You can use a treadmill for walking or running. It will help you to burn calories, lose weight, and feel great. But if you want to do it properly you need the [easyazon_link identifier=”B0089W54V6″ locale=”US” tag=”upbeat-jan-20″]Life Fitness T3 treadmill[/easyazon_link].

This review will show you why we fully endorse and recommend this product to you.

Customer Reviews

As always there are plenty of places to purchase this treadmill and an array of [easyazon_link identifier=”B0089W54V6″ locale=”US” tag=”upbeat-jan-20″]Life Fitness T3 treadmill[/easyazon_link] reviews to choose from. Here are just a few:

• 5-star rating on the Life Fitness site.
• 3-star rating from John Lewis.
• 5-star rating from eBay.

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Advantages of T3 Treadmill

It might be classified as an entry-level but this is an impressive piece of kit as the following benefits show:

• Dual Console
• Cushioned Deck
• Energy Saving
• Cup Holders
• Excellent Warranty

The Dual Console

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There are 2 console options supplied with the [easyazon_link identifier=”B0089W54V6″ locale=”US” tag=”upbeat-jan-20″]Life Fitness T3[/easyazon_link]. One is “Go”, the other “Track”.

The Go console is designed to get you going! It has 13 different workouts ranging from the classic hill to more advanced options like five heart sync. Two users can even add their own profiles and save them.  You’ll find a comprehensive list of workout options aided by a quick start function.

The track is where the variety comes into the equation. This adds a further 16 programs to your T3 treadmill. Most importantly it allows you to enter manual mode and create your own parameters.

You can also connect this mode to an array of apps on either an Android or Apple cell phone. This will ensure that your run always remains interesting; even when it’s pouring with rain outside.

It is exceptionally easy to switch between these consoles, just slide one off and the other will slot straight in.

It’s worth noting the machine comes with a heart rate monitor. Even though you can also get apps to track your heart rate the monitor built into this machine is digital and is capable of filtering out other noises.

It should be far more accurate than many of the heart rate monitors fitted to other treadmills. You can always test it against the one connected to your app.

Cushioned Deck

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Running is considered to be an impact sport. Every step you take causes your foot to impact with the ground. This provides the potential for injury as the pressure is transferred through your ankles and up your legs.

One thing that all [easyazon_link identifier=”B0089W54V6″ locale=”US” tag=”upbeat-jan-20″]Life Fitness T3 treadmill[/easyazon_link] reviews recognize is that this machine has a patented cushioned deck.

This is said to reduce the effect of impact when exercising by as much as 30% compared to running on a hard surface like pavement.

That will certainly save your knees and help to reduce the likelihood of injury! Impact generally increases as you run uphill. The incline of the T3 can be adjusted and even automated.

When running up an incline you’ll appreciate the cushioned deck even more.

Energy Saving

The Life Fitness T3 treadmill is fitted with a 3.0 hp motor which offers a peak performance of 6.0hp. The power needed by the motor will depend on your weight and the speed at which you are running.

A clever feature on this treadmill allows the motor to automatically adjust to your needs. This is based predominantly on your weight. The lighter you are the less power the motor will use.

Effectively losing weight will improve your health and decrease your energy bill! As a point of reference, it is capable of handling weights up to 350 pounds.

But that’s not all!

The Life Fitness T3 treadmill reviews all confirm that this machine can actually reduce its power draw when not in use. This is in stark contrast to most machines when left idling.

The motor can cope with running speeds of between 5 and 12 mph that should be enough for most runners; especially if you throw in a few hills.

Cup Holders

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Cup holders might seem like a small benefit but it is surprising how grateful you will be for them.

It is also amazing how many treadmills don’t come with cup holders.

When running it is essential to stay hydrated. This ensures you are able to keep going without damaging your body. However, if you have ever run and tried to reach for a water bottle on the floor you’ll already appreciate how useful the cup holders can be.

You can even remove the holders and put them in the dishwasher to keep them clean!

It’s also worth noting that there are accessory trays in case you need your cell phone handy or a power snack. There is even a reading rack to hold your book or tablet, allowing you to keep busy while running.

The miles will literally fly by!

