cm) long, 26 inches (66 cm) wide and 63 inches (160 cm) tall.
Unsurprisingly, with this size comes a fairly hefty weight as well. While the weight itself is not actually shockingly large, the fact that it is combined with the lack of any sort of transportation wheels means that this is a difficult machine to move around. Thus, you’ll want to keep in mind where to put it in the home, as that’s where it will likely be staying.
The X5 elliptical can hold a maximum weight limit of 350 lbs (159 kg), which is quite good and shows the stability of the build. The Life Fitness X5 elliptical is a commercial machine and has a build to match. You won’t find any surprises here, which is a good mark in our book.
Life Fitness X5 Cross Trainer Monitor:
When it comes to the monitor of the Life Fitness X5 cross-trainer, you get a couple of options in which monitor you choose. There is the Go Console and the Track+ Console. The latter is the better of the two, but it also increases the price.
Both monitors track statistics like time, distance, level of resistance, heart rate, calories and the speed (in both imperial and metric measurements). Of course, none of these are out of the ordinary or special, but it is nice to see that Life Fitness is at least covering the basics in both of their monitor choices.
The Go Console is a fairly simple monitor that is designed for those who don’t want to play around with more advanced and sophisticated features. There are 12 preset workouts available, with the ability to create 2 custom workouts. The Go Console also has the ability to create 2 user profiles, in case there are a couple of users in the home. That’s pretty much it for the Go Console. Considering that it is nice and simple, shows you what it needs to and offers preset workouts, it’s still a pretty good deal.
The Track+ console is the choice for those who want to connect to apps via Bluetooth and track their longer progress. There are 14 different preset workouts available this time, with 12 additional custom workouts able to be added. If there are a bunch of people in the home that want to use the X5, there are 4 different user profiles able to be activated. Finally, there’s a little phone holder at the top of the console for entertainment purposes or to track stats via other apps.
Regardless of which choice you go with, the Life Fitness X5 elliptical offers very good consoles. The cheaper and simpler choice is the Go Console, but for those who want to build their own workouts and connect to other apps for their progress, the Track+ Console is the correct choice.
Life Fitness X5 Drivetrain and Resistance:
Now it’s time to look at the resistance of the Life Fitness X5. And if we’re looking at the resistance, that naturally means we have to examine the drivetrain as well. One cannot exist without the other, after all.
There are 20 different resistance levels by default on the Life Fitness X5 elliptical. While this isn’t a huge amount that allows for unlimited customization, it is enough to allow for a good amount. The upper levels of the resistance also are quite challenging and should prove a test for anyone, whether they are a veteran or newcomer to the elliptical field of exercise.
As for the drivetrain that is included on the Life Fitness X5, we don’t really have any specific information on that. All we know is that the X5 uses the same sort of “Whisper Stride” tech that you can find on a great deal of Life Fitness ellipticals. This likely means that there is a belt involved somewhere. Regardless, it most certainly makes the experience much quieter than you otherwise might have expected.
Again, nothing stands out in particular in regards to the drivetrain and resistance of the Life Fitness X5. You get a good variety of challenges from the resistance and can be pleased with the little amount of noise generated by the activity onboard.
Handlebars, Stride Length, and Pedals:
Now we get to the elements of the elliptical that you’ll be interacting with the most. It is important that the handlebars, stride length and pedals all do their job well, otherwise any activities on the Life Fitness X5 will most certainly feel less comfortable than they should.
As for the handlebars, you’ll find quite a good deal here. The outer pair moves with the pedals and will give you a way to get some upper body fitness alongside the lower body as you move. You then have an inner pair that are stationary, but can be moved around to have multiple grip positions. These inner handlebars also have sensors on them in order to display your pulse on the monitor, giving you an option to see that if you don’t have/don’t want to buy a separate chest strap.
