Horizon Fitness EX-57 Elliptical Trainer Review

Welcome to our Horizon Fitness EX-57 Elliptical Trainer review . . .

Although the home exercise equipment market is already crowded with a number of elliptical machines that promise to help people get in shape, Horizon Fitness remains one of the most trusted brands for mid-priced fitness equipment.

The addition of the Horizon EX-57 Elliptical provides a versatile cardio exercise machine that offers a quality home-based workout without breaking the bank.

Let's take a closer look at this Horizon elliptical machine . . .

Horizon Fitness EX-57 Elliptical

Key Features

Front drive frame design

Low-step on height for ease of use

Heavy duty flywheel provides smooth, quiet operation

Nine goal-oriented workout programs, including Time, Distance, Calories, and Manual

Eight levels of resistance for workout variety

20 year warranty on brake system

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Horizon EX57 Elliptical video review from a user . . .

Horizon Fitness EX-57 Elliptical Trainer Review

Although the 18-inch stride length of the Horizon Fitness EX-57 elliptical trainer seems to be a problem for some taller users (6'2 and over), it gives you the standard stride length of most high-end elliptical trainers. It is comfortable enough to use, allowing you to target more leg muscles for intense workouts.

The pivoting foot pedals are ergonomically designed to accomodate your natural stride motion, giving you intense workouts while minimizing stress on your feet, ankles, knees, and lower back.

Worth a mention is the pedal spacing. It's less than three inches. The benefit is a more comfortable walking motion.

To ensure smooth momentum, the Horizon Fitness EX-57 is equipped with a 14-pound flywheel, an excellent feature for elliptical trainers at this price point. The heavy flywheel contributes toward fluid motion for the pedals and arm levers. A lighter flywheel would result in the choppy motion that tends to plague lower-priced ellipticals, but Horizon has built the EX-57 with smooth operation in mind.

Another useful feature is the magnetic brake system, which helps maintain consistent resistance during workouts.

You'll monitor your workouts with the clear LCD display (non-backlit). It displays heart rate, elapsed time, distance traveled, and other key fitness metrics.

Workout variety is another bonus. The EX57 includes 8 motorized resistance levels, which allow you to set your preferred level of exercise intensity.

You can also select up to 9 different workout programs. These includes the standard exercise programs such as time, calories or distance, and includes 3 terrain options: hills, manual and reverse train. It's easy to customize your workout to fit your goals.

Horizon Fitness EX-57 Review - Consumer Feedback

What Consumers Like:

- Excellent warranty coverage

- Runs very quietly: you can watch TV or listen to music while working out, and elliptical feels quite stable during use, too

- Compact footprint allows machine to fit into normal living areas

What Consumers Don't Like:

- Hand grip heart rate monitor seems inaccurate

- LCD display lacks backlight

Horizon Fitness EX-57 Elliptical Trainer - Features/Specifications

- Electronic resistance

- 8 motorized resistance levels

- Pivoting foot plates

- 14.3-pound flywheel

- Low step-on height: 9.8 inches

- 18-inch stride length

- LCD display

- Select from nine workout programs

- Hand grip heart rate monitoring

- Water bottle holder

- Weight capacity: 275 pounds

- Dimensions: 29 x 67 x 55 inches (W x H x D)

- Product Weight: 163 pounds

Warranty Details

You'll get solid warranty coverage on this Horizon elliptical: lifetime coverage on the frame, 20 years on the magnetic brake, and 1 year of parts and labor.

Horizon EX-57 Elliptical Review Summary

The Horizon Fitness EX-57 elliptical trainer is rated highly by many users because of its quiet operation, versatile workout settings, and affordable price. For its price range, it offers features that you'll often find on more expensive models. Recommended.

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