The Warranty

[easyazon_link identifier=”B0089W54V6″ locale=”US” tag=”upbeat-jan-20″]Life Fitness T3 treadmill[/easyazon_link] often mention the warranty; this is with good reason.

The manufacturers are so confident in the machine that they have made that they are giving you a lifetime warranty against the frame and the cushioning! Even the motor has a 10-year warranty while all electrical and mechanical parts are covered for 5 years.

This treadmill is likely to set you back in excess of $2,000 but there is no reason to spend another cent on it for at least 5 years.

That makes it a good investment.

In fact, customers who have used this machine for years have not reported any issues with it so far.

This is a well-made machine, designed to help you stay in shape with the least amount of fuss.

Disadvantages of T3 Treadmill

Of course, no machine is perfect and a quick look at the Life Fitness T3 treadmill reviews will highlight the same issues that we’ve have discovered.

• The Footprint
• Construction Issues

Footprint

Unfortunately, there are very few pieces of equipment that are perfect.

The main drawback of the Life Fitness T3 treadmill is that it has a large footprint. In fact if space is limited you may be better to select the [easyazon_link identifier=”B01GGKQYFM” locale=”US” tag=”upbeat-jan-20″]F3[/easyazon_link], which folds away.

The T3 is 79 inches long by 34 inches wide with a deck height of just less than 7 inches.

You’re going to need at least 7 feet by 3 feet of space to accommodate it.

This is fine if you are building your own gym. However, you may find an issue if you are hoping to squeeze it into your home office.

It is worth noting that the T3 is 57.5 inches high although this should not affect your choice of location.

The machine also weighs an impressive 243 pounds. This means that your delivery team might not bring it to your house. You may wish to have a few friends available on delivery day!

Construction

The second drawback is constructing the treadmill, which many customers report to be frustrating!

Very few treadmills arrive in one piece so a little construction is expected.

However, the Life Fitness T3 treadmill is accompanied by a 32-page manual. Over half of these pages deal with assembling your T3.

Unfortunately, the instructions are not simple to follow and several customers have reported pieces missing.

That said, the customer service at Life Fitness appears to be good, replacement parts are dispatched immediately.

You can opt to have the machine assembled for you. However, at a little under $200, this is an expensive option. Quite frankly it’s difficult to justify this charge.

On the plus side once you have it set up you’ll be happy. However, considering the weight and the fact that it doesn’t fold; you won’t want to relocate it often.

Cost

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This machine will set you back a few thousand dollars. This is on the high side for an entry level machine.

Of course, the fact that it is well built and has a good warranty goes a long way to off-set the price.

However, it is a significant investment and one that you should be sure that you are going to use before you part with your hard-earned money.

The Final Run

You’ll have noticed that the [easyazon_link identifier=”B0089W54V6″ locale=”US” tag=”upbeat-jan-20″]Life Fitness T3 treadmill[/easyazon_link] highlights very little in the way of negatives.

While the price may be a barrier to some, it is generally worth paying for something that will give you years of service.

The construction process is difficult but at least only needs to be done once. Even the footprint should not be an issue if you have done your homework first.

In our opinion, this is one of the best entry-level treadmills you’ll find. It has a great range of functions, conserves energy, and can handle the weight of most people.

If you are over 300 pounds you can purchase the larger [easyazon_link identifier=”B00BP1YV6W” locale=”US” tag=”upbeat-jan-20″]T5 machine[/easyazon_link] which is wider and designed to handle higher weights.

The machine is smooth, quiet, and efficient when being used. The warranty provides you peace of mind while the cushioned deck helps to protect your body.

Assuming you are serious about exercise and getting in shape there really is no reason to choose a different treadmill. The [easyazon_link identifier=”B0089W54V6″ locale=”US” tag=”upbeat-jan-20″]Life Fitness T3 treadmill[/easyazon_link] will help you to walk, jog and run in the comfort of your own home.

The [easyazon_link identifier=”B00YG0JV96″ locale=”US” tag=”upbeat-jan-20″]300i[/easyazon_link] does a great job of being a basic home treadmill, appropriate for beginners. It has a small footprint and doesn’t cost much to buy, making it ideal for beginners and home users. It also has a lot of training options and some nice features for entertainment.

