Andrzej Wereszczak about the Nordictrack T 14.0 treadmill

         As a company that deals with sports equipment daily, we value the opinions of our customers. This time, we put the NordicTrack T14.0 treadmill under the microscope, and it was tested by Andrzej Wereszczak, the Polish record holder in the 6-day race. We invite you to read the opinion of a man who has already run for thousands of hours.

Thanks to the courtesy of Bacha-Sport from Gliwice, which is the exclusive importer of electric treadmills from the American company NordicTrack, I had the opportunity to test the T14.0 model at home for half a year.      

First impression

  The look is fine. The treadmill is neither too big nor too small. Stable. Everything is held firmly in place. Elegant top section with a built-in 7-inch touchscreen tablet, speakers, large buttons, and very large fans.

Activation           

I plug it in – silence. I used to use a 10-year-old treadmill, and there was an immediate noise – the hum of some power converter. Here, it’s complete silence, pure luxury. So, off we go… unfortunately, you have to wait for the system to load. The old treadmill was ready to go in a few seconds. Here, you have to wait about 90 seconds for the treadmill to be ready. At first, it was very irritating – I was ready to workout, but the equipment wasn’t yet. But I quickly adapted. Now, I turn on the treadmill first, then put on my running shoes. I get up, everyone’s ready, ready to go. Everything’s fine. The iFIT heart rate monitor connects to the treadmill automatically. There’s no setup or pairing required. Just put it on, get on the treadmill, and it works..    

Hand training           

You can press the green “Start” button immediately, or press “Manual” on your tablet. The treadmill spins slowly and counts down the warm-up time – you can skip it. The main part of the screen displays a virtual 400-meter track and the runner’s position – great. I like to plan a simple workout in my head, for example, two laps faster, one slower, repeat three times – without analyzing distance, time, or pace. Quick and easy.

Training video          

Once the treadmill is turned on, a wide variety of video workouts with trainers are displayed on the tablet. It’s hard to say how many there are. The workouts are grouped into categories like “Most Popular,” “Mount Kilimanjaro Trekking,” “Iberian Total Body Training,” “Australia Adventure,” “Iceland Time Crunch,” “Walk the World,” and “Yoga.” I currently have about 50 groups, each with a dozen or so workouts. Some groups are not just walking and running. Trainers also teach stretching, there are weight exercises, typical fitness club classes, and yoga. For these exercises, it’s better to get off the treadmill. You need to organize your space, prepare a mat and weights, and it’s nice to have a large TV connected, but the effect is fantastic—a home fitness studio. A new workout of the day appears every day, and about every 1.5 months there’s a major software update, which then introduces entire new training groups.

We choose a workout. The trainer first runs for a few minutes, for example, 8.5 km/h on a flat surface, as a warm-up. Then, we begin with uphill runs, accelerations, for example, up to 11 km/h, a gentle downhill run (for a treadmill, this is flat), and finally, a cool-down. The speed and incline on the treadmill are automatically adjusted according to the trainer’s speed and the incline at a given stage of the route. However, you can adjust both speed and incline to your own abilities at any time. A return button then appears on the tablet to automatically change these parameters. This allows you, for example, to avoid too steep climbs or too fast descents.

Workouts typically last 25 to 50 minutes. If you want to go longer, you can repeat the workout or choose another one, but that can be a bit disruptive.

Trening StreetView           

We select “create” on the tablet. On the map, we click the start and finish points. The tablet calculates the distance and shows the incline profile. Save it, and you’re done. You can run anywhere in the world. You have to get used to running on streets, between cars, so I choose less crowded streets, for example, in the south of France. You can set longer distances, run for a few hours, and it’s not boring. This works great, but only where StreetView is available. If we find a road without StreetView, we’ll see a gray screen. It’s best to prepare the route on your computer on the iFIT website. StreetView roads are marked accordingly.

Screen during training           

On older treadmills without a screen, I usually found myself staring at five or six numbers. A long, two-hour workout was extremely boring for me. It’s nice to be able to watch a movie on the TV during that time. Although that distracts too much from the workout, that’s also a bad thing. A treadmill with a screen is the perfect solution. Something interesting happens: I’m either watching and listening to the trainer, exploring the world, or doing quick laps on a virtual 400-meter track. At the same time, I’m monitoring the running parameters that interest me at the moment. There are four views, which you can freely switch between:

            Training view (i.e. video/StreetView/400m treadmill) + 5 selected running parameters:

1. slope / total meters up / total meters down
2. calories / calories per hour / pulse / average pulse
3. time / time remaining / pace / average pace
4. distance / remaining distance
5. speed / average speed

            Speed, incline, altitude and heart rate graph + 5 selected running parameters:

