TITAN Low bar push pull drag sled vs Nordictrack X11i

This is a comparison between the TITAN drag sled and the Nordictrack X11i including pros, cons, and alternatives. This article has been originally published in which conditioning equipment to get from TITAN. Follow the links for more details.

Overview and review Nordictrack Commercial X11i Incline $2249 - $2999

This is a review of the Nordictrack Commercial X11i incline model which was originally published in "Which Nordictrack treadmill to get". Follow the links for more details.

Overview Nordictrack Commercial X11i Incline $2249 - $2999

The X11I is the low end of the 40% incline range of the Nordictrack portfolio. This machine has up to 44 programs and works with 300 lbs. capacity. It is great for runners, walkers and joggers alike. While it probably was top-notch when it was released, you can see that the design and the trend to more screens versus buttons have put the design a little past its best date. If you want to go full touch screen opt for the X22i or X32i which also costs considerably more. Apart from that, you get a slightly less powerful motor than with the top range alternatives. The full specifics of the NordicTrack X11i are:

10” Smart HD Touchscreen
1-Year iFit® Membership Included ($468 Value)**
Bluetooth® Audio Capabilities
Two 3” Digitally-Amplified Speakers
Reflex™ Cushioning
22” x 60” Commercial Tread Belt
Dual AutoBreeze™ Workout Fans
0 - 40% Incline
0 – 6% Decline
0 - 12 MPH Speed
OneTouch® Controls
3.75 CHP DurX™ Commercial Plus Motor
Reinforced Steel Construction
2.5” Precision and Balanced Non-Flex Rollers
iFit Bluetooth® Chest Strap Included
300 Lb. User Capacity
44 On-Board Workout Programs
71.6” L x 39.6” W x 72.2” H Footprint
10-Year Frame Warranty
2-Year Parts Warranty
1-Year Labor Warranty

Overall this is a great workhorse incline treadmill at a good price for the home or professional gym. Compared to other Nordictrack models you will save $1000 to $2000. If you are not that much into a big screen but the 40% is a must because you are a trail runner or want to maximize calories burned per minute, this is a good machine to get.

Pros of the Nordictrack X11i Incline

The pros of the X11i Nordictrack include:

Good price for 40% incline
Focusing on what matters
Great cushioning
Big capacity

If a 40% incline is what you always needed or wanted for yourself and/or for your clients, this is a good value for money option. You will get a solid treadmill by a solid player in the market which covers all the programs you need. In addition, you will also get great comfort and power. The only sacrifice you will be making as that the design feels a little more like the early time of mobile phones rather than the slick, screen heavy world from today. If you want to focus on running only in a professional facility this is more than enough. If you cant to portray the California luxury vibe in your facilities and attract the corresponding clientele you might want to upgrade to the X22 or X32.

Cons of the Nordictrack X11i incline

The cons of the X11I are

Small screen
Not foldable
Too many options

The screen on the X11i is relatively small compared to other models. In my opinion, you might as well go for a model that has the same incline, but no touchscreen to save even more money. As small as the screen is you might as well not need to spend money on it. But that is just me, I am a strong advocate of running outdoors anyway.

If you want to use it at home, keep in mind that you can not fold the X11I. While this is great for the incline and decline options it provides with great cushioning to top of it, it is not very space-efficient. If you are looking for a treadmill to use at home, possibly even only to walk and not to jog on, this is not the right option for you.

Last but not least I personally think that it still has too many options. You don't really need a lot of different programs in my personal view. I solid run for distance, time, interval and hill function as a pyramid is more than enough.

Alternatives to the Nordictrack X11i incline

Alternatives to the X11i are

The X22 and X32i from Nordictrack are your options if you want more touch screen and fewer buttons on the console. The design of these two machines feels slightly more modern than the X11i. They also come with a more powerful motor and more workout options. The biggest difference between these two treadmills is that one has a 32inch while the other has a 22inch touch screen.

The Nordictrack 2950 is the tradeoff between the Incline models and the touch screen width. While the X11i has more incline it has a smaller screen. The 2950 provides fewer options on INcline and decline, but a bigger screen. The price points are within the range from each other so this might be a consideration for you tot ake based on personal preference.

The true form runner is more expensive than the X11i and follows a completely different concept than an electrical treadmill. The true form runner is self-propelled and the treadmill rests on bearing. This makes start-stop drills possible and also gets rid of any electric motors which might break down. This is a great option if you want to train quick acceleration and deceleration on a treadmill.

The Rogue Echo Bike is a low budget / small-space alternative to all the treadmills outlined. If your goal is maximum calories burned per minute, it is hard to beat this air bike that only costs $700. So if it maximum calories per second that you are after, go for the Rogue Echo bike.

Now currently the ultimate holy grail in calories per second is probably a Versaclimber. The footprint is low, the calories per second very high. The only downside the Versaclimber's have compared to the Rogue Echo bike is that they at least are double the price. More likely in the $3000 - $4000 range.

Summary for the X11 incline

If you are a serious runner who wants to get something for their home gym, it is probably this treadmill. With this, you can simulate any run around the globe to prepare and I doubt that an Ultra marathon runner cares a lot about the size of their screen. If you are a long-distance runner who mainly does races on concrete, you are throwing money out of the window. You will rarely ´, if ever, came across a 40% incline in a city marathon or similar race. For commercial gym owners, I think you can get one or two of the X11i to satisfy your most extreme clients. Fill the rest off the floor with something less expensive and less incline. Boutique shops either want to go upmarket or completely barebone depending on whom they are targeting. I personally think this is a bit too middles of the road for a boutique that has its niche figured out. All in all, if you don't know exactly what you need, but still want everything at a decent price, the X11 is the right choice for you.