Let’s take a look at how other places have reviewed it before we break it down into a bit more detail.

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ProForm Performance 300i Treadmill Reviews

Product Reviews

Walmart – 4.2/5 from 51 reviews

Sears – 4/5 from 24 reviews

Breakdown

Pros:

• The motor has enough power (2hp) to move the belt smoothly and effortlessly at any setting
• Incline goes up to 10% for hill walks etc.
• ProShox cushioning system is great for protecting your joints, allowing you to work out without putting much strain on your leg joints.
• Compatible with iPods and other mp3 players, complete with built-in speakers.
• Has an easy lift system built-in, so folding and moving the treadmill is very simple to do.
• The tablet holder is attached to the treadmill, giving a safe and convenient way to keep yourself entertained during runs. You also have the ability to plug your tablet into the fitted sound system via an aux cable, so you can hear your choice of show/video without needing headphones or anything.
• iFit compatibility is included and means you always have new workouts to do.
• A large LCD display included for the console.
• Comes in the lower end of the price range even for budget treadmills.

Cons:

• Quite small even for a home treadmill, with a belt length of only 50” and a width of 16”.
• The motor for this treadmill can be quite noisy.
• Low warranty with only 90 days covers for parts and labor, while the frame and motor both receive 5 years of coverage.
• Speed is limited to only 10mph at the highest.
• No negative incline available.
• There isn’t an option for custom workouts or saved settings.

Benefits

Good Variety of Uses

With 16 workout programs already pre-installed and the option to use iFit, there’s a lot of variety available with this treadmill. You can choose a workout based on your own goals and aims. Speed and incline are both adjustable too with the buttons located on the arms of the treadmill, making them easy to access and use.

Having the iFit compatibility is the real prize winner in this area though. Using iFit allows you to use a nearly endless amount of workouts, some of which have instructional videos done by top fitness experts included. iFit also lets you do ‘virtual runs’, using google maps to complete pretty much any route you want to. A decent amount of incline allows quite a lot of versatility with the google maps runs as well.

Powerful Motors

Speaking of the incline, the [easyazon_link identifier=”B00YG0JV96″ locale=”US” tag=”upbeat-jan-20″]ProForm Performance 300i[/easyazon_link] goes up to 10%, which is considered a decent standard in the world of home treadmills. The incline motor is also quite reliable and benefits from the same 5-year cover that the main motor does.

The main motor used to power the belt is a 2hp CHP motor, covered with a 5-year warranty. This motor might be a little loud but it doesn’t seem to struggle at all, even with a full 10mph run lasting an hour, the motor stays smooth and doesn’t seem to struggle or shudder. In fact, I believe they could have squeezed a little more speed out of this motor, though that would probably have meant losing the smooth operation or even affecting the durability of the motor itself.

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Convenient for Entertainment & Preventing Boredom

The built-in sound system is a great touch for a home treadmill. Being a home treadmill means you don’t need to consider other users and gym-goers, so playing music through speakers is a great feature to have. After all, nobody wants to be restricted to earphones in their own home, right?

The sound system is pretty good quality for one fitted to exercise equipment. Obviously it won’t stand a chance being compared to actual high-end sound systems, but as an extra to a piece of home exercise equipment, this system is a really nice touch.

Anything with an aux cable can be plugged into this ProForm Performance 300i and the sound will play through the speakers for you. That’s great news for music lovers!

It isn’t only music lovers who benefit here though. There is an attached tablet holder included as standard, which does a great job of holding a tablet safe and secure while you run. Not only can you watch whatever you like thanks to this, but you can also still plug in the aux cable and play sound through the treadmill too, so again there’s no need for earphones. Having the option to play through the treadmill also lets you listen to the sound at a louder volume than most tablets could manage through their own speakers.

The LCD display for the console is large and easy to see as well, with all of the relevant information available at a glance.

Superb for Space Saving

If space is an issue for you, this treadmill is perfect. It has a belt size of 50”x16”, a little smaller than the average treadmill. [easyazon_link identifier=”B00YG0JV96″ locale=”US” tag=”upbeat-jan-20″]ProForms’ 300i[/easyazon_link] treadmill also easily folds vertical, thanks to its own easy lift system. Having this system takes most of the weight off the user so even smaller users can fold/unfold it with ease. It has a very small footprint and can be conveniently stored once folded.

