iFIT Review: After Years Of Subscribing, Am I Fit?

A Brief History of iFIT

iFIT is owned by ICON Health and Fitness, which was founded in 1977 by Scott Watterson and Gary E. Stevenson. In 2021, ICON changed its name to iFIT Health and Fitness Inc., and its headquarters are in Logan, Utah.

iFIT has grown into one of the most popular fitness brands and is the parent company of NordicTrack and ProForm. iFIT started simply as the fitness app featured on NordicTrack and ProForm equipment, but to stay consistent with branding, ICON rebranded the entire company as iFIT.

What You Get With An iFIT Membership

Cost of plan types:

• Yearly iFIT Pro: $396/year
• Monthly iFIT Pro: $39/month
• Monthly iFIT Train: $15/month
• Yearly iFIT Train: $144/year

iFIT Pro Membership:

• iFIT workouts on your iFIT-compatible equipment
• iFIT workouts on your mobile device
• iFIT workouts on your TV
• Full access to on-demand library
• Manual workout mode
• Multiple profiles
• Strava, Garmin, and Apple Health integrations
• SmartAdjust
• ActivePulse
• Google Maps

iFIT Train Membership:

• iFIT workouts on your mobile device
• iFIT workouts on your TV
• Full access to on-demand library
• Manual workout mode
• Strava, Garmin, and Apple Health integrations

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iFIT Workout Classes

iFIT offers several different types of classes. We’re impressed with the wide variety.

Running on the treadmill is never boring when taking an iFIT class.

In addition to being found on treadmills, iFIT offers classes on indoor exercise bikes, rowers, and ellipticals on compatible equipment. They have mat classes like yoga, strength training, and meditation.

iFIT also offers audio classes. You can listen to a trainer while you run outside, take a series of strength classes in your backyard, or do an audio-guided meditation.

Over 180 trainers and health professionals lead the classes, so you won’t get bored with the content. iFIT also regularly adds to its already large library.

With the wide variety of classes in various categories and the number of instructors, every class feels different. You get to know the trainers and their personalities during class, and each provides a unique experience.

Indoor And Outdoor Classes

iFIT offers classes filmed indoors and outdoors in almost every class type. For instance, an indoor cycling class feels like a studio class. An instructor leads it, and the camera also shows other people riding in person with them.

Running on the treadmill is never boring when taking an iFIT class.

Some other indoor classes, like the ones on the mat, feature just the instructor. All indoor classes on iFIT are in well-lit studios and indoor locations.

I think iFIT stands apart with its outdoor classes. They have classes available that are filmed on every continent!

You can hike through parts of Montana or bike through streets in Italy.

The graphics alone are unmatched. When taking a rowing class in Lake Bled, Slovenia, the course map is shown beforehand so you know where you’re going. The camera is shown throughout the class from the trainer’s perspective as they row. The camera also pans to wide shots of the lake to show you the beautiful landscape.

The outdoor workouts engage you and make you feel like you’re there. You can hear the swooshing of the water as the instructor paddles and their voice. I’ve enjoyed all the outdoor classes in all the disciplines offered.

They’re in beautiful areas worldwide and let you explore unique places without leaving home. No matter the setting for an iFIT class, know that the picture will be clear, well-lit, and high-quality.

Google Map Workouts

Another way to explore the world through iFIT is with the Google Maps feature. However, this feature is only available on iFIT-enabled equipment. With it, you can pick a location and create your workout there.

I took a ride around Santa Barbara, California, on the NordicTrack S22i Studio Bike, using a map that I created. During the ride, I could switch back and forth between viewing where I was on the map and seeing the street views. iFIT uses images from Google Earth to allow you to explore different areas.

If you’ve ever used Google Earth and tapped the screen to look further up the street at the location you’re viewing, you’ll see that the experience with the Google Map feature on iFIT is very similar.

On-Demand Classes And Closed Captioning

iFIT’s workouts are on-demand and can be taken whenever convenient for you. This way, you don’t have to worry about timing your workout to fit a specific schedule.

Each class is led by an instructor who guides you through the workout. The instructor not only motivates you and takes you through a complete workout from start to finish (including warm-up and cool-down), but in the outdoor classes, they act as tour guides to give you tidbits of the surrounding area. During class, they’ll also discuss different topics, usually related to health, fitness, and wellness.

