NordicTrack x11i Incline Trainer Review.

My wife and I wanted a cardio solution for our home gym that would last a long time and be functional for both of our needs. My wife likes to walk and hike while I like hiking and running. I especially like to do high intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts. I mainly lift weights but I like to keep my conditioning up by doing HIIT. This treadmill is a great all around solution for the home gym.

When the incline trainer was delivered, it was on a pallet. The delivery company was kind enough to bring it inside the house. This thing is so heavy! It weighs somewhere around 300 pounds! It is a beast! It took three grown people to maneuver the treadmill into the room from the living room area. This is a heavy duty treadmill. The frame is substantial. The handles and grips all feel solid. The tread where you walk is sturdy. It is a well built piece of equipment.

NordicTrack x11i: https://www.nordictrack.com/treadmills/nordictrack-x11i-incline-trainer

NordicTrack Commercial Series Treadmills: https://amzn.to/3fkcWve

NordicTrack T Series Treadmills: https://amzn.to/31fYShA

The reason you are looking for an incline trainer vs a treadmill is the incline right? This treadmill goes all the way up to 40% incline and down to -6% decline. That is a wide range that provides a lot of versatility. I love how high you can climb on this incline trainer. It is a very difficult workout when you incline above that 12% that a normal treadmill will go. Incline training can take your workout to the next level!

Be aware though when the treadmill is fully inclined, there is a lot of room under the tread that children or pets can get under. So be sure to take precautions when using the trainer if you have pets or kids around.

A nice size 10 inch interactive display his front and center on the console. The x11i comes with a 10” tablet inset into the console. It is the same size as a standard iPad. If you want a larger display, you’ll definitely pay a premium for it. The next model up is the x22i and is a $750 upcharge for a bigger screen. There is also a 32” screen model available. My wife and I both find that the x11i 10 inch display is more than adequate. I can see everything on the screen without issues. It is a nice quality display that is bright and crisp. All the video and text on the screen is easy to see. It is a bit laggy, unlike modern iPads. But it is perfectly fine for the application it is being used for. A 22 inch screen might be nicer, but a 32 inch screen that close to your face might be a bit much.

There is a tablet attachment option on the back of the x11i console. So you can mount your tablet on the treadmill and watch your favorite shows, movies, etc. There is not a HDMI out option on this treadmill. I’ve read that they removed that feature starting in 2019.

There are two fans inside the console that have a low, medium, high and auto setting. They move a decent amount of air to help keep you cool.

If you want to do a push style workout, simply put the incline trainer on a 1 mph setting and you can either use the push bar across the front or the sled grips that rise up on either side of the treadmill.

One thing that I think is an underrated feature of this treadmill is the quick keys on either side of the display. Being able to quickly adjust the speed or incline of the treadmill with a touch of a button is so nice. You can change the speed even in .1 increments by pressing 2 numbers such as 4 then 2 to set the speed at 4.2 mph. Incline jumps are available from -6% up to a whopping 40%.

Across the bottom of the console there are up and down keys for both incline and speed. Volume and fan controls are also accessible here. A Start and Stop button as well as emergency stop key is front and center. There is also two speakers on either side of the fans that are bluetooth capable. There is an aux in jack on the right side of the treadmill.

The handrails on either side of the treadmill are metal and very sturdy.

The x11i incline trainer is a large machine. But it fits in our small room nicely. The room above is approximately 8 feet wide by 14 feet long.

The x11i incline trainer is very tall. It is approximately 6 feet tall. When inclined at a full 40%, if you are 6 feet tall or more, your head will be close to the ceiling if you have 8 foot ceilings. If you have a ceiling fan, be very careful.

The belt that is on the x11i treadmill is very nice. It is a thick material that is very grippy.

On each side of the incline trainer that are places for your feet if you need to stop off the treadmill. These surfaces have a textured surface to prevent slipping.

NordicTrack’s Runners Flex feature is nice up to about 10 mph. After that, the treadmill gets too “bouncy” to provide a decent run. The treadmill starts shaking and bouncing and makes running at high speeds feel awkward. The awkward feeling is because of the bounce of the treadmill surface.

The “Commercial x11i” stickers on either side of the treadmill were barely stuck on when we unboxed the treadmill. We pressed them back down with our fingers, but I feel like they will not stay on there very long.

What I like about this incline trainer:

The incline! 40%! Wow. I love how high this thing will go and how much it will kick your butt! I love the iFit feature. It comes with one year of iFit. We love it so much we already purchased three years of iFit. I absolutely love that you can use iFit to do guided workouts. Guided hikes, runs, walks, etc. And the best part of iFit paired with the x11i is the treadmill automatically adjusts your speed and incline along with the trainer. So if you are in a running workout and the trainer ups their speed, your treadmill automatically adjusts to match their speed and incline. Don’t worry, if they are pushing you harder than you want to go you can manually adjust the speed as well. If you decide you want to rejoin the trainer at their speed, there is an icon on the screen you press to follow the trainer again. iFit is by far the best feature of this treadmill to me. There are hundreds of guided workouts available. If you don’t want to use iFit, you can still use the treadmill in manual mode or one of the preprogrammed workouts available.

What I don’t like:

The bounce that happens when running at speeds over 10 mph. It makes sprinting feel very awkward.

The tablet seems like an older generation or has an underpowered processor. A modern iPad is so much more responsive. I also wish the tablet would allow third party apps like Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, etc. That way you could watch your own shows and media on the built in tablet.

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