NordicTrack Step Climber XL

Overview: The Step Climber Series is the latest release from NordicTrack and includes the base model and the up-level XL. These are hybrid machines, i.e. an elliptical and a stepper in one, giving you the benefits of both in one compact unit. These are similar to the HIIT Trainers from ProForm as well as the Max Trainers from BowFlex and these hybrid machines have become quite popular in recent years.

Let’s look at some of the best features…

Two Machines in One

As we mentioned, the Step Climber combines the ascent of a stepper machine with the rotating arms of an elliptical, which is an awesome combination. As you may know from using steppers at the gym, your arms are just at your side or holding on for stability. Of course you have that option here, but the rotating arms allow you to train your upper body as well, making it a much more complete workout. You also get up to 22 different resistance levels to choose from, making it that much more challenging for you.

iFIT Workout Capability

The highlight of the NordicTrack ellipticals as well as their treadmills, rowers and other cardio machines, is the built in iFIT workouts. This is an immersive experience that unfolds right on the touch screen, giving you access to an endless library of workouts for all fitness levels. You can train on and off the machine and choose destinations around the world with Google maps.The best part is that the Step Climber automatically adjusts the resistance based on the workout you choose.

Large Touch Screen

NordicTrack was one of the first companies to offer touch screen displays, bringing you closer to a health club like experience when you’re working out at home. The Step Climber XL comes with an awesome 16″ touch screen, on which you can see all of your workout stats, choose different workouts as mentioned above, or stream Netflix, YouTube and other apps if you’d rather watch a movie or video while you work out. It really makes the experience more enjoyable, as opposed to the basic displays you find on many competitor ellipticals.

Comfort Features

In addition to the great low-impact cardio capability, workout selection and large touch screen display, the NordicTrack Step Climber XL gives you oversized pedals, water bottle holder, two speakers, workout fan, Bluetooth/Wifi capability and a charging port.

NordicTrack Step Climber XL Test Drive

We’ve tested out the BowFlex Max Trainers as well as the ProForm HIIT Trainers, and we’ve been using stepper machines in the gym for years, so we know the kind of workout these elliptical hybrids provide. However, they’re all a bit different from the look and feel to the workout motion to the additional functionality and capabilities.

The Step Climber XL is the newest of the three, and it looks like NordicTrack is joining the hybrid machine trend, due to its rising popularity. And it makes sense…these are very compact machines so they work well for people who have limited gym space in their homes or apartments. They also give you two great workouts in one. You get the rotating elliptical step motion rather than the straight stair climb. And you add in the rotating elliptical arms so you can train upper body.

The first thing we noticed when getting on the machine is that it is much more solid than the Max Trainers from BowFlex. Although the footprint is about the same, the Step Climber XL is about 70 pounds heavier than the comparable Max Total 16, which is quite significant. It also has a maximum user weight capacity of 325 lbs. vs 300 lbs., and a 10 year frame warranty vs 3 on the Max Total. So you’re getting a much more durable machine for a couple hundred more dollars.

The Step Climber XL gives you 22 resistance levels to choose from, and transition from one to the next is pretty seamless. You have generously sized and comfortable rotating arms that you can grip in various places to change things up as you work out. If you want to rest the upper body you can definitely just use the stationary grips or go back and forth depending on how long your workout is.

Just like with all of the other NordicTrack and ProForm ellipticals, everything centers around iFIT, which we’ve reviewed countless times. In a nutshell, it’s a membership program that gives you unlimited workouts led by certified personal trainers, you can choose locations all across the world, you can do workouts on the elliptical or off like yoga and strength training, there’s a virtual trainer that selects workouts for you, you can track and share everything and on and on. It’s an ever expanding immersive experience with new capabilities added all the time, and the machine auto adjusts to your selected workout.

Bowflex is the only other company currently that has something similar…there’s is called JRNY, but iFIT is much more comprehensive at the moment. We like the fact that you can choose a different workout every single day if you’d like and the fact that they have all of the workouts for off the machine as well.

Overall the motion is smooth and low-impact…the upper level resistance levels are challenging enough and we didn’t have the knee pain that we sometimes get post workout on some other elliptical trainers we’ve tested out in the past. And the addition of streaming capability (something that had offered when they first introduced the touch screens way back when) is a great feature to help pass the time when engaging in longer sessions.

Conclusion

If you like ellipticals and you like stepping machines, then the NordicTrack Step Climber XL is the perfect machine for you. It gives you the best of both worlds in one low-impact, compact unit.

This new elliptical hybrid gives you tons of workouts, ample resistance levels, a nice sized touch screen display and plenty of other comfort features.

Also take a look at the base Step Climber model if you want to save a little bit…the only difference is the smaller touch screen.