Precor EFX 5.37 Premium Series Elliptical Fitness Crosstrainer Review

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(More customer reviews)Let me start by saying that I've wanted a good home elliptical machine for years. I'm a software engineer, and sitting at a computer all day is not the best exercise. I'm not a professional trainer or a marathon runner so I don't have that type of perspective on this machine. However, I have been using it consistently since I put it together, so while I'm not a fitness expert, I've used it enough to give it a good, full review.
This is one seriously expensive piece of machinery, no doubt about it. At this price point, I would expect to receive an elliptical trainer that is absolutely flawless. There are way too many other options out there to seriously entertain the prospect of putting down this much cash on a machine that is anything less than perfect. Seriously, if I sold both my car and my motorcycle tomorrow, I'd be shocked if I got enough for them to equal the cost of this elliptical.
But enough about me and my aging vehicles. The shipping for this item mirrored the shipment of my Precor 9.35 Premium Series Treadmill almost exactly. The delivery guy dropped it off at my front door and waited while I opened the box and moved it, piece by piece, into my house so that he could get his pallet back. You have the option of having them put the box in your garage instead, but as I stated in that review, that option wouldn't have worked for me.
Moving the elliptical machine inside took several minutes and several trips. It contains a number of large and unwieldy parts, the biggest and heaviest of which was the pre-assembled ramp/pedal/motor section. Luckily, this part has wheels on the motor end, which is by far the heaviest end. It was actually relatively simple to lift the light end and roll it around to wherever I wanted it. However, if you are small in stature and/or unable to lift heavy objects I would definitely recommend having help. That goes for both moving the parts around and for the actual installation.
In addition to the machine itself, the crate included a coupon for a free professional installation by a Precor expert, a nice looking rubber mat to protect your floor, and two Precor-stamped water bottles. If you decide not to follow the recommendation of professional installation, an assembly guide is included so you can put it together by yourself. Mine also included an addendum to the assembly guide, which added to the instructions and negated a couple of steps due to changes made in how the parts were shipped. Of course I didn't see this until after I had completed the build, which led to a little confusion during assembly. Luckily, it all worked out correctly and I didn't have to redo anything.
=== ASSEMBLY ===
Taking my time to make sure everything was done right the first time, the full assembly took me a couple of hours, but an extra pair of hands would likely have made that go faster.
Your best bet is to lay the mat down exactly where you want the elliptical to go, with the tapered end facing forward, and rolling the large main assembly into position on the mat with the motor cover end facing the rear. This way you'll be able to put the machine together without having to move it when you're done. When choosing a place to put it, note the location of any ceiling fans. While it doesn't matter to my 5'5" girlfriend, I'm 6 feet tall and at times can get uncomfortably close to ceiling fan blades while on the elliptical. I solved the problem by moving it closer to the edge of the room.
The assembly of the machine itself was relatively straightforward thanks to a clear and detailed manual. You'll need a pair of scissors (the manual says wire cutters, but anything that will cut those plastic zip ties will work), a crescent wrench (I couldn't find mine, so I used open wrenches instead. A 1/2" and a 3/8" wrench will do the job), and a socket wrench with a 1/2" socket and an extension. You will also need three different sizes of allen wrench, but these are provided in the box.
Once you have that stuff in hand, it's just a matter of "screw this to this, with this" a couple dozen times. It's really not quite as bad as it looks when you're staring at all of the components strewn about the floor.
=== BUILD QUALITY ===
One thing you'll notice about the 5.37 from the moment you open the box is that its component parts are all heavy and solid, built to last. This is great news, considering the fact that all of those moving parts are going to take a lot of punishment, especially at the moving joints. The front and rear covers, the display, and the pedals are a heavy duty plastic, the crossramp is aluminum, and the rest is an incredibly strong powder coated steel. The connecting rods in particular feel like they came straight off of a tank. The handles on the moving grips and the heart rate grips are a mix of metal and a high quality rubber material. It's practically seamless, so there seems to be no way that the rubber will ever start to pull loose over time.
