If you’ve been to any fitness club then you have likely seen the Life Fitness name or one of its other brands. Considered to be one of the leading manufacturers of home gyms, Life Fitness is one of the most ubiquitous brands in the commercial fitness industry.
Founded in 1977, Life Fitness began as a result of one man’s quest to improve his own exercise routines. Dr. Keene P. Dimick’s invented the first-ever electronic fitness machine, the Lifecycle bike, revolutionizing the fitness equipment industry.
The rights to Lifecycle were eventually acquired by two partners in the fitness industry leading to the creation of Lifecycle, Inc. Some time after, Lifecycle, Inc was bought out by Bally’s Fitness which resulted in the name change to Life Fitness.
Since then, Life Fitness has gone through several changes in ownership in addition to acquisitions including Cybex and Hammer Strength.
Life Fitness is reputed for its innovativeness and durability. They manufacture a variety of high-grade equipment for both commercial and residential use including treadmills, bikes, selectorized machines, free weights, plate loaded machines, full training stations, and much, much more.
With brand names, however, comes a hefty price tag. Life Fitness home gyms are not cheap and with good reason. Even some of the home-grade equipment appears to be manufactured with commercial-grade materials. So, if some of the pricing is making you reluctant, and you are a beginner or an amateur fitness buff, know that there are a couple of other manufacturers with equally reliable equipment priced at a more acceptable range like Body-Solid.
Life Fitness has a countless number of commercial quality home gym equipment to choose from. But as with any manufacturer, you’ll find some issues. Case in point, their warranty is a bit spotty. There are a number of exclusions and some equipment have lifetime warranties only for units manufactured before a certain year. Make certain to get the details for the specific product you buy and if you can, get it in writing.
