Nordictrack Freestrider Vs Elliptical – Which is Best For You?

September 26, 2021July 7, 2022 FitnessEquipmentGuide 0 Comments Center Drive Ellipticals, comparisons, freestride trainer, videos

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Looking to compare the Nordictrack Freestrider vs elliptical?

The Nordictrack Freestrider is a new type of elliptical that’s really shaking things up in the elliptical market.

It has the advantage of giving you an adaptable stride up of to 32 inches.

Plus it’s also more compact than front drive or rear drive crosstrainers, making it popular with smaller home gyms.

But it’s not necessarily the right choice for everyone.

Elliptical Trainers give you a couple of options that the Freestrider does not.

So which is better for you?

This post will give you a rundown of the main differences between them so you can find the best fit for you:

Nordictrack Freestrider vs Elliptical: Price

There are currently 2 different Freestride Trainer models – the FS10i and the FS14i Freestrider.

You can get them starting around $1899 with Free Shipping direct from the Manufacturer here.

The different Freestrider models vary in terms of console features, flywheel and incline/decline. However for the most part, they both have the same adaptable-stride design that makes the Freestrider so popular.

They also both give you the lower-impact design that’s easier on the knees and hips.

With elliptical trainers, you can obviously find a range of different price points from budget all the way up to premium. For example, Nordictrack Ellipticals start around $899 and range up to $2499 with Free Shipping here.

nordictrack elliptical vs freestride trainer — Nordictrack Elliptical

Keep in mind however that with elliptical trainers you do get what you pay for. So higher end models will give you stronger construction, better strides and a more ergonomic design (which means no pain after your workout).

Freestrider vs Elliptical: Stride

This is where you’ll see the biggest difference between the two.

Stride length is the furthest distance between the pedals. Most elliptical trainers give you one set stride length (usually about 18 – 20 inches on higher end machines and 14 to 17 inches on cheaper models).

The downside to this is that your body can quickly adapt to that one set motion you’re doing over and over again. So your body gets more efficient and ultimately ends up burning less calories over time.

The other downside to this is that everyone is different. And different people feel more comfortable with different stride lengths (and it doesn’t always depend on your height either as to which stride is most comfortable for you).

So you may feel great with a 20 inch stride but your partner feels better with an 18 inch stride.

The Freestride Trainer gets around these 2 problems by giving you a variable, adaptable stride of up to 32 inches. This means basically that you can choose-your-own-stride. So you can choose the most comfortable stride length for you.

It also means that you can constantly change things up – short, stair-climbing strides, longer jogging strides or even longer hurdling type strides. By changing it up, it’s harder for your body to adapt.

Plus you end up using more lower body muscle groups to do this. And all this equates to burning more calories.

So it’s a good bet that you’ll see more calories burned and more weight lost with the Freestrider than with a regular elliptical trainer.

freestrider best machine — Freestrider Elliptical Motion

Nordictrack Elliptical or Freestrider? Design

The design is also quite different on these two machines.

Unlike a traditional elliptical trainer, the footpedals on the Freestrider ride on belts, rather than the traditional rails attached to the crank. This gives you more of a feeling of “running on air” and is smooth with nearly zero impact.

There’s also less potential for damage (and pricey repairs). How?

Most people don’t realize that ellipticals running on rails are prone to several issues. The rails can get dusty. And dirt can built up on the track, causing problems over time.

Also the wheels can come off the track and again cause problems (which often happens on cheap machines).

You don’t have this issue with the Freestrider – which is one less thing to worry about.

How Much Space Do You Need?

The Freestrider is generally a bit more compact than a regular elliptical – since it’s a center drive design (and without the track and wheels stretching out behind it). So compared to a regular elliptical trainer – it has a slight advantage when it comes to space.

However if you’re really short on space you may want to go one better and get a folding elliptical (there are a few models that fold up like the Spacesaver SE7i or SpacesaverSE9i).

The Freestride trainer unfortunately does not fold up. If you’re looking for a folding elliptical you may want to look at something like the Nordictrack Spacesaver SE7i for example.

Freestrider vs Elliptical: Lower Body Impact

The feel of the Nordictrack Freestrider is a bit different vs a traditional elliptical as well. Because the footpedals ride on belts, rather than the traditional rails, the unattached rotation offers nearly zero impact. This gives you a sensation of “floating on air” – which is pretty cool.

However also note that you have to set your own stride by the amount of pressure you put on the pedals – which you don’t do with an elliptical trainer. This can take some getting used to at first, especially if you’re a regular elliptical user.

Click to Compare All Freestride Trainers

Freestrider or Elliptical: Incline/Decline

Incline changes the slope of your running pathway and it can help you work different sets of lower body muscles. A lot of people like it because it gives you another way to crosstrain and get a more effective workout.

Incline can be found on both Nordictrack elliptical trainers and Freestrider trainers.

However you don’t get as high an incline with the Freestride trainers as you find with some Nordictrack ellipticals. For example you get up to 10 degrees of incline with either Freestride Trainer – but up to 20 degrees on the Nordictrack Commercial 14.9 elliptical.