The wheels on the ramp are sort of like a super heavy duty version of roller blade wheels. They are perfectly positioned from the factory, so you won't have to worry about them running against the rails and getting damaged over time. They also provide near-silent operation. As a whole this machine is whisper-quiet, but the wheels seem to emit no sound whatsoever. The action is smooth too. With no power to the motor, you can push on one of the pedals and there is so little friction that it will complete one or two revolutions before coming to a stop.
=== FEATURES ===
Many of the features are already listed in the product description, but here are few additions/enhancements:
First of all, I have never seen the convertible grip feature on an elliptical before, and it's really quite cool. You can convert the swinging arms into stationary arms. It only takes a few seconds to do and it really changes your workout. You can feel your lower body working harder, and your midsection seems to get a better workout due to the extra balance required if you're not hanging onto the grips.
The adjustable stride is a nice feature, although it's more of a "set it once" kind of thing for me. Maybe as I improve I'll try changing it to see if it will help me concentrate on different muscles. The pedals themselves are only 3 inches apart -- this is great for maintaining a comfortable walking style. Some ellipticals have the pedals too far apart and it doesn't feel as natural.
The display panel is very similar to that of the Precor 9.35 Premium Series Treadmill. If you look at the photo that shows the display, you'll see the calorie burn counter at the top left and the heart rate display at top right. Below those is an orange/green/orange strip that shows your heart rate graphically against different "zones" (warmup, fat burning, cardio, and peak). Directly below that is the graph display that shows you where you are within your current program, and the current crossramp incline setting. Then there's a single-line scrolling display that can show you the program completion percentage, alert you to an upcoming change in resistance, as well as display a number of different metrics including max heart rate, average heart rate, vertical distance traveled, program completion percentage, calories burned per minute/hour, and several more. Along the bottom, you'll see four more displays: Elapsed Time/Time Remaining (with a toggle button), Crossramp incline, Resistance, and Distance/Pace/Strides Per Minute (with a toggle button).
You can save the information for up to four separate users. You enter a name, age, and weight, and the 5.37 will save all of the user's cumulative data (total distance, strides, calories burned, etc) since they created the profile. It also remembers your favorite programs and best times, and uses your information to determine your target heart rate.
In addition to the heart rate monitoring hand grips, the 5.37 comes with a wireless chest strap that will communicate data to the elliptical. Personally, I prefer the chest strap because it gives you constant data, while the grips only give you heart rate data while you are holding them. My girlfriend is the opposite, mainly because she doesn't like the fact that the chest strap gets sweaty.
Above the display there's a place for a water bottle, wide enough even to accommodate one of those large sports drink bottles. There's also a shelf for a phone/mp3 player, etc. and a lower compartment for magazines and whatnot. On the display face is a strip that can be used to hold a magazine or book in front of you in the open position.
=== USAGE ===
There are a number of different programs to choose from. They're separated by type, such as "Weight Loss", "Heart Rate", "Variety", "Performance", etc. so you can just hit the button for the type you want and then scroll through the different options. For those times when you have a specific goal that you'd like to achieve, there is a goal mode. This allows you to select your goal and the computer will determine how you can achieve that goal. For example (and I'm not using real numbers here, it's just an example) let's say you want to set a calorie goal -- you want to burn 500 calories. You can enter your goal of 500 calories, and the computer will set a crossramp incline of 6, a resistance of 5.0, and a Time Remaining of 1.5 hours. Don't have that kind of time? Just make an adjustment at any time to your incline or resistance and the time to complete will be reduced accordingly. Whichever goal you choose (calories, time, distance, etc.), the way in...Read more›

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The Precor EFX 5.37 elliptical trainer offers incredible workout flexibility in your own home. You'll enjoy a comfortable, rewarding workout with CrossRamp technology for variable incline and stride length, Convertible Arms for workout variety, and sophisticated customization programs (15 in total) that track your progress. This Precor elliptical features integrated heart rate monitoring and compatibility with wireless heart telemetry via the included Polar chest strap transmitter. This package also comes with a custom Precor mat and two Nalgene water bottles.
