You'll Pay a High Price for a Life of Fitness

I have gotten very familiar with Life Fitness Cardio equipment. I know Life Fitness workout machines quite well because many gyms in which I have been have machines by Life Fitness. My current gym has some older Life Fitness cardio equipment. However the fitness room in my mom’s condo was moved into a large space and new equipment was bought. In addition I worked out at L.A. Fitness which has Life Fitness Cardio equipment. Finally we were on a cruise that had a large fitness room whose cardio equipment was exclusively made by Life Fitness. Life Fitness groups their products into those for the home and those for commercial use. The first three I am reviewing are in my mom’s condo and are considered home equipment. They are super-high quality as I have found most equipment by Life Fitness to be. For a price tag of $4500 I would expect the T7-O Treadmill to be superb.

The Basics:

The T7-O weighs 340 pounds. This is a heavy machine. Compare it to the Proform 595Pi which weighs in at 275 pounds. It measures 59 inches high by 32 inches wide by 80 inches long. This is also a longer, wider machine than most I have reviewed. The maximum user weight is 400 pounds which perhaps is the heaviest user weight of any machine I have reviewed certainly in recent months.

Life Fitness has a very good warranty on the T7-O. You’ll get 10 years on the motor, 7 years on the parts and 1 year on labor. The frame is under warranty for the lifetime of the machine. This treadmill is so sturdy and strong I can’t imagine anything happening to the frame.

The belt is 60 inches long by 22 inches wide. The rule of thumb for a treadmill’s belt unless you are very short is a belt that is at least 17 inches wide by 50 inches long. Life Fitness certainly has made a belt big enough to handle someone very tall.

Newer treadmills have various names for their decks. The T7-O has a deck with a Flex Deck Shock Absorption System. This is not unlike the ProForm CX18i which has what they call Pro Sox Impact Absorption. Both are said to reduce shock and impact to the knees, back, and joints by nearly 30% compared to other treadmills. Life Fitness also has added the bonus of being able to adjust the cushioning of the deck. This is really easy to do. On the bottom of the deck there is a manual knob that I moved to make the deck hard, firm or what they call standard. I love this feature. I don’t run or walk outside on a regular basis so I don’t like a hard impact surface. For those who do but also want to run or walk inside you can adjust the deck to mimic outdoor surfaces. I have sore feet so I really like a firm surface. I found that either using the standard or firm setting felt the best for my feet. I could walk and even power walk for long periods without feeling pain on the bottom of my feet or in my ankle areas.

Life Fitness has put in a super motor in the T7-O. It has a 3.0 horsepower which is more than enough for anyone. But on top of that I discovered that the motor system is called MagnaDrive. What it does rather than the fancy name is the important point. The system according to the manual (which I borrowed to write this) "communicates with the console and adjusts to the precise power the user needs depending on your weight." I had no knowledge that this was happening. I didn't hear it adjust. But if that was happening and I trust Life Fitness this is amazing to me. Truthfully for the money this machine should have every bell and whistle known to human kind.

I found the machine to be super quiet. Even power walking I couldn’t hear or feel my feet “pounding the deck.” When I was working out one day someone was running on this machine. I took note because I couldn’t hear the usual thump that I hear on some treadmills.

The Design: The T7-O is a beautiful piece of equipment. It has handlebars with built in heart rate monitors. The handlebars are slightly tilted to be ergonomically correct. They are really comfortable to hold.

This machine has something I have never seen. It has a small control pad in the middle of this handlebar which is also angled. The keys that I press (and most people) most often are here as well as on the larger console. But they have placed them here to make it easier to use the machine. It is really more a convenience feature than a necessity but it is a nice feature.

It has long side rails. They do do not run the entire length of the treadmill but they are longer than many machines on which I walk. I have also never seen accessory trays for my “stuff” and water bottle holders that come out and can be washed in the dishwasher but this machine has just that. It also has wheels that increase the incline when moving the machine. This is not portable in any way however. The wheels make it possible to move the machine but if this is in your home it needs a home.

A look at the console:

What I found really interesting is that there is no fan on the T7-O. If you have read my reviews you know I don’t use fans. I find them annoying and don’t want air blowing on my face especially if I am sweating. Having said that I would suggest for those of you who do like air, if this is in your home, then just put a table or standing fan near the unit.

The console has 4 easy to read and color coded (Another feature I have never seen.) display areas that showed me my time, pace, calories, calories per hour, incline level, distance, speed, heart rate. The machine inclines 0 to 15% and 1 to 20 levels which are nice high numbers for a treadmill. The speed works from .5 to 12 miles per hour which is more than enough for even the elite athlete.

The T7-O has a huge graph that lights up showing me my workout intensity level. It is 21 LEDs by 10 LEDS. Just as a comparison the ProForm machines mentioned above have a 6 by 6 matrix. (This is in inches.)

This machine has 18 workouts! This may be the most I have ever seen so the Life Fitness T7-O has broken records for me. I won’t list them all but will briefly describe a few I used. This is one treadmill that would take a long time to bore me. The fat burn program is not one I used more than once but I had to try it because the machine automatically adjusts and changes incline levels so that my heart rate stayed at 65% of my maximum heart rate. (220 minus your age will give you your maximum heart rate.) Although this machine is sophisticated and may not be for the average newcomer to the treadmill world if you can afford it and want to go all out, this particular program is great for you.

I love interval training. Basically interval training is one that changes speed and intensity. The theory behind that is my metabolism has to work harder while interval training. If I bring my heart rate down and then bring it right back up, my body is working harder than if I kept it at the same rate during my entire workout. This program gave me three hills with each one getting harder based on the goals I inputted for my heart rate goal. The first hill was 70% of my maximum heart rate; then 75% and then 80.

One of the best interval training I ever had was using the extreme heart rate program. This does what I described above. The treadmill quickly went up and down to get my heart rate up to 85% of maximum and then down to 65%.

I could also custom make my own workouts as well as just hitting quick start and avoiding any programs or inputting any data into the machine. For $4500 I would suggest making use of all these really neat programs though.

My thoughts:

Please check with your doctor before starting an exercise program. Please do not allow your children on or around your treadmill and that includes pets.

I have attempted to give you a taste of this treadmill without writing a novel so if there is anything about this machine I have left out that you want to know, please leave me a comment or question.

Life Fitness is a superb company in my opinion. You shouldn’t have problems with this treadmill that people find with other companies because I do find the equipment to be extremely well made. You must also be prepared to spend $4500 but what you get is the top of the heap.

The T7-O is not for people who are afraid to push buttons on a machine and just want something on which to walk. This machine is for those who are serious about their workouts, want the challenge of the many programs and will have fun and make use of the many features.

You may be interested in other treadmill reviews:

How to Choose a Treadmill

ProForm 595 Pi • ProForm 350 • ProForm CS17e Treadmill • ProForm CX18i • ProForm 840 • Proform 540 • Nordic Track ViewPoint TV • Nordic Track Incline Trainer • Landice Treadmill • Star Trac Pro Treadmill • Cybex Pro Teadmill • Cybex 900T Treadmill

All my equipment reviews are listed on my profile page.