Horizon Fitness EX-57 Elliptical Trainer

Product Description

Horiz Fitness Ex 57 Elliptical Trainer , Stamina 4545 Magnetic Fusi Recumbent Bike , Stamina 1300 Magnetic Resistance Upright Bike , Phoenix 98623 Revoluti Cycle Pro Ii Exercise Bike , Product Description Bring the gym into your home and enjoy an efficient, high-caliber workout with the Horizon EX-57 elliptical trainer, which works your legs as well as your upper body. Perfect for rigorous training routines, the EX-57 offers an eight-level electronic resistance system, along with a heavy 14-pound flywheel that maintains pedal and arm momentum while offering a smooth, quiet operation. More significantly from a user perspective, it offers nine goal-oriented programs. You can choose one of three different goals (time, distance, and calories) and one of three terrains (manual, reverse train, and hills). The crisp LCD screen, meanwhile, offers key workout feedback, helping you develop an effective training regimen.
Horizon employs a heavy-duty flywheel that provides continuous velocity, so as your feet move the pedals, the flywheel's momentum carries you through the complete motion. As a result, the trainer feels very natural and not at all choppy. Plus, the flywheel is extremely quiet, making the trainer ideal for home use. Horizon also applies a magnetic brake to the flywheel, creating more consistent resistance during a workout. And the instep-stacked flywheel design--where the flywheel sits above the pedals rather than in line with them--delivers a lower step-on height for easy access, along with a stride length that's longer, more natural, and more versatile regardless of the user, workout type, and fitness level. As an added benefit, the unit is smaller and shorter than other ellipticals, so it fits in almost any room, including low-ceiling basements.
Horizon's Ergoflow elliptical geometry is built around your body, not the machine's components. The distance between the pedals have also been narrowed to create a more natural walking motion, and the pivoting footpad imitates how your foot's position changes as you move forward. And a more natural, ergonomic movement means less stress on your knees, hips, and lowers back, so you enjoy longer workouts and faster results.
Elliptical Trainer Features:

• Resistance: Electronic
• Resistance range: 1 to 8 resistance levels
• Flywheel: 14.3-pound flywheel for fluid, quiet motion
• Step-on height: 9.8 inches
• Stride length: 18 inches
• Pedal spacing: 2.8 inches
• Screen: Non-backlit LCD (2.4 x 4.8 inches)
• Programs: 9
• Program type: Choose 1 of 3 different goals (time, distance, calories) and 1 of 3 terrains (manual, reverse train, and hills)
• Weight capacity: 275 pounds
• Dimensions: 29 x 67 x 55 inches (W x H x D)
• Weight: 163 pounds
• Warranties: Lifetime on frame; 20 years on brake; 1 year on parts and labor

About Elliptical Trainers Elliptical trainers represent the next wave of advancement in low-impact cardiovascular exercise machines and continue to grow in popularity. By simulating motions experienced through walking, stepping, cycling, and skiing, elliptical machines allow for a smooth and fluid motion while building strength in the arms and legs. Similar to the exercise position for treadmills, elliptical trainers are used by standing in an upright position while holding the handrails of the machine. With elliptical trainers, however, your feet remain in the foot pedals throughout the exercise regimen and circulate in a smooth and seamless motion, resulting in little to no impact on the knees, back, and hips.
Elliptical trainers are compatible for all ages and fitness levels and allow you to select the difficulty level through the incline and intensity settings. Additionally, elliptical trainers allow you to determine the complexity of your workout based on your needs, all while listening to music, watching television, or reading a magazine while exercising in the comfort and safety of your own home.
Many elliptical trainers include an array of challenging programs, forward and reverse directional movement, EKG grip pulse handles, a lightweight portable design with easy fold-up capability, and a monitor displaying calories burned, distance, speed, time, and heart rate. Other types of exercise machines, namely treadmills and bikes, offer excellent cardiovascular exercise and muscular training for the legs in a forward-motion exercise. Elliptical trainers take this to the next level by offering an upper and lower body workout with dual motion, challenging and diverse programs, and a low-impact exercise machine that won't strain sensitive joints.
About Horizon Fitness Horizon is part of Johnson Health Tech, one of the largest manufacturers of fitness equipment in the world. The company is committed to designing, engineering, and manufacturing superior products for health clubs and homes. Horizon's manufacturing facilities rank among the most sophisticated in the industry, with an intricate mix of robotics and skilled workers that maintain the highest standards of accuracy and quality. Every stage of manufacturing undergoes a testing phase, and 10 percent of Horizon's products go through a rigorous quality inspection that includes completely taking them apart and reassembling them.



This review is from: Horizon Fitness EX-57 Elliptical Trainer (Sports)
This is the first review I have ever written about anything, but this is just so bad and such a waste of money that I don't want anyone else to get screwed like I have. I purchased this machine in January 2010. Since I purchased the machine, it has broken 3 times now. The first time the weld on the right foot pedal broke, I only weight 185 pounds which is well under the limit for this machine. I called support, they sent another. It took about a week. The second time the display stopped working right in the middle of a work out. Called support again, they told me it could be one of 3 things. It could be the power cord, the internal cord that runs to the console, or the console itself. So they sent all 3 parts. This time it took 2 weeks. I plugged in the new power cord and it started working again. I'd say it worked fine for about two more weeks and now it doesn't work again. The console doesn't work at all again. So now I have to take apart the machine for the third time now and replace all the electrical components in hopes that its going to work again. I'm sure that if i wasn't mechanically inclined and had to wait for a technician, these repairs would take significantly more time.

I am considering contacting the manufacturer to get my money back, but in the manual it states that it would have to be shipped back at MY EXPENSE. I am not really sure what I am going to do about this machine at this point. I wasted 600 dollars on a machine based on favorable reviews. This machine has done nothing except cause me more aggravation than its worth. It was a complete waste of money in my opinion.

Update:

Since replacing the power cord seems to have solved all the electrical related problems, I raised the rating on this item. Also, when i used a better power cord i have noticed that the hand grips for the heart rate are much more sensitive and seem to be more responsive than they were previously. I am not sure if using a different power cord voids the warranty so please be aware of that, so if you are going to do this, do it at your own risk!