Do you ever refer to the treadmill as the “dreadmill” or “hamster wheel” and proclaim that you’d rather run in extreme heat, a torrential downpour, etc. rather than be bored out of your mind running indoors? I used to be the same way. However, treadmills have come a long way in the last several years, with brands like NordicTrack, Peloton and ProForm coming out with Bluetooth-enabled “smart treadmills” featuring larger interactive touch screens where you can access a library of built-in workout programs. 

I attended a media trip a couple of years ago that was sponsored in part by NordicTrack and iFit, a virtual training platform where users can access live and on-demand running classes, as well as strength training, yoga, cycling, and other cross-training workouts. During this trip, I had the opportunity to test out several pieces of NordicTrack’s equipment, including a handful of its treadmills that were equipped with iFit programming. I loved how smooth and cushioned the running deck felt, as well as having the ability to follow a trainer-led course with music. I was also particularly intrigued by the treadmill’s declining capability for downhill training, which is actually a rarity among most treadmills on the market. Even just testing it for a couple of minutes, I found downhill running to be really fun.

Through that trip, as well as visiting boutique fitness studios and by using the treadmills at the gyms provided by workplaces, apartments, and hotels over the years, I’ve had the chance to test various treadmill models across different brands. Choosing a treadmill can be overwhelming, as there are a lot of options out there to fit various needs and budgets. 

But thanks to the opportunity to test NordicTrack’s machine, and thanks to the research I’ve been able to do in writing about fitness equipment for publications such as this one, I was fairly certain that when my husband and I eventually bought and moved into a house, I’d want to gift myself a home treadmill, which ultimately ended up being the NordicTrack Commercial 1750. I live in Houston, known for being extremely hot and humid in the summer, even if you get out to run first thing in the morning. Sometimes I’d prefer to get a run in early in the morning when the sun hasn’t come up, but I’m not comfortable doing that alone outside if I don’t have a running buddy to join me. On the other side, sometimes sleep wins and by the time I’m ready to get running, the sun is blazing and temperatures are quickly rising. Having the option to run indoors with air conditioning is a game-changer if you’re serious about not bailing on your workout. 

Read on to learn more about why I chose this particular machine for my home gym set-up.

In researching treadmills for the several comparison articles I’ve written and in talking to friends who owned NordicTrack treadmills, it was pretty easy to nail my selection down to the Commercial 1750. It’s one of the highest-rated and most popular treadmills on the market, offering way more features than many other treadmills at the same price point. These include the aforementioned integrated iFit program, large, cushioned running deck, and Bluetooth connectivity, as well as integrated speakers and Easy Lift Assist folding capability. 

Directly from NordicTrack, the machine costs $1,999. You can get the 2019 model for $200 cheaper at Amazon.

Other key NordicTrack treadmill features include:

For me, though, one of the biggest draws was the aforementioned decline capability, which goes down to a -3% grade. I’m currently training for this November’s New York City Marathon and have qualified for next spring’s Boston Marathon, both of which are known to be very hilly and challenging courses. Houston is extremely flat in comparison, and I know that I want to arrive at both races prepared to conquer their courses, so I knew a treadmill would also be beneficial for doing structured hill workouts.

The NordicTrack Commercial 1750 not only goes up to a 15% grade incline, but the iFit program has New York City and Boston Marathon class series in which your incline and decline are automatically adjusted to match the course profile as you follow the trainer along on the machine’s pivoting 14-inch screen. How cool is that? In addition to popular race courses, you can also virtually navigate your way through other exotic and picturesque locations via iFit classes, from the rainforest of Costa Rica to the highlands of Scotland.

NordicTrack offers a variety of treadmills that vary slightly in size. The Commercial 1750 is 65 inches high by 80 inches long and 38 inches wide, with a running deck that is 60 inches long and 22 inches wide. Its maximum weight capacity is 300 pounds and speed-wise, it goes up to 12 miles per hour, or 5 minutes per mile (not that I’m ever nearing such an elite-level pace). 

NordicTrack does offer various folding treadmills, the Commercial 1750 included. I have my treadmill set up in my office and tend to leave it unfolded, as I’m using it just about every other day. I’m also not short on space and think it looks more aesthetically pleasing to be set up for use rather than folded up.

