Life Fitness strength accessories

Why choose Life Fitness strength accessories?

This brand builds strength equipment for health clubs and has carried the same construction over into its home series. That means heavy frames, bearing-mounted pulleys and weight stacks designed to be used by dozens of people every day. A machine built to that standard will comfortably last fifteen to twenty years in a private home, and that is precisely why this category exists: over that time a cable stretches and you become stronger than the stack you started with. The parts that deal with both remain available separately, years after the machine itself was bought.

It also explains why this is the smallest range in the category and at the same time not the cheapest. You are not buying an accessory here because it looks like fun, you are buying the part you happen to need: a cable that is worn out, a weight stack that is no longer heavy enough, or a station that is missing an exercise. Those are three concrete situations, and for each one there is exactly one item. Nobody who lands on this page needs a buying guide; they need the answer to one question, which is whether this fits their machine. So we stay close to that question instead of pretending there is more choice than there is.

And the answer depends entirely on your model. All three items are original parts made to the dimensions of a single construction: the replacement cable for the G7 strength station, the leg press upgrade for the G2 and the G4, and the 23 kg weight block for the stack it was drawn for. They will not fit a strength station from another brand, nor another series from this brand, because cable lengths, end fittings, mounting points and guide rods differ from one machine to the next. So find the type plate or serial number on your frame first and order afterwards. Also take a look at the other fitness equipment from Life Fitness.

The Life Fitness strength accessories range

Three items, three purposes, and all three are original parts. This is how the range is put together.

• Replacement cable for the G7 strength station: the steel cable that carries the load from the stack to your hand, in the original length and with the original end fittings. It puts a machine that no longer runs smoothly, or no longer runs safely, back into service without changing anything about the construction.
• Leg press upgrade for the G2 and the G4: an attachment that bolts to the existing mounting points on the frame and gives you a genuine leg press. On these two machines it is the only way to add heavy leg work without putting a second machine on the floor.
• Extra weight block of 23 kg: a single block added to the existing weight stack, which lifts your ceiling in one step. It is meant for anyone who has become stronger than the stack that was supplied as standard.
• Model-bound throughout, universal nowhere: nothing in this range simply clips onto any cable you like. Every part belongs to the model named alongside it and does not fit another series or another brand. That is not a limitation, it is the reason it fits the way it should.
• Check before you order: there is a type plate or sticker on the main frame carrying the model designation and the serial number. Those two details decide which of the three items is the right one for you, and they save you a return shipment.

Which Life Fitness strength accessories suit you?

What you need here follows from what is worn out on your machine or what it cannot do yet.

Your cable has stretched or started to fray: then the original replacement cable for the G7 is the item you are looking for. A fraying cable is not a cosmetic flaw but a safety risk the moment there is weight on it, so do not wait until it actually gives way.

You are on the bottom pin and it still feels easy: then you need weight, not a handle. The extra 23 kg block goes onto the existing stack in one step and buys you years of progress on the same machine.

You want to add heavy leg work to your home gym: if you have a G2 or a G4, the leg press upgrade attaches to the frame already standing there. That costs far less floor space and money than a separate machine for the same exercise.

You are not sure which model you own: start with the type plate on the main frame before choosing anything. Without that designation there is no way to tell whether a cable, a block or an attachment belongs to your machine, because from the outside these parts look very much alike.

You are after a loose cable handle, a lat bar or a triceps rope: you will not find those here, and that is no problem. Universal handles with an eyelet or snap hook fit any common cable system, so you can buy them separately whatever brand your machine is.

What to look out for when buying Life Fitness strength accessories

Your model and serial number, before anything else

In this category that is not a formality, it is the whole purchase. The G7, the G2 and the G4 are not versions of one frame but separate constructions, with their own cable routing, their own mounting points and their own guide rods. The type plate or sticker on the main frame gives you both the model designation and the serial number, and with those two details it is immediately clear which part belongs to your machine. If the plate has become unreadable, a photo of the frame plus a photo of the weight stack will usually get us there as well.

Why a cable has to be replaced eventually

The cable in a strength station is a steel wire inside a plastic sleeve, and the two wear out in different ways. Under intensive use the steel wire slowly stretches, so your stroke gets longer and the handle no longer returns to the same height. The sleeve splits open at the point where the cable bends over the pulley, and as soon as the wire underneath begins to fray that is a safety risk with a full stack on the other end. Replacing it is maintenance, not an upgrade: on a machine that has served for years, run your hand along the full length of the cable now and then, especially near the end fittings and the pulleys.

Original part or universal solution

With cable handles, bars and ropes the brand of your machine makes no difference: they hang from the cable with an eyelet or a snap hook and are almost all universal. With everything that bolts to the frame or sits in the weight stack it is exactly the other way round, and that is precisely what this range covers. A replacement cable, a weight block and a leg press upgrade are bought per machine series rather than per size, so there is no usable alternative from another brand here. Do not mix up those two groups, because that is the mistake made most often in this category.

