Proform HIIT vs Nordictrack Freestride Trainer Comparison
Which Is Best For You?
Trying to decide between the Proform HIIT Trainer vs Nordictrack Freestride Trainer?
The Proform HIIT Trainer is a special hybrid type of elliptical trainer with a vertical elliptical stride.
It was made specifically for HIIT workouts (or High Intensity Interval Training).
Studies have shown that this is one of the best ways that you can burn maximum calories per workout.
The Nordictrack Freestride Trainer is also a different type of elliptical.
Instead of being locked into one fixed stride, you can vary your motion and get a completely adaptable stride.
By varying your lower body motions, you can more fully work your lower body and get a more effective workout.
So which is the best choice for you?
Let’s take a closer look at the differences between the Proform HIIT vs Nordictrack Freestride Trainer to see which you’d prefer.
Proform HIIT vs Nordictrack Freestride Trainer: Lower Body Motion
The lower body motion is the biggest difference here.
As stated above, the Proform HIIT trainer is more of a vertical elliptical – with a 10-inch vertical and 5-inch horizontal motion.
Here’s a short clip of the motion:
The climbing motion – while challenging – uses more lower body muscles and can help you burn more calories than a traditional elliptical trainer.
However keep in mind that it won’t be as easy as running on a flat-plane elliptical pathway that you get with regular elliptical trainers.
The Nordictrack Freestride Trainer does have a more traditional elliptical path. However, you can also change that path if you want.
With this machine you can vary your stride and direction by how hard and in which direction you push the pedals.
So you can do up-and-down motions like a stair-climber, jogging motions like a regular elliptical or even longer running strides like on a treadmill.
This gives you a lot of workout variety. There are 2 benefits to this:
First, because you can constantly vary your stride, your body won’t “adapt” to one set motion. So you can continually challenge your body and burn more calories as a result.
Second, you can find the stride length that feels most comfortable for your body. You won’t be locked into a stride that feels awkward or jumpy – as you might with a regular elliptical.
So there are benefits to both machines. It really comes down to which motion you prefer.
Both the Proform HIIT and Nordictrack Freestride trainer give you upper body moving arms so you can work your arms as well, just like a regular elliptical trainer.
Proform HIIT vs Freestride Trainer – Affordability
As of this writing, the Proform HIIT trainers are a bit more affordable than the Freestride Trainers.
There are currently 2 different HIIT Trainer models. You can buy them direct starting around $1299 with Free Shipping here. This puts them around the same price as a mid-range elliptical.
There are 2 different Nordictrack Freestrider models as well. They start off a bit higher. You can buy them direct for around $1899 with Free Shipping here.
So as far as budget goes, the HIIT trainer takes points for being slightly easier on the wallet.
Nordictrack Freestride Trainer vs Proform HIIT: Stationary Arm Bars
The Proform HIIT trainers give you both moving arm bars – and stationary arm bars.
The stationary arm bars are there if you want to rest your arms during your workout – or take your heart rate with the EKG heart rate sensors.
The Nordictrack Freestride Trainers give you moving arm bars – but no stationary arm bars.
You can rest your arm on the moving arm bars and just not push as hard through the motion. You can also grasp the side frame or top of the console. But it’s something to be aware of you prefer stationary arm bars.
Proform HIIT vs Nordictrack: Footprint
If you have a smaller workout area like an office, condo or apartment, you might be limited in space. Here’s where the Proform HIIT trainers take points in comparing the Proform HIIT vs Freestride Trainer.
The Proform HIIT trainers have a much smaller footprint than other elliptical trainers – including the Freestride trainer.
The footprint on the Nordictrack FS14i Freestride Trainer for example is: 29.5 x 58.5 inches
The footprint on the Proform H14 HIIT trainer is: 29 x 66 inches
The Freestride trainer seems shorter at first. But you have to remember to add about one to two feet in front and behind the Freestride Trainer to account for the movement of the footpedals:
You don’t need to do this with the HIIT trainer.
That doesn’t mean the Nordictrack is not compact. It is.
The Freestride trainer is actually shorter and more compact than other elliptical trainers with the standard wheel-track design behind the pedals. So it’s still a good choice if you want something shorter than a standard crosstrainer
However the Proform HIIT still takes points for being the MORE compact machine of the two.
Freestride Trainer or Proform HIIT: Incline
The Nordictrack Freestride trainer gives you yet another way to crosstrain in addition to the adjustable stride: incline (and decline on the premium model). Incline changes the slope of your elliptical running path (like running uphill).
This helps to work different lower body muscles and can aid you in getting a more effective, calorie-burning workout.
The Proform HIIT doesn’t have incline or decline. It’s really one set climbing motion (however you can pedal forward and backwards).
Bottom Line?
So which machine comes out ahead when comparing the Proform HIIT vs Nordictrack Freestride Trainer?
It really comes down to which type of exercise you prefer to do, your budget and space limitations.
The Proform HIIT gives you the vertical climbing motion which helps you burn calories faster than a regular elliptical. It takes up less space than the Nordictrack and it’s easier on the budget.
The Nordictrack Freestride trainer gives you a lot more variety in your lower body motion, including climbing, jogging or running. It also adds incline for even more variety.
Both machines come iFit compatible – so you can take fitness classes from your home or run famous world trails and watch the scenery through your console. So there’s lots you can do with either the Nordictrack Freestrider or Proform HIIT.
So at the end of the day it depends on what you want.
Want to learn more? Check out the links below for a special offer on either machine including Free Shipping.
Click to Compare all Nordictrack Freestriders
Click Here to Compare All HIIT Trainer Models
Related:
Bowflex Max vs Nordictrack Freestrider Comparison – Which is Best For You?
Nordictrack Freestrider vs Elliptical Trainer Comparison