Features:
Adjustable CrossRamp targets key muscle groups. The ramp angle is fully adjustable from 15 to 40 degrees and moves up and down at the push of a button, allowing you to individually target and work all major lower body muscle groups. Different ramp positions engage different lower body muscle groups. When moving the ramp from the bottom to the top, you'll feel various muscles engage and disengage--the lower positions activate all muscle groups, while the higher positions isolate glutes, quads, and calves. A variable stride length, from 21 to 24.5 inches, offers even greater diversity to your workout.
Track your target heart rate for fitness results. Easy-to-use handgrip sensors or wireless heart rate telemetry allow you to monitor your heart rate during workouts. Whether your desired result is improved cardio training or weight loss, SmartRate keeps you in your target zone--helping you achieve your fitness goals
Convertible Arms offer workout variety. Fixed or moving--with adaptable arm positions that easily adjust to offer Lower Body or Total Body exercise modes--the choice is yours. Only Precor offers this proprietary feature, which adds greater flexibility to your exercise regimen.
Designed with your home in mind. With subtle tones and clean lines, this Precor elliptical is designed to fit naturally with your home decor and your lifestyle. The display keeps your favorite things close at hand with areas for your water bottle, MP3 player and cell phone. A compartment on the front of the machine keeps your magazines in easy reach.
Customize your options to suit your workout. The options button allows you to customize your workouts by viewing additional metrics, entering weight and age, or selecting a personal workout goal--all of which leads to a more meaningful workout.
Continuous heart rate monitoring via touch sensors on the handlebars or via the included wireless Polar chest strap transmitter
Intuitive console is easy to read and adjust. Access QuickStart, programs and User IDs at the touch of a button. The Tap Control keypad is user-friendly with "quick key" functions. Dedicated display areas show your heart rate, calories burned and time/duration of exercise--to help you get the most from your workout. Choose between calorie goals, distance goals, vertical feet climbed goals, and time goals.
20 consistent levels of electromagnetic resistance to customize your workout, ranging from 10 watts at work level #1 at 20 RPM to 625 watts at work level #20 at 100 RPM
Direction of rotation is completely reversible from forward to backward to allow even greater use of different muscle groups
Optimized biomechanics combining low impact with smooth natural motion
Touch sensitive display with toggle switches makes it easy to monitor and customize workouts
Four User IDs allow multiple people to enter and store personal preference information, then quickly retrieve it for future workouts
Locking pin secures the pedals when not in use
Integrated storage shelf for water bottle, portable music player, etc.; magazine storage located in front plastic housing and reading rack on display
QuickStart lets you begin workout with the push of a single button

Specifications:
Resistance levels: 20
CrossRamp: 15 to 40 degrees
Stride: 21 to 24.5 inches
Upper body range of motion: 12 to 19 inches
Pedal dimensions: 7 x 15 inches
Pedal spacing: 3 inches
Programs: 15 total including 1 aerobic, 1 cross training, 2 custom, 1 gluteals, 2 heart rate, 1 hill climb, 3 interval, 1 manual, 3 weight loss
Dimensions: 84 x 31 x 63 inches (L x W x H)
Weight: 240 pounds

Manufacturer's Warranty Frame and welds - lifetime; parts and wear items - ten years; labor - one year
Note on AssemblyPrecor highly recommends that you consider a professional assembly and installation of your Precor exercise machine. If you would like to speak to someone about having your machine professionally installed, please contact Precor at askprecor@precor.com or by calling 1-866-593-5568.
About Precor Precor is passionate about fitness. It all started with a desire to create a better kind of exercise equipment, one that mirrored human movement: fluid, natural, and dynamic. Twenty-six years later the company's biomechanics and engineering experience have led to countless innovations that have captivated fitness enthusiasts of all ages and abilities. Precor has introduced many "firsts" to the fitness industry, including the Elliptical Fitness Crosstrainer (EFX®) in 1995 and the revolutionary, award-winning Adaptive Motion Trainer (AMT®) in 2007. Today, Precor is a celebrated top-tier brand preferred by fitness enthusiasts of all abilities and their machines are used every day in health clubs, hotels, facilities, and homes worldwide.
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