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Where were you when you saw your first ‘fitfluencer’ gush over one walking path? These fitness machines are slimmer than a traditional treadmill and are puffed up for their convenience and affordability. They can be stored under a bench and cost a fraction of the cost of a full treadmill.
Like many, I had visions of walking during Zoom meetings and reality TV binges. But there was a problem: the weight limits. The WalkingPad of the same name has a maximum user weight of 220 pounds. TikTok’s beloved DeerRun goes up to 300 pounds. But even if you clock in under maximum weight, coming within throwing distance brings its own fear: How gentle should you be? What if you arrive in the future?
I grabbed one hiking trails with the highest weight limit I was able to find it on Amazon for under $300. It claimed a weight limit of 400 pounds, but after less than a month of use – admittedly heavy use, with my husband and I clocking in a few hours together every day – it was completely useless and it stopped completely when we stepped on it.
So when NordicTrack offered to let me try out one of their mack-daddy professional treadmill models, the Commercial 2450I thought this might be the answer. Instead of almost disposable equipment, this machine is meant to beat the level of a public gym: bodies of all shapes and sizes running at full speed around the clock.
The differences between a full-size, high-quality treadmill and a running mat are night and day. Although the 2450 has the same stated weight limit as my Amazon treadmill, 400 pounds, I can walk, jog, and fully sprint on the NordicTrack treadmill without feeling like the machine is in danger. The track is also super cushioned; I could never run outside as comfortably as I can on this machine. It has bells and whistles galore, like cup holders and a built-in fan. The showstopper is the 24-inch screen. It can stream Netflix and Amazon Prime, so if you’re also trying to convert TV time into workout time, this machine delivers.
What has me hooked, however, is what is unlocked with NordicTrack’s iFit membership. Choose a workout led by a trainer, such as an interval walk in New Zealand. Set your favorite genre of background music (the app selects songs with a BPM that matches your speed) and start cruising through a beautiful park. When the trainer picks up speed, either as part of the planned routine or even just to cross a light, the treadmill automatically increases speed so you can keep pace. When the trainer climbs a hill or stairs, the device increases the incline. It feels immersive in a way I didn’t expect. Because I always prefer to walk outside in warm weather, training indoors almost feels like training outdoors.
Because this treadmill is 80 percent computer, it’s prone to the kinds of technical glitches you’ve come to expect from your devices, like freezing or the touchscreen not responding. So far all my issues have been resolved by a restart, but it’s definitely something to keep in mind when investing in a product this expensive. NordicTrack offers warranty and extended warranty plans that cover most problems you can imagine. If you plan to spend a lot of time on this machine, this is probably a good investment.
The Commercial 2450 is a beast, so expect to dedicate a lot of space to the machine, although it does fold up to save a few feet when not in use (with hydraulics to assist lifting and lowering for noodle arms like me) . But between the bench-to-5K training programs, the ability to rotate the screen to stream non-treadmill workouts like weight lifting or yoga, and integrated streaming, you’ll find it used more often than you expected.
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