Freestride Trainer vs Incline Trainer

Which is Best For You?

Trying to compare the Nordictrack Freestride Trainer:

to the Nordictrack Incline trainer?

Obviously these are two completely different machines – one is a souped-up elliptical and the other is a souped-up treadmill.

So which is better for you? Well, let’s break it down and look at a few different factors you need to consider before making your decision.

Freestride  Trainer vs Incline Trainer – What Are They?

First let’s cover exactly what each machine is and what it gives you.

The Nordictrack Freestride Trainer is a new type of elliptical where the footpedals 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. The other advantage this gives you is that instead of one set stride length, you can vary your stride length – up to 38 inches!

So you can choose to do short stair-stepping strides, longer running strides or even longer hurdling type strides.

The Incline trainer is like a traditional treadmill except that it gives you super-high inclines of up to 40% (instead of the traditional 10-15% you get on regular treadmills). You also get declines of up to 6% for added crosstraining options.

The advantage to this is that you use more lower body muscles when incline walking and can burn calories extremely fast. You can burn almost 5 times more calories than on a regular treadmill.

So each machine has their benefits. How do they compare?

Freestride Trainer Vs Incline Trainer – Calories

The incline trainer takes the prize here because the Manufacturer has actually measured the calorie burn vs a traditional treadmill. You can burn up to 381 calores in 20 minutes walking on a 40% interval (vs burning 87 calories walking at a 0% incline).

That’s a lot of calories – and you’ll see weight loss results pretty fast from these kinds of workouts.

That’s not to say you can’t burn calories on a Freestride Trainer too – you can. It’s just that there aren’t any “official” numbers from the manufacturer as yet.

But when you consider that you have the option to constantly change up the elliptical motion (and constantly challenge your body), the potential is certainly there to burn more calories vs a regular elliptical.

However if you want the definitive answer on which machine burns more calories faster, it would have to be the incline trainer – at least provided you’re going to try the incline walking for a few minutes or more each day.

Freestride Trainer vs Incline Trainer – Price

There are currently two Freestride Trainers – starting at $1999 and up with Free Shipping here.

There are 3 different incline trainers starting around $1599 and up with Free Shipping here. So while both run in the same price range, the incline trainer is slightly more affordable – at least as of this writing.

Freestride Trainer Vs Incline Trainer – Space

The Freestride Trainer takes first place here as it takes up less space overall than the incline trainer. The footprint on the Freestride Trainer is 68.4″ L X 28.5″ W.

The footprint on the incline trainer is 70.2″ L x 39.6″ W – so it’s a lot wider and slightly longer than the Freestride Trainer.

If space is a consideration for you then the Freestride trainer may be your better option.

Interestingly enough however the incline trainer might be the better pick if you have a low ceiling height. The Freestride Trainer sits a bit higher than the incline trainer.

In fact you need about 15 inches above the height of the tallest person as a ceiling height for the Freestride Trainer to be comfortable (Click Here for a great article about Freestride Trainer and ceiling height).

You don’t need these ceiling height considerations as much with the incline trainer – unless you’re over 6 foot 3. Then you may want to check with the Manufacturer.

So if you have a lower ceiling height like a 7 foot ceiling, then the incline trainer may be your better bet.

Freestride Trainer vs Incline Trainer – Motion & Options

You also have to consider the type of motion that you prefer. For example, some people really like to walk or run – and in that case the incline trainer treadmill is the obvious choice.

Other people really prefer an elliptical running motion. And if you tend towards joint issues or shin splints, obviously you’ll want the lower impact workout that you get with the Freestride Trainer (almost zero impact).

Also the Freestride Trainer does give you a bit more flexibility in the motion options here – you can go forward or back. And by choosing various strides, you really change up your running options – from short stepping strides to longer hurdling motions.

So it really comes down to what type of exercise you prefer to do over longer periods.

Freestride Trainer vs Incline Trainer – Toys

Since both machines are manufactured by Nordictrack, they tend to have similar toys. The most popular models of each come with full color consoles with web browsers.

They also come iFit LIVE compatible, so you can track your workout stats or run all over the world and watch real landmarks pass you by in the console screen.

You also get console fans, iPod docks with speakers and bright, easy-to-read workout stats. So in this category, no one machine outshines another.

Freestride Trainer vs Incline Trainer – Arms

The Freestride Trainer offers you better options for arm workouts here with the moving arm bars. You could always add in some handweights to your walking routine on the incline trainer if you want more of an upper body workout.

But right now, if you want a full body workout, then the Freestride Trainer is the better option.

Bottom Line?

Those are the main differences between the Freestride Trainer vs Incline Trainer (and it can always change depending on any updates Nordictrack makes to their machines). However it really comes down to what you’re trying to achieve (ie. faster weight loss, full body workout, etc.), your space and budget considerations.

Both are solid machines with great warranties and higher-end construction than Nordictrack’s starter models. So you really can’t go too far wrong with either of them.

At the end of the day, go with the machine that gets you excited about using it. Because the best fitness equipment is the machine you’ll actually use in the long run!

Want to Learn More?

Click Here to See All Nordictrack Freestride Trainers

Click Here to See All Nordictrack Incline Trainers