Closed captioning is available in all of iFIT’s classes, which is nice. This feature is accessible on iFIT-enabled equipment and in the app.

I prefer to keep the captions on, but you can turn them off anytime.

iFIT Features

Music

One aspect that we aren’t a big fan of is the music on iFIT. iFIT uses a radio-like feature called FEED.FM to play music. It is available in almost all iFIT classes. Throughout the class, you can choose a station to listen to music from the following categories:

• 80’s Pop
• Pop
• Pop Throwback
• Top 40
• Uptempo Pop Remixes
• Hip-Hop Throwback
• Classic Rock
• Rock
• Country
• Dance/EDM
• Downtempo Yoga

Within each of these categories, the playlist is preselected. You can’t skip through the songs in a playlist, but you can change stations during class. You can also turn off the music completely.

While this feature is great for letting users pick the type of music they like, it makes the music aspect of the class a little less interesting than other training apps. As an indoor cycling instructor, I, like most instructors, create my classes around music.

This way, the class experiences the music the way the instructor intended. The music often sets the tone and energy for the class, and the beat of the music can also push you when you ride.

Music keeps me going even on the treadmill or just taking a strength class with some dumbbells on a mat. I always like it when the instructor has a brief moment to sing or dance along to a song during class.

In iFIT, since you can pick from the available music stations, you miss out on the experience of the instructor integrating the music into the class. However, it’s nice that you can pick the type of music you want to listen to throughout.

The volume settings also allow you to adjust the volume of the instructor’s voice and the music separately. So, you can balance them or mute one or the other.

SmartAdjust And Active Pulse

Other iFIT features only available on certain iFIT-integrated machines are SmartAdjust and Active Pulse.

SmartAdjust will automatically adjust the treadmill, bike, or whatever iFIT equipment you use when the instructor cues it. So, if you’re running on the NordicTrack X32i Incline Trainer, the treadmill will change the speed/incline throughout the class. That way, all you have to do is keep up.

Of course, you can manually adjust these settings and entirely turn off the SmartAdjust feature.

I like this feature because it lets you sync with your instructor and can be adjusted based on your intensity and fitness level. That way, your workouts are customized to work for you.

iFIT also has an Active Pulse feature that rates your intensity level based on your pulse when wearing a compatible heart rate monitor. It then adjusts the machine’s resistance depending on how hard you work.

Both of these features make your workouts very customizable and convenient.

Challenges And Series

iFIT offers several challenges and series. When you join a challenge, you’ll be signed up to take multiple classes, depending on the challenge’s purpose. For example, I can sign up for the “iFIT Gives Back Challenge: Walking for Research.”

The challenge consists of six walking classes. Some challenges are meant to be completed in a certain period, like this walking challenge. However, even though it is listed as a past challenge, I can still sign up and participate independently.

The challenges are fun because they can make your workout routine more structured, challenging, and encouraging. They can also help you build a routine if you’re just starting out.

We really like all of the series that iFIT offers, too. Like the challenges, iFIT has multiple series in almost every category. They’re available on iFIT equipment as well as the iFIT app.

Often, a series will take you through a specific place or event or let you train with a certain trainer. iFIT even brings in professional athletes to lead workouts. For instance, there are several classes that you can take with Olympian Michael Phelps.

iFIT even films real-life live events like the Boston Marathon. In this series, you can run the Boston Marathon with iFIT trainer Heather Jenson. The marathon is split into eight parts to make it more accessible to users.

There are other live races that iFIT films at, too. I haven’t heard of other fitness apps doing this yet.

Using iFIT

Overall, our team likes taking classes on iFIT. The app is very convenient to use if you are traveling or want to listen to a class as you run or walk outside. It is also great if you want to occasionally take a class on your own equipment. However, if you want to use the app all the time, I recommend getting an iFIT-enabled machine to train on.

The features available on iFIT’s equipment, like SmartAdjust and the leaderboard, or even just seeing your metrics on the screen, make the workouts more interactive and engaging.

One thing to remember is that most of the machine’s functionality is on the touch screen, so if the screen is damaged, the machine might not work.

This is the main screen that is displayed when you log in.

Navigating the app on your phone or even on iFIT equipment is a little clunky. You have to scroll a bit on the homepage to find certain classes. If you’re looking for a specific class, it is best to use the search bar and filters.

