We’ve now had access to iFit programs in our house for probably a decade and I’ll be the first to tell you that for awhile no one used it. Then my husband discovered the programs, which got me excited and iFit has continued to invoate so now, we’ve used the whole suit of workouts. Here’s our iFit subscription review based on current features and price.
Do you need to own NordicTrack equipment to use iFit?
No. But obviously if you do own NordicTrack or ProForm, then you’re going to get some added benefits depending on your machine. I.e. our NordicTrack X24 bike is going to climb hills based upon what the course is that we’ve selected to ride.
Who Is It Good For?
- General Fitness: Absolutely covers the bases from just starting to looking to hit a PR in the gym or running.
- Endurance: Most of the cardio programs are going to be shorter, but you can plug in Google Maps to do any long run or ride you’d like.
- Intervals: Absolutely has a great variety of HIIT workouts and cardio interval workouts to help improve overall conditioning and speed.
iFit Overview
As a running coach, I talk to hundreds of athletes every year to hear about what they are currently doing before we start designing a custom training plan. Tons are using some type of online platform for their strength and I LOVE THIS. A lot of you find follow along videos help you to get it done.
What I like about iFit vs Peloton is the truly structured progressive programs. Instead of just picking a random upper body because you like a trainer, you pick a 6 week program. That means it’s designed to actually help you progress over that time, which is a key component of strength work.
I also like that having a full program means you can select an option with full body workouts or if you are doing more strength right now and want split days you can do that too.
But strength is just one of the many pieces involved in iFit. You’ll obviously find running workouts, running (or walking) in incredible locations lead by an instructor, yoga, pilates, biking, rowing…the full gamut.
One of the things which has kept my husband engaged all winter long is the scenic workouts. They have runs in Australia and throughout Europe and the instructor running or biking along does a really great job of giving you the workout and some interesting information about the sites.
I think that really helps a lot of people to eliminate boredom!
Admittedly, I’m on the 2450 treadmill happily doing my own workouts, as a running coach I think that makes sense. But at times I get bored with my strength plan and it’s great to mix things up with a new program. I often find it will remind me to switch up my movements or simple following their different speed changes the workout.
We actually also have the NordicTrack adjustable dumbbells, they were a Christmas gift 5 or 6 years ago. While they help with progressing my weights without so much space, certainly access to any weights is going to work for these programs and they’ve got plenty of bodyweight workouts to get you started as well.
Quick Take
- Wide variety of programs that are progressive
- Easily able to select for your ability level or available time
- Good instructors and interesting scenery (all over the world)
- Easy to follow a program start to finish (or switch!)
- Slightly higher price than Peloton stand alone app
- Customized workout programs aren’t an amazing feature
- No longer offering live classes
- Can’t fast forward in a workout
Platform Overview and Pricing
Memberships have been streamlined and now you have two basic options:
iFit Train
- $14.99/month ($144 year so a small discount)
- 1 User
- Full workout library access
iFit Pro
- $39.99/month ($396year)
- 5 User accounts
- Full workout library access
- Connects to touchscreen on NordicTrack and ProForm, which means controlling the machine elevation, speed, etc with the workout
- More personalized adaption of workouts to meet your current level of fitness
- Create workouts using Google maps to do specific routes
This price is actually cheaper than Peloton which charges $49.99/month if you own Peloton equipment to get full access. Odd to me that they have one price for full access, but a higher price if you’ve already paid for a machine!
Content Library
As previously noted, there are a few things that make iFit stand out for us:
- A lot of outdoor workouts, giving you unique scenery to make things more interesting
- Fully created programs that allow you to progress
- Programs for both strength or cardio
- Easy to stay on your program and know what’s next, what the workout is going to include
- Ability to filter by amount of time, intensity, type of workout
If you like Challenges or earning badges (hello Strava or Garmin), you’ll find the same opportunities for that gameified experience on iFit. That’s never appealed much to me, but it 100% works to motivate a lot of people!
And of course because you have your own user account, the workouts will follow you from App to machine. So my treadmill will show the most recent strength series I was following if I wanted to use the treadmill screen instead of my tiny phone.
Interactive Features
If you own a NordicTrack or ProForm machine then you’re also going to be able to utilize the autochange features. That means if you pick out a route on Google Maps, it will automatically adjust the incline on your NordicTrack treadmill or even the X24 Bike (seriously it moves up and down!).
During a class, it’s going to adjust your speed or incline based upon the workout.
As noted, David likes to do outdoor runs where there are guiding him through the Swiss Alps. The newer feature that gets to know your fitness level to help with adjustments has been really nice. The only drawback he’s found is if he adjust the pace on one interval, it won’t remember that the next time and will do it’s own adjustment.
But pretty impressive to see your machine going up to 12% grade and slowly lowering your pace to keep the workout within the appropriate intensity level.
Did this help answer your questions? What else do you want to know about iFit?
A few common questions that have come up:
Can you fast forward workouts?
Nope. There is often a skip the warm up option on the machines, but for strength you are watching start to finish.
Does it work with all NordicTrack machines?
No.
They will say yes, but the truth is that it’s not going to work with older models or base models they don’t sell directly if the machine doesn’t use WiFi or doesn’t have a screen. There’s no way for it to play the workout or adjust the machine without those.
If you buy directly from NordicTrack any current treadmill, then yes.
Is iFit worth the subscription?
On the whole, we think an iFit subscription is a worthwhile option whether you have the machines or not if you want follow along programs that are interesting and well designed. It’s particularly beneficial if you know that follow along workouts help you stay motivated or if you aren’t sure where to start with a plan.
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