Compare Incline Trainer Vs Treadmill – 6 Key Differences You Should Know!

Trying to choose between a Nordictrack incline trainer vs treadmill?

Nordictrack makes both regular treadmills and super-high incline treadmills, better known as incline trainers.

Incline trainers are very similar to standard treadmills – with the exception that they also give you up to 40% incline (vs the 10 or 15% incline you get with most regular treadmills).

The main benefit to this is that walking on higher inclines means more calories burned in less time. And this means faster weight loss results for you.

However treadmills also have a few benefits over the incline trainer.

So which is the best choice for you?

In order to find your best fit, it helps to know the 6 key differences between them.

With that in mind here are some of the main differences between an incline trainer vs treadmill to help you decide:

#1 Incline Trainer vs Treadmill – Price

Price is important for many people and treadmills do have a slight edge here.

For example, you can find a range of the latest Nordictrack treadmill models starting around $999 with Free Shipping here.

Of course you don’t get all the extra features or the tougher construction of the incline trainer as you do with the starter treadmills – but it really comes down to what you’re looking for.

The Incline trainer starts a bit higher with 3 different models starting around $1999 with Free Shipping here.

The models vary by console design and some other features. However they all give you up to 40% inclines and up to 6% declines.

#2 More Training Options on the Incline Trainer

Obviously the main difference between the incline trainer vs treadmill are the incline options that you get. With the incline trainer you get up to 40% incline – which gives you a lot of training options.

With a regular treadmill (depending on the model) you get up to 10% or 15% incline. 

If you’re already in great shape, it’s very easy to top out at the highest 10 or 15% incline on your treadmill and have nowhere to go.

But with up to 40% inclines on the incline trainer, you have a lot of room to grow. You’ll constantly have new challenges and can push your fitness levels higher with this machine than with a regular treadmill.

So if you’re looking for a machine that continues to challenge you for years to come, the incline trainer beats out the treadmill here.

#3 Nordictrack Incline Trainer vs Treadmill – Folding

Here’s one of the main benefits that a treadmill has over the Incline trainer. Most Nordictrack treadmills fold up. That saves you space and make them easier to clean around.

Incline trainers do not fold up due to the limits of the high-incline design.

So if you have a smaller workout area (or an area that doubles as something else where you’ll be moving the treadmill out of the way), a regular treadmill might be the better option for you here.

#4 Incline Trainer vs Treadmill – Calorie Burning Benefits

The Incline trainer easily beats out the treadmill here. According to the Manufacturer you can burn up to 5 times more calories walking on a 40% incline than on a 0% treadmill.

So in theory, you can see very fast weight loss on one of these machines.

In fact, a lot of contestants on The Biggest Loser used incline trainers to drop pounds off very fast for the show. So if you want to lose weight and get trim fast – the incline trainer is definitely the better bet.

Another plus?

You can always use the incline trainer as a regular treadmill (without the high incline) for those days when you just don’t feel like pushing yourself very hard. It’s nice to have that option.

#5 Incline Trainer vs Treadmill – Decline

A few of the higher end Nordictrack treadmills – like the Commercial 2450 – also give you decline. However even with these treadmills you only get up to 3% decline.

With incline trainers you get up to 6% decline – a very cool way to add more crosstraining to your workouts.

It’s also useful if you’re using it for iFit Coach world workouts.

The machine inclines and declines to match the actual terrain that you’re running. So with a deeper decline and higher incline you get a more realistic virtual reality workout.

#6 The Beauty of Simplicity

This is something I sometimes hear from buyers. “I just want a simple treadmill!” They don’t want all the bells and whistles of fancier treadmills like the incline trainer.

Nothing wrong with that.

If you just want a simple treadmill to walk on every once in a while, then the incline trainer is probably not for you.

You’d be better suited going with a simple, well-made starter treadmill like the Nordictrack EXP7i or the Nordictrack EXP 10i

Bottom Line?

If you want to burn more calories and lose weight faster then there’s no doubt that the incline trainer is your best option. It gives you more room to grow as your fitness level improves over time.

And the decline features also give you a better way to crosstrain and tone your body.

However there are benefits to the treadmill as well. They tend to be more affordable plus you have the option to fold it up and move it out of the way.

So it really comes down to what is most important to you and what you most want from your treadmill at the end of the day.

Want to learn more?

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