NordicTrack Elliptical Machine Reviews
A household name after decades in the fitness biz, NordicTrack is a world-leading brand of home exercise equipment. The brand gained popularity in the late 1970s with its cross-country ski machines, then expanded in the 1980s to manufacture elliptical trainers, treadmills and other home gym equipment.
Today NordicTrack is part of the iFit.com organization, along with ProForm and Freemotion. Together they produce a variety of elliptical trainers spanning a wide range of prices, power and size. NordicTrack elliptical trainers stand out for their ample workout programming and impressive entertainment features such as HD screens, iFit connectivity, and built-in speakers.
Ready to check out the best NordicTrack ellipticals for 2022? Below we’ve summarized their elliptical series for 2022 to help streamline your shopping.
Types of NordicTrack Ellipticals
Elliptical trainers can be categorized in many ways, the most common one being by the drive location (where the flywheel for resistance is placed). Although this isn’t as exciting as other features, the drive location of an elliptical is important for many reasons. For one, it determines the machine’s size, which is a major factor for many shoppers.
- Rear drive ellipticals require the most space (unless they can be folded for storage).
- Front drive ellipticals need less space.
- Center drive ellipticals are generally the smallest but include the newer freestride elliptical series which combine the movements of ellipticals, treadmill, and steppers
Surprisingly, small elliptical machines sometimes offer a greater range of motion than larger trainers. This is certainly the case with the freestride series. Confused? To help make sense of it all, below are summaries of the current NordicTrack ellipticals categorized by drive.
Front Drive Series:
NordicTrack front drive ellipticals for 2022 (the C 9.9, the Studio Elliptical, and the Commercial 14.9) have adjustable strides ranging from 17.5” to 20”. This is a stellar selling point because not only does it ensure that just about everyone gets a natural-feeling stride, it also lets people of different heights choose from various elliptical paths to trigger different muscles. Talk about target-toning those muscles!
With maximum resistance ranging from 25 to 32 pounds, these residential trainers have the force of commercial ellipticals.
It’s worth noting that NordicTrack’s front drive ellipticals are not space savers, i.e. they aren’t foldable. The smallest model in this lineup is the higher-end Studio Elliptical 67.7″ L x 25″ W x 68.4″ H.
All ellipticals in this series are compatible with iFit and include some kind of membership to the app for unlimited workout downloads and personalized fitness advice. The Commercial 14.9 makes the most of iFit with its 14” Smart HD touchscreen display. This is superior in comparison with the C 9.9’s 7″ screen.
Rear Drive Series:
Rear drive NordicTrack ellipticals for 2022 (the SE9i and SE7i) are called SpaceSavers. Although they’re 80 inches long when assembled, they can also be folded vertically after your workouts so you can reclaim your floor space. Even though these machines have large frames, they support relatively short 18” strides.
The SE9i features a a 10% power-adjustable incline, and both have an 18-pound flywheels and 22-24 levels of digital resistance.
Even though each model is feature-rich, the SE9i is a big step up over the SE7i. That said, the SE7i now comes free with a four-year commitment to the iFit workout app at $39 per month. Both models are iFit-enabled, but only the SE9i has a 14” Smart HD Touchscreen. The SE7i a has a 10” HD Smart Touchscreen. Both have aux music ports for you to plug in your device as well as a set of speakers for you to stream your favorite music playlists as you work out.
NordicTrack’s rear drive ellipticals are ideal for those who are new to using cardio machines because they make it easy to maintain good posture as you train, whereas the front drive machines require a bit more balance.
NordicTrack rear drive ellipticals are most comfortable for people with shorter strides and less body weight. The taller and heavier you are, the choppier the ride will feel. As one of the main benefits of elliptical training is smooth, low-impact motion (which is probably one of the reasons you are browsing ellipticals in the first place), it’s important to keep this in mind while shopping.
FreeStride Trainer Elliptical Series:
Even though NordicTrack’s FreeStride trainers for 2022 (the FS10i and FS14i) have very compact footprints, they also have an impressive 32” adjustable stride. These unique ellipticals do double-time as low-impact treadmills, as they let you take strides with a max 32” elliptical path.
You can use iFit with both of these trainers, and the FS10i and FS14i take full advantage of it with their Smart HD touchscreens (10” and 10” respectively) and free, 30-day membership to the service.
What’s more, the FS10i’s 10% incline (and FS14i’s 10% decline) allow you to experience the actual ups and downs of a terrain you are exploring through iFit’s Google Maps component. The incline/decline feature brings your running and walking trails around the globe to life as you feel the rise and fall of the terrain you are exploring on-screen.
Brand Highlights
- Resistance Ranges: NordicTrack ellipticals accommodate all skill levels and desired workout intensities.
- Stride Choices: Whatever your height, you’re almost guaranteed to find a perfect match. Some NordicTrack ellipticals are especially comfortable for shorter users (others for taller users) and some have very generous stride choices. FreeStride Trainers let you walk or run with a max 32” adjustable stride for low-impact treadmill-style training along with more traditional elliptical workouts.
- Moving Handlebars: All NordicTrack ellipticals for 2022 have moving arm bars to support total-body workouts.
- HD Displays: Top-of-the-line models for 2022 have 10” and 14” HD touchscreen displays.
- Consoles: NordicTrack elliptical consoles for 2022 are impressive at all price points. Even most of the lowest-priced trainers are iFit ready and have a variety of preset workouts, tablet holders, built-in speakers, workout fans and other amenities to help you stay comfortable and motivated.
- iFit: You can use iFit with all of NordicTrack’s ellipticals for 2022 (some with 30-day free membership included) for unlimited workout downloads, automated data logging, personalized fitness advice, and other benefits.
Brand Lowlights
- iFit-dependent: Yes, the machines work without the app, but not with any others. So if you’re not into iFit, the value of the screen and automatic trainer options disappears.
Bottom Line
NordicTrack knows how to build elliptical machines that keep people motivated. Whether you prefer a front drive, rear drive or center drive machine, you can find a reliable and affordable NordicTrack unit that fits your body and is ready to serve your daily cardio and resistance training needs.
We especially recommend this brand to shoppers who are looking for a machine that supports interactive training or for those that will benefit from entertainment extras like speakers and HD touchscreens to help stay motivated throughout workouts.
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