Life Fitness Signature Series Glute

Unknowingly, Life Fitness have achieved a sexual divide with the Glute Press as having worked in a number of gyms, I rarely see any males actually using this piece of equipment. Perhaps it is the female predisposition for smaller butt that means blokes can’t actually get a look in! Irrespective of this apparent user guideline of being “female”, the glute press is once again another exceptional mainstay of the Life Fitness Signature series. Before ...
...regards to the history of life fitness and the signature series however I feel I have to leave this in to give new consumers a full account of this piece of equipment.




WHO ARE LIFE FITNESS


Life Fitness really came into existence in 1968, when a chap called Keene P Dimmock invented the lifecycle exercise bike. Seeing its potential, two young entrepreneurs, Ray Wilson and Augie Nieto bought ... more

Unknowingly, Life Fitness have achieved a sexual divide with the Glute Press as having worked in a number of gyms, I rarely see any males actually using this piece of equipment. Perhaps it is the female predisposition for smaller butt that means blokes can’t actually get a look in! Irrespective of this apparent user guideline of being “female”, the glute press is once again another exceptional mainstay of the Life Fitness Signature series. Before we go any further, lets take a look at who your buying from and what to expect from the Signature Series. (apologise to those who have read my previous reviews regarding this equipment, there is an element of repetition with regards to the history of life fitness and the signature series however I feel I have to leave this in to give new consumers a full account of this piece of equipment.

WHO ARE LIFE FITNESS

Life Fitness really came into existence in 1968, when a chap called Keene P Dimmock invented the lifecycle exercise bike. Seeing its potential, two young entrepreneurs, Ray Wilson and Augie Nieto bought the rights to the cycle an then took it to the health and fitness marketplace, gyms. This really started the health club boom that was to follow, and life fitness equipment was the main catalyst for this.
Today Life Fitness equipment is the number one choice of equipment for gyms around the world. They operate in over 120 different countries and have a portfolio of around 300 different cardio vascular and strength training machines.

SIGNATURE SERIES

The Life fitness signature Glute is one in a series of resistance machines which forms the life fitness Signature series. Here’s what the makers say about the series.

“….The Signature Series defies traditional selectorized equipment and gives new meaning to the word approachability. We packed more than 20 years of industry insight, biomechanical expertise, and customer feedback into this powerful line of resistance training equipment. The result is an uncommon blend of aesthetic sensibility with uncompromising craftsmanship, specifically designed to bridge the gap between intimidation and confidence.”

I think what they’re trying to say is it looks good, its built well and its easy to use. Perhaps this is why I do not have a job in their sales team!!! Essentially however the signature series is designed with some particular differences to all other resistance machines. Here are the main features of this series (Provided by life fitness website to support my review)

1) A unique increment weight system, which is integrated into the weight stack, allows users to simply turn a dial for gradual increases in their resistance training program.

I have not come across this before and I believe its an industry first. The basic principle is that on traditional gym equipment the weights move up in increments of 5kg. I have often found that sometimes the change in weight is too drastic and I struggle to lift the new weight while maintaining good form. This devise has been invented to solve that problem. You just turn the dial and it fills in all the increments upto the next weight (e.g if your on 5kg the dial can take you to 6,7,8,9kg, then when your up to 10kg you just move the pin)

2) Full shrouds and pulley covers make the equipment more approachable, less intimidating, and visually appealing to all users.

An interesting suggestion based on true facts. Apparently people are less likely to use a machine if it looks intimidating. I happen to agree that this can be an issue for gym goers, as I have often introduced clients to equipment and they have stated that they have never used it because “It looks difficult” or “I didn’t know how to use it”. This piece of kit has been cleverly designed to look user friendly and I think it does achieve that.

3) Stainless steel fasteners, precision welds, and internally lubricated cables give Signature Series its uncompromised durability.

In short the build quality on this machine is second to none. You get a lifetime warranty on the whole build as it is built to the highest standards. When your on the equipment, it feel sturdy and reassuring, always a good thing especially if your lifting heavy weights! Importantly the cabling looks extremely strong on this bit of kit, which is essential if the machine is under continual use.

FUNCTIONALITY OF THE GLUTE PRESS?

The movement of the Glute Press is pushing your leg backwards on the foot holder until the leg is in full extension away from the body. This action on the glute press works the gluteal muscles (your butt!) and hamstrings.

This is actually one of the simplest pieces of equipment within the series as it doesn’t require multiple movements but rather just one extension of the foot rest to achieve the movement.

The exerciser is asked to stand facing the chest pad. They then rest their chest on the pad (which is adjustable) in front of them and hold on to the fixed handle bars. Their non standing foot is then placed onto the footrest. Quite simply the footrest is then slowly pushed away from the body along a liner beam until maximum extension has been achieved. It is then brought back to the starting position.

The design of the cabling ensures that there is equal resistance through the full range of motion. This is a notorious problem with home gym equipment as you will find on many cheaper models that the resistance is not equal, especially at the start of the exercise. This is an important factor as it is essential that the muscle is exposed to continual resistance throughout the movement to ensure it is getting an effective workout.

The stack itself goes all the way through to 95kg. Now here comes my complaint. The leg muscles are obviously extremely strong and whilst for the majority of people, 95kg will be more than adequate, I still think its is a touch on the light side for some athletes. In particular I know a good few rugby players who could shift this kind of weight fairly comfortably. Although this is not a major gripe, for the money you are paying for this equipment, you would want it to cater for exercisers at all levels of training and competition. Combined the total weight of the machine is still 223kg highlighting the quality of the parts used in the build (If you have read my other reviews, you will see that this is a common theme for life fitness equipment!). For interest, the dimensions of this piece of kit are 183cm x 91 cm x 163 cm, so it is a long piece of kit!!!

PRICE

Anywhere between £1500 for a second hand model (fitnesssuperstore.co.uk) to £3500 brand new direct from the supplier (life fitness.com)

CONCLUSION

Contrary to my usual waxing lyrical about this equipment, I do think on this occasion the price is not reflective to the piece of equipment were dealing with. The design of this piece of kit is relatively easy to achieve because it is a straight forward linear movement with no tricky biomechanics involved. In light of that, it is easy for other companies to get right at a fraction of the cost. Even for a second hand model at £1500 is still pushing the envelope of what is value for money. Yes the machine is built well and yes it does fulfil the exercise requirement, but on this occasion I think there are too many cheaper alternatives that would do an equally good job.

Unfortunately on this occassion I would not recommend this piece of equipment because of the price, but if cost is no object then this is another faultless piece of Life Fitness equipment.

Thanks for reading and I hope that helps,

Kind Regards,

Logan

 

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