You can filter by duration, workout type, trainer, intensity, which area of your body you want to work out, what continent you want to take a class from, and more.

Comparison To Other Fitness Apps

Compared to other popular fitness apps, iFIT’s library of classes is vast and offers a lot of variety. For instance, the JRNY App from Bowflex continues to add classes regularly, but its library is nowhere near as full as iFIT’s.

JRNY also offers outdoor classes for exploring different areas of the world, but they aren’t led by an instructor like iFIT’s outdoor classes. In our opinion, iFIT shines with its outdoor classes regarding quality and variety.

Peloton has started offering trainer-led outdoor classes, which have great graphics, but they are still pretty limited and not available on the Peloton App as of this review. Peloton is better for their indoor classes in terms of their music than iFIT’s use of music. However, iFIT is the only app offering live filmed events in which you can train.

Where You Can Use iFIT

iFIT can be found on equipment from NordicTrack, ProForm, FreeMotion, and Matrix. For example, when you buy a treadmill from NordicTrack, iFIT is integrated into the treadmill so your speed and incline can automatically adjust when the trainer cues it, and your real-time stats are shown on the screen.

In addition to cardio equipment, the NordicTrack Fusion CST strength training machine has iFIT enabled. The other machines from the brands above are mainly cardio machines, such as treadmills, exercise bikes, ellipticals, and rowers.

When you’re on an iFIT machine, like a rower from ProForm, you’ll see all available rowing classes. The same is true for when you are on an indoor bike, treadmill, or elliptical machine.

You’ll also be able to use all of iFIT’s features mentioned above when you use iFIT-enabled equipment. In addition to whichever type of machine you’re using, you can access mat workouts like meditation and strength training. This way, if your equipment has a large screen, you can utilize it for cross-training.

All of the classes are available on the mobile app. So, even if you don’t have a machine that has iFIT integrated into it, you can use your own equipment. For example, some treadmills are Bluetooth enabled and offer features like screen mirroring so you can connect iFIT to them.

However, it’s important to be aware that using iFIT through the app on your device won’t let you use some of iFIT’s features.

Let’s say you’re riding an indoor cycling bike and following along with an iFIT class on your phone. During your ride, your specific stats won’t be shown in the app, and you won’t be able to change your resistance on the bike through iFIT; you’ll have to manually adjust the bike.

Stats are shown at the bottom of the app screen, but they’re an overall average, not your stats. There’s also an app for your TV to take classes on a bigger screen than your mobile device.

Should You Subscribe To iFIT?

iFIT is available on equipment from brands like NordicTrack, ProForm, and Matrix. You can even use iFIT on your phone, on your non-iFIT equipment, and on your TV.

To get the most out of iFIT, we suggest using machines that have the app integrated. This way, you can use features like SmartAdjust and see your metrics, such as pace, distance, and calories, tracked in real-time.

iFIT has a large, diverse library of classes and a series of classes in categories like indoor cycling, rowing, elliptical, walking, running, meditation, mindfulness, yoga, strength, and HIIT.

My favorite aspect of iFIT is its outdoor classes—you can take one on every continent! With the numerous features, variety of content, and hundreds of world-class instructors, including a few Olympic athletes, you’ll never get bored in your workouts.

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iFIT Q&A / FAQ

How do I switch users on iFIT?

Click the menu in the upper left-hand corner. Scroll down to log out. Once you click yes to the question, “Are you sure you want to log out?” You’ll be taken to the login screen to log in with a different account.

Can iFIT be used on any treadmill?

iFIT is built from NordicTrack, ProForm, FreeMotion, and Matrix equipment. So, you can use it on machines from those brands. You can use it on other equipment, like treadmills, by using the iFIT mobile or TV app. You’ll have access to classes here, but your workout metrics like speed/incline and distance won’t be reflected in iFIT.

Can you fast-forward iFIT workouts?

At this time, you can’t fast-forward through iFIT workouts. You can skip through the warm-up and cool-down sections before and after class, however. You can also pause all of iFIT’s classes at any time.

Can you stream Netflix and other apps on iFIT equipment?

iFIT is beta-testing streaming apps like Netflix for the Pro membership that’s only available on iFIT-compatible equipment. Streaming apps are likely going to be available to all Pro members soon.

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