Life Fitness E1 Elliptical Cross-Trainer Review

Quick Summary

Keep it classic or go high-tech. With a choice of two consoles, the Life Fitness E1 Cross-Trainer encourages shoppers with diverse preferences to choose its smooth engineering for home cardio training.

Key points are a fluid 20″ stride and varied workout programming for whole-body exercise.

Optional advantages with the Life Fitness E1 are wireless app integration, high-def video workouts and mobile device compatibility.

Learn more from our full Life Fitness E1 Cross-Trainer review below.

Specifications

Model	Life Fitness E1
Rating Our custom rating considers all of the elliptical's features, specs, warranties, and 100's of user & expert reviews, to save you time!	88.3%
List Price Suggested retail price, typically higher than the price you'll pay with our recommended retailers.	$2,199
Best Price Since prices change daily, this link goes to our preferred retailer for the best price we've found.	$2,199
Resistance Resistance is what determines calories burned per stride. The more levels, the more precisely you can control the difficulty.	20 Levels
Resistance Type The type of resistance affects the performance of your elliptical. Magnetic and Eddy-Current are the most common types.	n/a
Stride Length Stride Length is important for comfort and smooth strides. A stride length of 18-21 inches is ideal for most heights (5'3 - 6'7).	20-inches
Pedals Elliptical pedals can be cushioned and adjustable for maximum comfort and minimum impact on joints for injury prevention.	Oversized Non-Slip Pedals
Incline Some elliptical trainers can be set at an incline to increase difficulty and burn more calories.	yes
Flywheel The flywheel controls the smoothness and resistance of your workout. In general, the higher the better.	Undisclosed
Programs Elliptical Programs allow you to complete a workout with changing speeds and inclines, without changing anything manually.	12
User Profiles For each profile the elliptical allows, you can create a custom user account with saved programs and goal settings.	2 Users
Heart Rate Heart Rate programs allow you to track how many times your heart is beating per minute (bpm), and some control the workout for you.	Pulse Grips Wireless Chest Strap
Display Elliptical Display refers to the screen you'll look at to monitor workouts. LED and LCD displays are similar to TV screens.	Blue LCD
Max. Weight Max User Weight is the amount of weight, in pounds (lbs), that it can safely support, which can represent durability.	400 lbs
Dimensions Dimensions are included to help you figure out if this elliptical will fit properly (Length x Width x Height and Height x Depth).	82" x 30" x 59"
Upper Body Most ellipticals have handles to hold while you're working out that provide an upper body workout.
Accessory Tray Some ellipticals include an accessory tray for holding items such as water bottles, wallets, keys, or MP3 players like iPods.
Speakers Ellipticals that include a sound system allow you to listen to your MP3 player/iPod through built-in speakers (without headphones).
Cooling Fans Cooling Fans are designed to help keep you cool during an intense workout on your elliptical.
Folding? Some ellipticals are designed to conserve space by folding up. This is a convenient option, but some features might be reduced.
Quick Controls Quick Controls allow you to select speed, incline and even workout programs with the touch of a button (usually on the handles).
Warranty The warranty is an important part of your investment. The longer the warranty, the longer you can get free/discounted repairs.	Frame: Lifetime Parts: 5 Years Labor: 1 Year

Our Rating

Rating: 88.3/100. The Life Fitness E1 Cross-Trainer is a high quality home elliptical trainer with a long parts warranty. This total body trainer is gentle on your frame and supports efficient cardio exercise; regular 20-minute sessions can quickly pay off with weight management, muscle toning, heart health and improved athletic performance.
Choose from two consoles: Go and Track+. While each console has helpful workout programming, only the Track+ can connect with mobile devices to add interactive video and other higher tech features to your training. Both consoles can show heart rate info by connecting with a wireless chest strap or touch sensors on the elliptical’s stationary bar.
The Life Fitness E1 Cross-Trainer is an ideal fit for most adults of average and taller heights. In terms of resistance it’s just right whether you’re a novice or an elliptical star. Sound like a potential match? Here are points to consider.

Pros:

Choice of consoles
Very comfortable to use
Wireless heart rate monitoring
Virtually silent operation
20″ stride
Oversized non-slip pedals
20 resistance levels
At least 12 preset workouts
2 or 4 user profiles (Depending on console choice)
Accessory tray
Water bottle holders
Five-year parts warranty

Cons:

No cooling fan
No incline training
Stride is fixed at 20″
Large footprint (82″ x 30″)

Alternatives from this Series

Other choices from the same Life Fitness elliptical series are the E3 and E5. The E3 adds a second grip to the arm bars and has coaching technology, but it’s not much different from the E1 in this review. The E5 is a more significant step up because it has adjustable stride (18″ to 24″).

Introduction

The Life Fitness E1 Cross-Trainer is a top elliptical with upper body motion among those priced between $2000 and $2500. It has a low maintenance rear drive design and offers a choice of two consoles (Go and Track+). Most trainees will find that it’s an ideal fit for their body size and strength, although smaller adults might not like the machine’s proportions. Overall the E1 Cross-Trainer is a great buy for providing club-quality workouts on a machine with a long home warranty.

Workout Programs

The Life Fitness E1 Cross-Trainer offers different workout programming on its Go and Track+ consoles.

The Life Fitness Go console is the simpler of the two options. It supports two user profiles. There are 12 preset workouts and you can save two user-designed programs to each profile.

The Track+ console supports four user profiles. There are 14 preset workouts and each user can save an additional 12 workout programs. The Track+ console integrates with mobile apps for virtual outdoor training, advanced data tracking and other benefits.

E1 Cross-Trainer Elliptical Features

For heart rate monitoring the E1 Cross-Trainer has a wireless receiver and contact pulse readers. The contact pulse readers are built into a stationary bar in front of the console.

The Track+ console is compatible with iPad, iPhone, Android and iPod. You can use on-screen controls for your devices and use the elliptical trainer with fitness apps.

Each console for the E1 has bottle holders and an accessory tray.

A home-friendly benefit of Life Fitness ellipticals is their virtually silent operation. This machine uses friction-free resistance, so shifting between challenge levels is barely audible.

The pedals on this elliptical trainer don’t have adjustable size. Still, they are oversized to allow for different foot positioning and some stride variation. They have textured non-slip surfaces.

Warranty & Guarantee

The standard Life Fitness E1 Cross-Trainer elliptical warranty (no charge) includes:

– Frame: Lifetime
– Parts: 5 Years
– Labor: 1 Year

Life Fitness sells three extended warranties for this product.

Conclusion

The Life Fitness E1 Cross-Trainer is a great-feeling total body trainer that’s sized for most adults. This elliptical machine operates very quietly and offers a variety of preset workouts to help you reach your fitness goals. The E1 is priced competitively and has a good warranty too, but keep in mind that its best console costs extra.