Joint Friendly

One of the main benefits behind a treadmill is being able to remove stress and impact from your leg joints. The [easyazon_link identifier=”B00YG0JV96″ locale=”US” tag=”upbeat-jan-20″]300i treadmill[/easyazon_link] does this well with Proforms patented ProShox cushioning system. This system uses air cushions underneath the belt of the treadmill to absorb some of the shocks. That means your body and legs have less shock to absorb and less strain.

This type of design is great for joint health and can help you to train more while limiting the strain on your legs. That’s a very useful feature for people with pre-existing joint problems. It’s also great for heavier users because this stress-reduction prevents a lot of wear and tear. Protecting joints in this way allows heavier users to train more, and harder, giving more potential for results.

[easyazon_image align=”none” height=”492″ identifier=”B00YG0JV96″ locale=”US” src=”https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41acYnXxNIL.jpg” tag=”upbeat-jan-20″ width=”500″]View on Amazon

Cheap

Buying a [easyazon_link identifier=”B00YG0JV96″ locale=”US” tag=”upbeat-jan-20″]ProForm Performance 300i Treadmill[/easyazon_link] is a great choice for many home users simply because of how cheap it is. There aren’t many options at this price range unless you’re willing to go for absolute bare-bones treadmills. By barebones, I mean those without a display or even a motor.

Having a good quality motorized treadmill at this price range is tough to do. With that in mind, ProForm has done a good job with it and kept the price low. If you’re interested in what other cheap options are out there, check out our best treadmills under $1,000.

Drawbacks

Has Some Limitations

Firstly there’s the incline, which was already mentioned as a positive. That’s because it goes up to 10%, which is great, even though some treadmills can go higher than that. The bigger issue is that it doesn’t go below 0 at all, there is no negative incline! For a treadmill that comes with iFit compatibility, this is very limiting. Think about it – when you do a simulated run from Google maps, there are uphill AND downhill sections. Having no negative incline means you won’t actually be able to do the downhills. Instead, you will have to run it as a flat section which is quite frustrating.

On top of that, the speed caps out at 10mph. That’s a fast jog for most people, rather than a sprint. For a beginner to this is plenty of speed, but over time it will be limiting. That could mean you need to change your machine for a decent workout. Other options would be to hit the outdoors for a proper run or make the treadmill tougher by using a weighted vest, ankle weights, or other tools.

Could be TOO Small in Size

Part of the space-saving design is the treadmill belt only being 50”x16″. This is quite small even for a home treadmill. Losing the extra few inches in all directions can make [easyazon_link identifier=”B00YG0JV96″ locale=”US” tag=”upbeat-jan-20″]ProForms 300i[/easyazon_link] a bit awkward or even uncomfortable for larger users. Having a big stride length or being tall could be a problem because this doesn’t have enough length for large strides.

The faster you run, the larger your strides usually get as well. Because of this, you could be limited in how fast you can run. That isn’t actually that big a problem just because the 10mph limit stops most people from really sprinting anyway.

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Not Much Warranty Coverage

Warranty is very important with expensive items. Home exercise equipment is going to be subject to a lot of use and wear, so it’s even more important here. ProForm has only provided a 90-day warranty on parts and labor for this treadmill though, which isn’t much. Thankfully the frame, deck, and motor all receive 5-year cover, which does give some peace of mind.

However, keep in mind that after 90 days, it’s on you to pay for any labor & parts. That means despite being a cheap treadmill to buy, this might not be the most cost-effective choice.

Bottom Line – ProForm Performance 300i Treadmill Reviews

The [easyazon_link identifier=”B00YG0JV96″ locale=”US” tag=”upbeat-jan-20″]ProForm Performance 300i Treadmill[/easyazon_link] is a great budget home treadmill that can work well for beginners and intermediate users. You need a treadmill with more advanced features to go past this level. That means the 300i could become redundant and no longer useful. It’s ideal for beginners because it has such a low cost and is easy to use. The low warranty could also be a risk factor for some users.