Nordic Track ACT Elliptical Trainer Review

 In the lower price range, the Nordic Track ACT is quite a neat machine. It is compact and sturdy and tucks into only 47” of floor space and yet provides an impressive 18” to 22” adjustable stride. Whatever end of the price scale they are looking at, anyone in the market for a home fitness machine has so much more choice than they would have had just a few years ago.

Not just the brands have evolved but the very machines themselves. Where once a standard treadmill would have been the obvious choice, now the bewildered shopper has to choose between an incline stepper, a rower, a recumbent bike or an elliptical.  

The growing awareness of the undesirable effects of constant stress on the ankles, knees and hips of high impact exercise – even the repeated impact of feet on a treadmill belt - has encouraged many to opt for the low impact alternatives of recumbents and ellipticals.  

Other factors to consider when choosing a fitness machine are the price range and the space available. Ideally you ant to get the best machine you can afford and one that will fit into your living space without being an overwhelming space hog.  

The high resolution Grafixx console is quite clear and easy to read and can display a little animatronic figure to keep you company while you exercise.  Variety is not only the spice of life, it is also what keeps any fitness regime on the right track. Thankfully the A.C.T. ships with 20 iFit workouts which automatically adjust resistance to burn more calories, increase stamina or reach target goals while providing enough variety to maintain interest and motivation.  

Should the built-in programs begin to pall, you can also opt to purchase additional iFit workout cards which feature workouts designed by certified personal trainers to add extra challenges or new performance goals to your routine.  

There are 20 resistance levels controlled by a system called Silent Magnetic Resistance which can be adjusted manually or via one of the programs to increase the intensity of workouts.  There is an iPod dock and a Coolaire Fan for the user’s entertainment and comfort and a heart rate monitor built into the handlebars.  

On the Nordic Track website, they claim their warranty to be the ‘best in the business’. It includes a lifetime cover for the frame and one year on parts and in-house service. It doesn’t quite stand up to the longer durations offered by LifeCORE and Yowza Captiva but it is a more solid warranty than Proform.  

For the price range and the space requirement the Nordic Track ACT, is not a bad choice. It is quite sturdy and durable, relatively easy to set up and reasonably free of customer complaints.