Space and assembly for a leg press upgrade

An attachment makes your setup heavier, but above all longer. Allow for extra length behind or beside the machine plus walking space to get in and out of the leg press, and measure that before you order. Also check that your machine stands on a level, solid floor, because an attachment shifts the centre of gravity of the frame. Fitting it is straightforward bolt work onto existing points, but do it with two people: the parts are heavy and you do not want to tighten anything out of line.

What an extra block does to your floor

Twenty-three kilos sounds like little on a machine that already weighs several hundred, but it is added on top and it rests on the same four feet. On a wooden floor or an upper storey it is worth looking at how that load is spread and whether the feet are pressing into the boards. A solid mat under the machine spreads the pressure and keeps the noise of the stack down at the same time. Also make sure the stack can still travel freely without rubbing against anything once a block has been added.

Our advice: let your model decide what you buy, not your wish list. If you are unsure about the cable, go by the age of your machine and the state of the sleeve near the pulleys; a fifteen-year-old cable that is starting to fray is better replaced a season too early than a day too late. If you want to progress in your training, first work out whether you are stuck on weight or on exercises, because those lead to two different purchases. And if you have a model other than the G2, G4 or G7, let us know before you order anything and we will look at what is available for your machine.

Who are Life Fitness strength accessories suitable for?

• The owner of a home gym built to last: your machine still does its job perfectly but something has worn out, and you want the original part instead of a workaround. That is exactly what this range is for.
• Anyone who has refurbished a second-hand machine: on a used strength station the cable is almost always the first thing that needs attention. With an original replacement cable it runs the way it was designed to again.
• Anyone who has outgrown the stack: you are on the bottom pin and that is no longer a training stimulus. An extra 23 kg block raises your ceiling for a fraction of what a heavier machine costs.
• The home trainer with a G2 or G4 who wants to train legs: the leg press upgrade adds a heavy compound exercise to the frame already in place, without losing square metres to a second machine.
• Anyone planning to keep their machine for years: a club-grade strength station is a long-term purchase, and timely work on cables and pulleys is what actually gets you there.

Less suitable if you own a machine from another brand: these parts are made to this brand's own constructions and will not fit, not even with an adapter. And if you own a series from this brand other than the G2, G4 or G7, you will not automatically find your part here either, so ask first. If you are looking for loose cable handles, dip belts, ankle straps or triceps ropes to vary your training, this is not the range that covers that corner; and if you need a complete new machine rather than a part, look more widely at strength equipment.

Need help choosing?

Would you like to buy Life Fitness strength accessories but are you not quite sure which handle, which attachment or which upgrade fits your machine? We are happy to help. You can reach our fitness specialists by phone on +31 85 773 00 57, send an email or visit our fitness store in Volkel, the Netherlands.

Frequently asked questions about Life Fitness strength accessories

Does the replacement cable fit another strength station as well?

No. The cable is made for the G7 strength station and has a fixed length and fixed end fittings that suit that frame and those pulleys. A cable that is a few centimetres too long or too short, or that has slightly different end fittings, gives you the wrong stroke and in the worst case a cable that jumps off a pulley. The same applies within this brand: another series has different cable routing and therefore a different cable. So check the type plate on your machine first to see exactly which model you have.

Why does a cable need replacing at all?

Because it is a wear part. A steel cable inside a plastic sleeve slowly stretches under intensive use, so the handle no longer returns to the same height and your stroke gets longer. On top of that the sleeve splits open where the cable bends over the pulley, and as soon as the steel wire underneath starts to fray it becomes a safety risk with a full weight stack on the other end. So this says nothing bad about the machine, it is simply maintenance after years of use. Run your hand along the cable now and then, especially at the end fittings and the pulleys.

Can the leg press upgrade be fitted to any machine from this brand?

Only to the G2 and the G4. Those two frames have the mounting points this attachment bolts to, and other series either do not have them or have them in a different place. If you own one of the two, you gain a genuine leg press without putting a second machine on the floor, which saves a lot of space at home. Do allow for extra length in your setup plus walking space to get in and out, and fit it with two people because the parts are heavy. If you are not sure whether yours is a G2 or a G4, check the type plate on the main frame.

How much does the extra weight block add and will it fit my stack?

The block weighs 23 kg and that goes on top of your existing stack in a single step. Whether it fits depends on your machine series: a block slides over the guide rods of a specific stack and has the right bore and thickness for it. A block from one series therefore will not go into the stack of another, which is also why a model is stated rather than a dimension. Check as well that there is still height left in your tower and that the stack can travel freely once the block is in. If in doubt, a photo of your weight stack is usually enough to settle it.

Where do I find the model or serial number of my machine?

There is a type plate or sticker on the main frame carrying both the model designation and the serial number. On a strength station it is often low down on the upright near the weight stack or along the back of the frame, so you may have to crouch or shine a light on it. If the sticker has gone or become unreadable, a photo of the whole machine plus a photo of the weight stack will in most cases get us to the right series. Note those details down somewhere afterwards, because you will need them again for every future part.