Livestrong Treadmills are newer to the market. They're one of the more exciting brands to come along in a while with a focus on building strong, well-constructed treadmills that are easy on the budget.
Livestrong is super-athlete Lance Armstrong's endorsed brand. Part of the proceeds from the sale of these treadmills go to the Livestrong Foundation which helps to fight cancer.
Livestrong is manufactured by Johnson - one of the largest fitness equipment companies in the world. They also manufacture high end brands like Matrix and Vision.
What about the treadmills themselves? We recently looked over the newer models and here's our review:
Strengths:
#1) Strong Motors
Motors on these units range from 2.5 HP up to 3.25 HP, which is very good. Plus they're covered by a lifetime warranty.
Considering that the belts are fairly large on these units, it's nice to have a strong motor power to back it up.
#2) Sleek Attractive Consoles
The consoles on these treadmills are clean, sleek-looking and easy-to-use.
They have a bright, backlit LED screen to view your workout stats. They also include hand grip heart rate monitors so you can monitor your heart rate and 2 cupholders (great for a remote or a bottle of water).
#3) Livestrong Interactive Technology
Livestrong treadmills come with a Livestrong Interactive - which is a great way to keep track of your progress and reach new goals.
When you workout you insert any USB into the console port. When you’re finished, you transfer the USB to your computer.
From there it will upload your workout stats and results to your online account. You get an easy overall view of workout history, personal fitness bests, and more.
#4) Download New Workouts From the Internet
You can also use your USB to download new workouts to your treadmill from Lance Armstrong's personal strength and conditioning coach, Peter Park. So you get continual new ways to challenge yourself with these treadmills.
#5) Passport Media Player
The LSPro2 Treadmill comes with something completely different - a passport media player. The wireless player hooks up to your TV (which should be placed in front of your treadmill). The media player then works with your treadmill to simulate running trails all over the world. You can run through the Grand Canyon for example and see actual Grand Canyon scenery pass you buy as you run.
As you speed up, the scenes around you also speed up. And the treadmill even responds to changes in elevation by increasing you incline. It's a very cool and a great way to "escape" for a run after a long hard day.
#6 ) Free Shipping With Inside Delivery
Many online manufacturers will give you Free Shipping (which is great and saves you about $150+.) However if you want the treadmill actually delivered inside your home, you have to pay extra.
If you buy a Livestrong treadmill direct from the Manufacturer you can get Free shipping AND inside delivery on all their treadmills, which can save you a lot of time, money and frustration.
Weaknesses:
Livestrong is newer to the market with only about 4 years behind it. So many people are unfamiliar with the name. Most people don't know that the manufacturer behind them is Johnson - a heavyweight in the business. On the positive side however, you're not paying a premium for 'the name'.
Conclusion: Highly Recommended
Livestrong treadmills offer you attractive looking design and solid, strong construction.
They have everything that the other top brands carry like strong motors, longer decks, iPod docks, wireless heart rate monitors, online tracking journals and more - all for excellent prices. Personally we think these treadmills are slightly underpriced for what you get.
The downside is that while Johnson is a great manufacturer, they're not as good (as other brands) at marketing. So these treadmills don't sell as well as other brands. This is a shame since the machines themselves are quite good.
Where To Buy At A Discount:
You can get Livestrong treadmills direct from the Manufacturer. Plus if you buy from the manufacturer you can get Free Shipping WITH inside delivery (which can save you about $250).