The pedals are described as oversized FlexPedals that are adjustable and shock absorbent. While these are all nice adjectives, the only one that really stands out is the “oversized” part. The adjustability is also noticeable, but can’t be claimed as a prize feature. Otherwise, they don’t do a whole lot to impress. But they work, which is the important part.
By far, the best highlight of this section has to be the adjustable stride length that the X5 comes with. You can adjust the stride length in 2 inch increments between 18 inches and 24 inches. This is a fantastic feature, as it allows for more customization as the users move on the elliptical. While it might not seem that that big of a deal, the fact that the X5 has this ability and so many others do not, it makes it a valuable component indeed.
The handlebars and pedals are both good elements of the Life Fitness X5. However, they are both highly overshadowed by the adjustable stride length that comes with the X5. This is such a rare and valuable feature that we just have to praise it from the rooftops, as it gives more options to the user.
Life Fitness X5 Price and Warranty:
We now come to the point that might make or break people’s decision on the Life Fitness X5. The pricing and warranties can turn a yes to a no and vice versa. Considering that Life Fitness have a large range of prices for their various ellipticals available on the market, we generally want to make sure that the prices match up with what is on offer.
The retail price generally depends on what console you are looking at getting. In fact, regardless of where you’re getting it, expect the Track+ Console to add $400 to the overall price. But you can expect the price to range from $2800 to $3500 through a combination of retail pricing and whichever consoles you choose.
While some Life Fitness ellipticals have had rather horrific warranties in the past, the X5 doesn’t suffer from the same problem. It has a lifetime warranty on the frame, 3 year warranty on the parts and console, and a 1 year warranty on the labour. They are the longest guarantees that you’ll ever see, but they certainly should do for the price.
Life Fitness X5 Assembly and Shipping:
The assembly process should not be too large of a concern, even for those who are not particularly handy with building products like this. This is almost entirely thanks to the manual that comes with the X5, which will tell everyone precisely how to assemble the elliptical. It’s always nice to have one of these manuals that will allow for a straightforward assembly process.
The shipping is something that might be harder to anticipate. Life Fitness is based out of the United States, so the shipping should generally take 1-2 weeks. However this can be affected by a bunch of different factors. Human error, slow shipping and the pandemic have all affected shipping times, so keep that in mind.
Life Fitness X5 Elliptical Machine Pros:
Adjustable Stride Length:
We just had to praise this first, didn’t we? This is perhaps THE aspect of the X5 that makes it stand out compared to other ellipticals. You get to change the stride length to one that feels more natural, which is not a feature that appears everywhere.
Quality Monitor Options:
Regardless of which monitor you pick, you’ll get a good amount of value out of each of them. The Go Console might be simpler, but it still provides all of the necessary details to get some good workouts from it. The Track+ Console is more expensive, but also comes with more features that can be used.
Commercial Build:
The Life Fitness X5 elliptical does an excellent job of making you feel like you are using a gym machine, even while you are at home. This is almost entirely down to the build-quality of the X5. It is made so firmly and runs so well that you will be pleased.
Additional Features:
The fact is that you get plenty of additional features that come with the X5 that we haven’t even touched on that much. There are targeted workout programs with the CoachZone muscle programs and cup holders that will allow for more exercise and hydration during the workout. It’s just a very complete package.
Life Fitness X5 Elliptical Machine Cons:
The X5 Is Large And Immobile:
Perhaps the only notable weakness of the Life Fitness X5 is the fact that it is a very big machine and lacks any sort of mobility at all. There are absolutely no wheels onboard and this makes it nearly impossible to move around the home.
Our Final Verdict
This is an extremely good elliptical. The Life Fitness X5 cross-trainer is a professional machine that offers so much for a reasonable price. Yes, you might not be able to move it around once it is set up. But the fact that you can choose the console, adjust the stride length and have access to so many workouts and workout options while using it just makes this an absolutely fantastic purchase for anyone. It still can be expensive, but it’s worth 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.
