Working out from home has become more popular. Many have turned to exercise and fitness equipment ranging from kettlebells to rowing machines to stationary bikes.
But buying workout gear for your home creates a problem for some. For example, one person may want to do strength training with a yoga cooldown on certain days but switch to cardio or high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on others. Downloading apps that offer a range of different exercise formats is annoying, and they clutter up your tablet or phone. NordicTrack and iFit solve that problem.
Five Machine Options
NordicTrack manufactures exercise equipment, which it divides into five major product categories.
While each offers a range of workout styles, adding the
iFit library gives users hundreds of workout routines that can satisfy anyone’s preferences for variety - everything from gentle yoga routines to long-distance running to HIIT.
How iFit Works
While NordicTrack makes the hardware,
iFit is the software that makes their machines so versatile. (ICON Health & Fitness, Inc. is the parent company of both).
The iFit software subscription
delivers personalized training from professional, world-class personal trainers. These take the form of workout videos that include classes much as you’d experience at LA Fitness or Gold’s Gym. However, an iFit session can lead you through exotic locations — mountains, beaches, even a trek through Antarctica, Easter Island, or the pyramids of Giza — while iFit controls your workout machine. For example, as you watch the scene on the machine’s touchscreen, your treadmill pitch changes as you navigate up and down hills. No matter which NordicTrack machine you’re using, iFit adjusts your machine’s resistance, incline/decline, and speed. iFit makes every workout super-immersive, motivating, and realistic.
The NordicTrack and iFit combination are perfect for people who have a hard time staying motivated. That may be why iFit recently launched a series of live workouts. The new scenery includes the beach and the mountains, and even brings celebrity trainers, such as two-time Olympic gold medalist Susan Francia. You can choose your favorite live trainer to exercise with in real-time.
What About Service?
NordicTrack products carry price tags that range from $999 to $3,799, a significant expense for many people. The iFit subscription is free for one year with your purchase of an exercise machine but then adds $360 for a two-year individual subscription or $396 for a one-year family membership.
With those prices, and considering that workout equipment gets a lot of heavy use, it’s worthwhile to think about protecting your investment against defects or damage. When you add in the negative reviews users have posted about iFit’s customer service, a strong warranty and service team become even more important.
To emphasize the importance of reliable warranty service, read this verbatim complaint from a NordicTrack customer filed at
TrustPilot.com:
This treadmill worked beautifully for a couple of months, then the horrible squeaking began. Shortly after that the treadmill stopped working. We bought the full extended warranty. Here is what happens when it breaks...
First you call into Nordictrack. After a long hold someone finally answers. They have you “remove the hood” to walk through a diagnostic. After about an hour they guess at what “part” you might need.
We waited for 3 weeks for a new motor to be sent to us. Once it was sent we could then schedule for the technician to come. It took 2 weeks to get on his schedule. The technician arrived and determined it wasn’t the motor after all but it must be the circuit board.
So, the cycle starts over. We waited another two weeks for the new board, then another couple of weeks for the technician.
The technician came and we thought it was fixed yesterday. Today it worked for two miles then quit again! We called Nordictrack...again and they had the gall to tell us “take off the hood and let’s run another diagnostic!”
After dealing with this for hours and hours and no working treadmill for 2+ months we are ready to give up.
There’s a Better Way!
Upsie sells extended warranties that protect your workout machines for three or five years. For a machine priced at $1999, Upsie protection costs just $141.99.
Even more important, Upsie provides in-home service for your equipment that’s delivered by Upsie’s certified technicians.
- Mechanical failure
- Pedal malfunction on stationary bikes
- All mechanical parts, including motors, gears, belts, chains, ball bearings
- The touchscreen
- Battery and power source failure in fitness equipment, including wiring to the battery and battery shorts
- Bluetooth failure
Learn More About Fitness Warranties: