Do Nordictrack Ellipticals Require iFit?

July 18, 2022November 2, 2022 FitnessEquipmentGuide 0 Comments

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“Do I Need iFit for my Nordictrack Elliptical?”

If you’re considering a Nordictrack elliptical machine, you may have heard about iFit already.

iFit has been around in various forms over the years.

However, to sum it up in one sentence, iFit is basically Nordictrack’s online streaming service.

With it, you can do everything from running trails all over the world to taking a new fitness class from your console every day.

You can also set new goals and let iFit track your progress for you – which makes it easier to reach your fitness goals.

While a lot of elliptical brand manufacturers are rushing to add more streaming, virtual reality and smart tracking options to their machines, iFit is currently one of the most advanced.

This is because Nordictrack was one of the first to put this kind of technology on their machines. And that has given them a lot of time to tinker with it, add upgrades and more.

So it’s been out for several years now and at this point it’s pretty cool.

However Nordictrack, in their rush to get iFit out originally, were not great at the messaging.

There’s a lot of confusion. Older posts are full of information that’s no longer accurate.

One of the top questions people have is:

Do Nordictrack Ellipticals Require iFit?

The short answer? No

This however does require some explanation. (Please note this information is always subject to change at any time and you need to check with the manufacturer at time of purchase to make sure it still applies.)

As of this writing, there are 2 versions of iFIt: the free version – and the full paid, subscription version.

This isn’t unusual – most apps and programs these days have a free and paid version.

The free version gives you a “sample” of the paid version so you can check it out. The free version is just that – free.

You can use your elliptical with the free version of iFit no problem and even the built-in workout programs included there.

Then there’s the full, paid subscription version of iFit. This includes everything – the world trail guided workouts that interact with the elliptical, the streaming and even live fitness classes, the Googlemaps feature where you can map out your own trail, etc.

Plus, you only need one subscription for the whole family (It covers 5 people). So everyone in the home can use it.

The best part?

As of this writing, most Nordictrack ellipticals are offering a one-month FULL subscription to iFit included with their elliptical trainers. So you can try out the full, paid version with all of the perks at no charge for a month to see if you like it.

If you decide it’s not right for you – just log in to your iFit account before the trial period is up and cancel the subscription. Then go back to the free version.

If you want to see which ellitpicals give you the limited-time Full iFit membership included, check out the link below.

Click Here to See Which Ellipticals Offer iFit Included

This leads to the next question:

Does the Nordictrack Elliptical Work Without iFit?

Yes it will.

As stated above you can use the free version of iFIt.

You can also use the elliptical in manual mode without iFIt.

This is according to the manufacturer and the iFit FAQ’s on the official manufacturer’s website:

“If you don’t renew your subscription you will have access to a limited number of iFit workouts. You can always use your treadmill, elliptical, bike, fusion or rower in manual mode. The iFit subscription is required for the advertised coach-controlled interactive personal training experience but not mandatory to purchase.” (emphasis mine)

Nordictrack would be shooting themselves in the foot if they only made ellipticals that run with the full, paid version of iFit since not everyone wants it.

Of course, they certainly want you to renew the subscription if you think the value is there.

But you don’t need to do that in order to use the trainer.

Now, if you’ve just started your elliptical buying research, you may be wondering:

What Exactly Makes iFit So Great?

Well that’s a whole other post. But in a nutshell, iFit takes your standard, average elliptical and turns it into your own personal fitness studio.

You get workouts personalized to you based on the goals that YOU set for yourself. You also can take pre-recorded and even LIVE trainer-led studio workouts directly from your console.

Want to explore the world?

With iFit you can run trails all over the world – from the shores of Hawaii to the mountains of the Swiss Alps to the ancient temples of Thailand.

There are literally thousands of world-trail videos to watch. And the elliptical can even incline to match the actual terrain – giving you a very virtual reality training experience. So it’s pretty cool.

Just to give you an idea of what you get, here’s a video showing you some of the workouts:

Bottom Line?

So do Nordictrack ellipticals require iFit (the full paid membership)? As of this writing, NO they do not. And this comes directly from the official Nordictrack company website.

However.

Just to show you how cool it is, Nordictrack is currently offering you a Full membership to iFit included for a limited time on some of their machines. You can use the link below to get it included.

I don’t know how long they’re going to continue this promotion. However as of right now, it’s a pretty good deal if you can get it.