NordicTrack S40 treadmill vs concept 2 skierg

This is a comparison between the Nordictrack S40 treadmill and the Concept 2 skierg including pros, cons and alternatives. Follow the links for more details

Overview and review of the Concept 2 skiErg

The Concept 2 SkiErg comes in at $770. In this article you will learn more about the product itself, its Pros and cons and alternatives you might want to consider. This article has originally been published in the overview "Which conditioning equipment to buy from Rogue".

Overview of the concept 2 skiErg

The concept 2 skierg is a machine which simulates cross country skiing. The concept 2 rower flywheel has been adapted to keep the athlete in an upright position. This way of going about solves several challenges.

The design of the skierg uses a lot less space than bikes, treadmills, and rowers. Mounted to a wall it takes almost no floor space which makes it a great option for home gyms with limited space. Based on the nature of the movement it can also be used by athletes who have disabilities or rehab from injuries. You can still get a great workout in while seated with the skierg. The skierg has the following specifications:

Assembled in the us
Color black
Weight 46 LB
Length 52”
Width 24”
Height 85”

The concept 2 Skierg is great value for money, especially if you want to mainly focus on your upper body.

Pros of the Cncept 2 skiErg

The pros of the concept 2 ski erg are:

size
Can be used by people with disabilities
Price

The size of the concept 2 skierg is one of its main benefits. Mounted to a wall it takes up no floor space in your gym whatsoever. This is especially good if you want to fit a big rack into a small space and still be able to do cardio.

The concept 2 skierg is one of the few options for endurance training on the market which I know that suits people who can not stand or walk because of their wheels. The only other option I would know is the hand driven ellipticals which are bigger and provide less bang for the buck.

The price is also very attractive to many other cardio options. From the rogue website, it is one of the lowest priced options available.

Cons of the concept 2 skiErg

The cons of the concept 2 skierg are

Specificity
Not a real full body workout

Not many people compete in skiing, at least compared to running which is applicable to almost any team sports. Therefore the skierg will not provide a specific movement relevant to the sport your athletes and clients do, except you live in Norway or Switzerland. This means you will also have to provide another machine apart from the skierg.

Even though the marketing claims it is a full body workout I would doubt that you get the same amount of a response from the skierg than a rower or a fan bike. The legs are just too stationary and passive for that. Still a hard workout.

Alternatives to the Concept 2 skiErg

Alternatives to the Skierg are

Rogue Echo bike
TrueForm runner
Concept 2 rower

The Rogue echo bike will probably give you the better full body workout at roughly the same price. You will need minimally more floor space. This is a great option if you want to burn maximum calories per minute per square foot.

The TrueForm runner would be the best option in the market today to simulate real conditions on a treadmill as close as possible. This also comes at a hefty price tag. Based on the reviews I have seen it is worth every penny.

The concept two rower would be the solid option for a full body workout for every age group. I think this one of the best options for home use if you have the space for the entire family. The only downside is that you would have to free up quite some space to fit it into most homes.

Summary for the Concept 2 SkiErg

The concept 2 skierg is a great machine which fits in any corner. With this, you can train hard and burn your calories. The only downside is that you will mainly focus on your upper body while the legs stay stationary.

NordicTrack S40 Folding Treadmill (1-year Family iFit Membership ...

Overview and review of the NordicTrack S40 1599

This is a review of the NordicTrack S40 including pros, cons, and alternatives. This article has been originally published in “which NordicTrack treadmill or elliptical to get in the UK”. Follow the links for more details.

Overview of the Nordictrack S40

The main features of the Nordictrack S40 are its 3.0 CHP motor, the 12% incline, and the one-touch controls. Unfortunately, the S series is one of the older product ranges of the Nordictrack line up and you might want to look into the C1650 or T7.5 as an alternative. Still, you might make a good grab on the used treadmill market for this model. The full list of features includes:

Includes 1 Years iFit Family Membership
iFit Integrated
Two 2” Bluetooth Digitally Amplified Speakers

3.0 CHP Motor
0% - 12% Digital Incline
0 – 22 km/h Speed
Onetouch™ Controls
1.9” Precision and Balanced Non-Flex Rollers
125kg Max User Weight
EKG Handgrips

FlexSelect™ Cushioning
51 x 152 cm Tread Belt
This Machine Does Not Feature a Workout Fan

SpaceSaver® Design with EasyLift™ Assist
Assembled Dimensions - 200L x 90W x 145H cm
Product Weight 84kg
Boxed Weight 105kg
Folded Dimensions - 103L x 90W x 180H cm
Boxed Dimensions - 212L x 81W x 28H cm
Warranty - Lifetime Frame Warranty, 10-year Motor Warranty, 2-Year Parts & Labour upon warranty registration within 28 days of purchase.

Have a good look at the market what you can get, but this treadmill might not be an ideal choice for buying something new.

Pros of the Nordictrack S40

the pros of the Nordictrack S40 are:

3.0 CHP motor
One-touch controls

The 3.0 CHP motor makes this a long-lasting treadmill for someone who runs a lot. Especially used this might be a good steal. The one-touch adjustments for speed are also a great feature of Nordictrack treadmills which make them more user friendly as you only need to push one button to get to the right space.

Cons of the Nordictrack S40

Cons of the S40 are:

Price
Age

For the age of this product line, you still pay a pretty high price. This is good for Nordictrack to empty their inventory of old models, but not necessarily for your purse. If you buy new you may want to get for the newer models in the X line or the T line which have followed the C line of Nordictrack models.

Alternatives for the Nordictrack S40

Good alternatives for the S40 are:

The Nordictrack T7,5 is, in my opinion, a better alternative to the S40 unless you manage to get a discount on the S40. The T7.5 is the more modern machine and has almost the same specifications. They also punch in the same budget weight class. So stick with the T7.5 instead of the S40 in the Nordictrack portfolio.

The FS5i is a good alternative for an elliptical for a home gym or commercial gym. It costs roughly the same as the S40 and comes with Free Stride technology. The FreeStride technology puts the flywheel in the middle of the machine. This enables a longer stride and you can also use the elliptical as a treadmill, elliptical, and stepper in one. This freedom comes at the price of a more error-prone design and more challenging movement patterns.

If you want to save some money and like rowing, you can go for the Concept 2 Model D rower. This is the flagship model from Concept 2 who has been around for years in the rowing place. You will be hard-pressed to find a major commercial gym without one of these on the floor. They come in under 1000 and might be a get alternative to consider. The only challenge is that they take up as much space as a treadmill, but are easier to move.

The Rogue Echo Bike is my personal favorite for home gyms as it is compact, sturdy, and burns a lot of calories per minute if used right. This machine can be gotten at the 700 mark and will last for a lifetime. The big disadvantage is that the Echo bike has no onboard entertainment whatsoever. If you need a video or machine to motivate you to get your training in, this is not the one for you. This is a great tool for intrinsically motivated people who want to save money and space.

Summary for the Nordictrack S40

As with the entire S series you might want to opt for something else which is a little more modern and therefore will get more support from the vendor Nordictrack. Always check the US website and compare the portfolio with the Uk website to avoid that you are buying something with is being discontinued. At the time of writing the S series is not available in the US anymore where Nordictrack headquarters is situated.