1. slope / total meters up / total meters down
2. calories / calories per hour / pulse / average pulse
3. time / time remaining / pace / average pace
4. distance / remaining distance
5. speed / average speed

            Training view + small speed and incline graph + 3 running parameters:

1. time
2. speed
3. tilt

            Just parameters, all at once:

1. tilt
2. average slope
3. maximum slope
4. speed
5. average speed
6. maximum speed
7. calorie
8. calories per hour
9. time
10. average pace
11. maximum pace
12. pulse
13. average pulse
14. maximum heart rate
15. time
16. total meters up
17. total meters down
18. distance / time
19. distance remaining / time remaining

Engine, construction           

The housing states that the motor has 3 horsepower. I’ve never experienced a lack of power. I weigh 73-74 kg. My fastest run is 16 km/h. Perhaps someone much heavier or faster would need more power. I’ve also heard that the motor is more tiring when walking than when running. I’ve walked a lot – video workouts in the Alps at a 12-degree incline – and the motor pulled without a hitch.

The treadmill’s frame has a built-in cushioning system. When running fast, the whole thing flexes noticeably and springs back. I don’t have knee problems, but I’m used to heavily cushioned shoes. On asphalt, I immediately feel discomfort in shoes with little cushioning. However, on this treadmill, I run best in shoes without any cushioning at all. On the one hand, I consciously try to land on my midfoot, but on the other, the treadmill itself is quite soft. The problem is that when running fast, the treadmill slowly shifts. Could it be the tile floor? Perhaps I need a mat under it? Perhaps the treadmill is too light, weighing 91 kg? During an hour-long, fast workout, the treadmill can shift 10 cm. Always forward. After purchasing a protective mat for the equipment, the problem disappeared.

A big plus is the ease of folding, unfolding, and moving the treadmill. It’s easy, comfortable, quiet, and safe. Even with a 9-year-old child, it’s safe.

Another big plus is the ease of use. The large, legible, logically arranged buttons are flat, almost touch-sensitive. They work flawlessly and are easy to keep clean. The incline quick selection buttons are in 1-degree increments. The speed quick selection buttons are in 2 km/h increments. Pressing the “+” button increases the speed by 0.1 km/h and a short beep sounds. Holding the “+” button for 5 beeps increases the speed by 0.5 km/h. Holding it for 6 beeps increases the speed by 1 km/h. That’s how I manage. When I want 12 km/h, I press the “12 km/h” button. It’s fine.

A downside for children. I told my child about 100 times not to press the buttons between 14 and 22 km/h (9.8 to 14.4 mph), because they wouldn’t be able to run that fast. There was also training on what to do if they did press, for example, 22 km/h (13.6 mph). There could be some sort of lockout option in the menu for these buttons, because at 22 km/h (13.6 mph), you could be thrown like a catapult. A safety key is mandatory., which turns off the treadmill.

Who is this treadmill for?

As I mentioned, most video workouts last 25-50 minutes. The workouts encourage you to get off the treadmill and do other exercises, including strengthening and stretching. I think this is ideal for the average person who wants to start running or walking. An intermediate marathon runner will also be very happy, for example, with the “Pantheon” training group. There are also plenty of interval workouts. Only very fast runners who want to approach 20 km/h need larger, heavier, and probably non-foldable equipment. The video workouts will also be too amateurish for them. However, video workouts are great for children. Especially in winter, when there’s no scooter or bike, the treadmill is fun.

 I do 90% of my training in a real forest, and I treat the treadmill as an addition and sometimes a lifesaver:

• After 5 days of 25 km in the forest, I take a day off and then walk for 30 minutes on the treadmill, usually uphill in the Alps. Joints rest and muscles actively recover.
• Sometimes it’s hard to leave the house because of smog, storms, or gales, so I set myself a StreetView route over 20 km with some uphill or accelerating sections. Training done.
• Sometimes I get home late and don’t have the time or inclination to change, get out of the house, or do a normal workout. Then I quickly hop on the treadmill. At least I get some exercise.
• I only compete a few times a year because it costs me a lot of health and takes a long time for my legs to recover. After a rest, I take my first steps, then a jog, then a careful run on the treadmill. I only head out into the field when I’m sure everything is working reasonably well.
• There are no holes or bumps on the treadmill, and sometimes these are necessary to avoid, for example, when spraining an ankle.

iFIT service on the Internet

I haven’t used it much. I mainly planned StreetView routes. There are also entire training programs, training calendar planning, social networking, workout sharing, and comments. There’s a section on healthy living, nutrition, and so on. Everything is in English. I think it will take some time for this to become widespread, with local communities in Polish forming. Then it will be more familiar. But whatever you like, what’s on the treadmill tablet is enough for me.