The Life Fitness Club Series Plus Review - A Treadmill For The Future

The new Life Fitness Club Series Plus is the first major release by the well regarded company in years, offering a glimpse of what's to come in the future.  

With an entirely new look and feel, an advanced touch screen display and the latest technological features, the Plus is sure to be one of the most popular treadmills in the lineup.

Our experts had a chance to test out this new machine, and the results were overwhelmingly positive.  

Let's take a look at what they found...

Club Series Plus - The Machine

As we mentioned, the Club Series Plus has been completely redesigned, so it looks nothing like the base model or the up-level Platinum treadmill.  

It has a streamlined design, with a modern look and feel, while still retaining the rock solid construction and club-level feel of the popular series.

Here are some of the most important specs....

• 4.0 CHP Peak Performance Motor
• 22" x 60" Tread Belt
• 0-15% Incline in 0.5% increments
• 0.5-12 mph
• 10  Built In Workouts
• Polar® Wireless HR Chest Strap
• Lifepulse Digital Contact HR monitoring
• FlexDeck® Shock Absorption System
• 3.5" Precision Crowned Rollers
• 400 lb. Weight Capacity
• Weight / Dimensions: 434 lbs / 82"L x 36"W x 56"H
• Warranty: Lifetime on frame & motor, 10 yrs electrical/parts, 1-yr labor

The Buzz

There is  lot of excitement surrounding the new Life Fitness Club Series Plus treadmill as customers have been looking for a machine that is more in line with what other high-end companies are offering these days.

The base Club Series model, although it has been a big seller for years, hasn't received a facelift in quite some time.  

It has a very old look to it, and the display, although it gives you all of the information you need, is not very advanced.

There are rumors that they might just discontinue that model in favor of the new Club Series Plus, and by the time you are reading this review that might just be the case.

For only about $500 more than the cost of the base model, the Plus has a much more modern, sleek look to it.  

Replacing the older LCD console is a new 7" LCD touch screen with Bluetooth wireless capability that allows you to track and share your workouts via the Life Fitness app.

You also have the ability to repeat a previous workout or try one of the new challenging workouts that automatically pop up on the screen.  There's plenty of workout variety and something for every fitness level.

Other than the overall look and console upgrade, the Life Fitness Club Series Plus features an even larger running surface...22" x 60", which is 2 inches wider than the belt on the base model.  

This gives you much more room to stretch out, ideal for larger/taller individuals.

The front layout is rearranged to give you more room for your arms, with two hand grips with heart rate and workout adjustments instead of the centrally located bar on the base model.

As expected the cushioning is great, helping to minimize impact on the knees and joints.  

You can incline the machine up to 15% to make it more challenging, and transitioning from one level to the next is smooth and seamless.

You have wireless heart rate monitoring capability if you have a chest strap.  Otherwise you can just use the grips.

The Club Series Plus has a hefty 400 lb. max user weight capacity and a very solid warranty covering you for the frame, parts and labor.

How Does the Club Series Plus Compare to the Other Life Fitness Treadmills?

As we mentioned, the Life Fitness Club Series Plus is the newest treadmill in the lineup and is one of the more advanced models that they carry.  

The only treadmill that is above it is the Platinum Club Series.

Just to give you an idea of how they all compare, take a look at a brief rundown of all of the different models here...

F1 Smart

The most affordable treadmill in the series is the folding compact F1 Smart, the base model.  It has a 2.5 CHP motor, a 20" x 50" runner's deck, incline capability and a top speed of 10 mph.

F3

Moving up you have the F3, which also folds, and has a more powerful 3.0 CHP motor, two different console choices, a tablet rack and cup holders.  Other than that it's very similar to the base F1.

T3

This is simply the non-folding version of the F3.  It ups the max speed to 12 mph and features a longer 60" running deck.

T5

The T5 adds an even larger deck: 22" x 60", unique FlexDeck Select cushioning and the ability to replay a workout.

Club Series

The base Club Series is very similar to the Life Fitness treadmills you find at the gym.  

It has a strong 4 CHP motor, a larger variety of built in programming and a heavier 400 lb. max weight capacity, in addition to more advanced touches.

Club Series Plus

As you've learned above, the Club + is the newest Life Fitness treadmill to be introduced, bringing you all the best features of the base model combined with all of the best features of their F and T series.  

You get the large deck size of the T5 and the touch screen console of the Platinum, along with all of the features and capabilities that are a hallmark of the Club Series.

Platinum Club Series

The premier model in the series, with three different console choices, four different frame color choices, a 22" x 60" deck, wireless heart rate monitoring and premium construction.  

This is only for those with an unlimited budget, as it is quite expensive.

Should You Choose the Life Fitness Club + or Another Treadmill?

If you're looking at Life Fitness, you're in the market for a more high end treadmill, something closer to what you find at the gym.

Among the three Club Series models, the Plus is definitely our favorite for several reasons:

1.  It has a more updated look and feel and fits in much better in the home gym environment.

2.  The touch screen console is awesome, with a lot more functionality including the ability to track and share your workouts.

3. You get a larger runner's deck and better front end design, giving you a lot more room to stretch out as you run or jog.

It's certainly a huge upgrade to the base model, which may not even be available by the time you are ready to buy.  That leaves only the Platinum as the other Club Series model, which is just too expensive in our opinion.

If you don't have the budget for the Club Series Plus or just don't need or want such an advanced machine, consider one of the F models if you like folding, or T models if you don't need folding.

We like the T5 the best, followed by the F3 and T3.  The F1 is great as well, but it is more of an entry level model than the rest of them.

Life Fitness Club Series Plus - Final Thoughts

We absolutely love the new Club Series Plus, as Life Fitness has really put a lot of thought into it, combining all of the best features and capabilities of their other models.

You now have the durability and construction of a health club treadmill with the functionality that home users love...touch screen display, modern look and workout tracking capability.

Yes, the Life Fitness Club + is quite pricy, but if you consider what you are getting, it's well worth it if you have the budget.  

If not, definitely look into the F and T models...they are equally great and more affordable than the Club Series treadmills.