Currently retailing for $1,999, you can rest assured that the NordicTrack Commercial 1750 is built to last, and it’s worth knowing that the company offers a 10-year frame warranty, two-year parts warranty, and a one-year labor warranty. I’ve only been using mine for two months at this point and have not had any issues with it so far. I do strongly recommend springing for room of choice delivery and assembly, which is an additional $199. This is a sizable piece of equipment, and safety was definitely a priority for me. The last thing I wanted to risk was potentially injuring myself after possibly not assembling the machine correctly myself. 

As mentioned earlier, I have tried various other treadmills in the past, from the high-end Woodway treadmill at a local fitness studio, to Life Fitness and ProForm machines in various gyms. I’d even had a couple of other brands offering to send me a free treadmill as a thank you for featuring them in some of these articles, which was tempting, but my gut told me to go ahead and spring for the NordicTrack I’d long been eyeing all along after testing the brand’s machines. And thanks to having an existing relationship with the NordicTrack team after that press trip and working on those articles, they were eagerly willing to provide me with a year-long complimentary iFit family membership to go with my purchase (a $396, or $39 per month value).

For my individual training preferences, the aforementioned incline and decline capabilities are the biggest features that drew me to this treadmill. I also purchased it just at the right time, when NordicTrack upgraded this model’s screen up to 14 inches from 10. 

Taking classes on iFit, where I can also switch between music stations and adjust the master volume levels to favor music over the trainer, is also a nice way to mix it up. This is by far the biggest game-changer that has eliminated the “dreadmill” mentality for me – an 8-mile run, which is the longest I’ve ever run on a treadmill, has never gone by as fast as it does with an iFit class. I’m almost tempted to attempt one of my longer (10- to 20-mile)  marathon training runs on it what with our brutal summer heat, but I’m not quite there yet. 

Another key feature is the treadmill’s built-in fan, something my old apartment gym’s Life Fitness treadmills definitely could have used. I tend to run hot, so I also tricked up my treadmill with two clip-on fans, so between those three fans, and the ceiling fan and air conditioning blowing above, I’m in summer marathon training heaven when using my NordicTrack. 

Finally, I also love that thanks to the speakers, I don’t have to wear headphones to listen to the trainer or music, as they’ve always tended to slip and fall out as I sweat on the treadmill. The treadmill’s console is also large enough to hold a tablet if you’d rather watch a movie or TV show, or choose not to continue with the iFit subscription. It’s also worth knowing that the machine has 50 built-in workout programs and Google Map integration outside of iFit.

For me, one of the biggest drawbacks to the NordicTrack Commercial 1750 is that I can’t sync my smartphone to it to be able to play music from an external app like Spotify. Yes, I can listen to the iFit music stations, but I have to have a class going to be able to do that, which is key to knowing if you’re thinking you wouldn’t want to keep paying for the membership – you can’t access music if you’re doing a standard manual run versus an iFit class. While I do think I’ll maintain the membership after my comped period expires, I may eventually buy an external speaker to play music from my computer on my office desk that sits in front of the treadmill.

Another con for me is that sometimes the Wi-Fi signal goes out (something the installation tech warned me about with regard to these machines), which means that while you can still keep running and logging distance, it will remain stuck on the current settings until the signal returns within a couple of minutes. This is slightly annoying if you’re taking a class that is following a specific course with varying elevation and if you wanted to finish out a class but not add additional time or distance to do so. The technician said I could purchase a network extender to hopefully resolve this issue, but fortunately, it hasn’t happened too often to make me want to do that.

Finally, I suppose the additional cost for professional assembly could be considered a con, but in my opinion, it was worth springing for to ensure safety and peace of mind while using the machine. 

All in all, I do believe the NordicTrack Commercial 1750 treadmill is a worthwhile purchase, especially since I’m getting such frequent use out of it and it’s meeting my specific training needs while granting me some relief from the brutal outside heat. 

If you’re not going to use it at least a few times a month and don’t care about upgraded technology like interactive classes, then it might not be the right machine for you, and you can opt for another NordicTrack treadmill of equal quality without the bells and whistles that make this one’s price land on the higher end.

No matter your reasons for considering purchasing a home treadmill, I would highly recommend purchasing this one, as it’s high quality, built to last, and will keep your workouts entertaining and enjoyable if you choose to use it with iFit.