NordicTrack Incline Trainer X7i
NordicTrack Incline Trainer X7i Review
One of the newest home exercise products available on the market is the NordicTrack Incline Trainer X7i. For the past several decades, NordicTrack has been one of the largest manufacturers of treadmills and ski machines, and each year the company releases new models of equipment with a wide range of features and capabilities. The Incline X7i is one of the most recent products released and boasts a bevy of assets to workouts and health concerns. Customer response to the treadmill has been generally positive in terms of quality and utility, but the major cause of concern is also the most intricate feature — the online iFit live Internet connection.
The X7i is one of several workout machines produced in the past several years that allow customers to use an all-inclusive online system for producing exercise plans and schedules, tracking results, and monitoring performance. IFit is a wireless connection based inside the treadmill’s settings, allowing one to access a variety of digital “running plans” of various settings and difficulties; everything from downtown Chicago sidewalks to Rocky Mountain foothills. Simulating this terrain, the treadmill automatically adjusts speed, incline degree, and resistance as you run. You can even check out friends listed in social networking sites (such as Facebook) that are also online with the iFit connection and compete against them! Users can receive and send texts or emails while on the iFit network, and extensively plan workout schedules with a built in calendar. While iFit is included free in the machine and has a complimentary twelve-month subscription, customers must pay an additional fee after the first year to continue using the service.
Of course, the iFit is not the only premium feature of the X7i; a cushioning technology called Reflex decreases the strain of repetition runs on ankles, knees, and joints. Reflex cushioning uses two stabilizers — most treadmills have only one or none at all — to adjust levels as the balls of your feet hit the ground, but before your toes propel your feet back into the air. NordicTrack even goes so far as to say the dual stabilizers will stand “the test of time” as it has been ran until unit exhaustion without failing. In addition to the iFit and the Reflex cushioning, the X7i, like most NordicTrack treadmills and most treadmills on the current market, has an mp3 player plug in, so that customers can use iPods or Zune HD music and movies while they run.
The majority of customers have responded well to the X7i’s workout features, claiming that the specific adjustment levels allow for a great range of resistance and elevation. Some believe that the Reflex cushioning is very noticeable and has benefited their workout while others claim the difference is not readily noticeable; most likely the advanced cushioning technology has a greater impact for those who already have joint concerns. The greatest point of concern, however, is not the treadmill itself but the iFit connection built into it that justifies most of the two thousand dollar price tag. Some customers are frustrated with the lack of customer service for the installation and upkeep of the program, claiming that it takes too long for installation and uploading to work. A few even complained that by the time the iFit system had begun to work, they had used up almost all of their twelve-month free subscription! iFit is only used on NordicTrack products, so there is no way for customers on different models to access the network.
The NordicTrack Incline Trainer X7i has several excellent features and capabilities, with the only sticking point involving the online network. If the iFit system is properly working, this is an almost perfect machine.