Overview and review of the TITAN Low bar push pull drag sled

This is an overview of the TITAN low bar push pull drag sled including pros, cons, and alternatives. This article was originally published in Which cardio equipment to get from TITAN. Follow the links for more details.

Overview of the TITAN Low bar push-pull Drag sled

The low bar push pull drag sled from TITAN is a low price sled option from TITAN that has everything in the box to add resistance to your sprints. The full specifications of this sled are:

- Load the 8" weight post with either standard or Olympic plates to increase difficulty.

- Low Bar design allows for more leverage, giving your quadriceps a burn like no other.

- Includes a harness and carabiners to attach to the sled for sled drags.

- Weight: 36 LB

- Length: 36"

- Width: 24.5"

- Weight Post Length: 8"

This is the easy throw-away option of a sled to be bought in bulk for a commercial gym or as a throwaway option for a home gym.

Pros of the TITAN Low bar push-pull Drag sled

The pros of the Low bar push-pull drag sled are:

Low price
Everything in the box
Can be used with a harness or stand-alone

This little sled only costs you $100 which makes it a great option to get for a sled that you intend to wreck anyway. Other sleds will usually start at around $200 or be almost unusable when they drop under $50 for a new piece. This means that you can justify getting two of these and abuse the hell out of the first one to be replaced by the second. For a commercial setting, especially if you have a sled friendly floor, this is a serious consideration to buy for group training.

With this sled, everything you need comes in the package and you are not running a risk of ballooning costs or having to get the extra attachments to use them. This package is plug and plays on arrival if it gets delivered as advertised.

Another advantage of this sled compared to even lower-priced models is that you can use it without a harness based on the handles on each side. Is are fairly low, which makes the workout even harder and maybe not suitable for beginners or anyone who is fairly overweight.

Cons of the TITAN Low bar push-pull Drag sled

The cons of the TITAN low bar push-pull drag sled are:

Low-quality produce
No Plastic feet to protect the structure itself
Small loading pin

Do not expect high-quality components from a sled that retails at $100. This is to be used until it breaks and then thrown away by a serious athlete or used timidly by someone who just wants to push some weight around once a month.

This sled will directly touch the ground with no buffer in-between. If you intend to use it on concrete it will come apart rather quickly. If you use it on grass or a running track it will not slide very smoothly. So the best use would be in an indoor gym with some kind of rubber mats. If you have this scenario it might even be a good sled for group training and you can get 5 to 10 of them depending on the group sizes you run.

The loading pin for this sled is quite small and also the surface to load the plates on. This is fine if you intend to load 30 - 100 lbs on it for adding some resistance to sprints. If you want to use this sled to train linebackers and Rugby monsters, abandon your plans. To these guys, this thing will be just a toy.

Alternatives to the TITAN Low bar push-pull Drag sled

The TITAN Pro sled is TITAN's clone of the Rogue Dgosled 1.2. It comes with many possible attachments at some extra cost which can keep training interesting. This is a good sled if you are a personal trainer to wealthy clients who expect you to keep things interesting or for an ambitious home gym. If you are training a professional team and want to buy in bulk for high quality because you are using the sleds very often, then the Rogue Dogsled 1.2 would be the better pick. In that setup maybe get all of the different attachments once and a sled to equip them with each.

The TITAN heavy-duty sled is a clone of the Rogue butcher sled. This sled is designed to deliver very high capacity in weight. This is a good sled for a strongman who trains at home and has the space to store it. If you want to use a sled at home for sprints I would lean more towards the TITAN Pro sled. If you are looking for heavy sleds to entertain an NFL or professional rugby team, get a couple to a dozen of the Rogue butcher sleds instead. They hold up longer and your athletes will be happier using them. I only recommend this if your players earn 10.00 thousand to millions a year as a bill for $10.000 for a dozen Rogue butchers won't make a difference in the accounting department, but might make a difference to happiness and performance to the players because you got the good stuff rather than being cheap.

The power weighted sled with leash and harness is the ideal sled to throw in the back of a truck or under a seat. This sled has a pin that you can collapse and therefore store easily. It is also cheaper than Push-Pull Sled. In my opinion, this is the better option for sprints with resistance as they are easier to store and transport if you want to be cheap about it.

The XPO trainer 2 sled is the ultimate gimmick in the realm of sleds. It has big wheels and can therefore be used in suburbia without being sued by the neighbors. It works with a resistance mechanic that makes it harder to push or pull the sled the harder you work at it which is similar to the resistance techniques used in fan bikes, air rowers, or water rowers. This is the ideal sled for the weekend warrior who can afford and store it as the quality is high.

The Rogue Dogsled is the most modular Dogsled you can currently get in the market. compared to the TITAN Pro sled it has a higher quality finish and a little more attention to detail. In return, it costs more money. If you are intending to get this sled, also buy some extra plastic feet for it to exchange, once the first ones have worn off. This is a good sled for the serious home athlete with a big backyard or a team that wants to create the speed of their players. It is not the ideal sled for anyone who wants to get stronger to move stones, trucks, or big burly men, as it can not be loaded as heavy as other models.

The Rogue Echo dogsled is an option that moves the purchase price of the sled closer to the TITAN Pro without providing as many options for attachments. If you want a Rogue sled and do not care about all of the different attachments, this is a good pick and also sturdier than the Push-pull drag sled from Titan. The only downside here is that it is harder to store and that the harness and leash are sold separately.

Conclusion for the TITAN Low bar push-pull Drag sled

If you want to make your kids happy, have a throwaway sled yourself, or just use this tool very occasionally in your training, then this is the right sled to get. If you take your sled work very seriously and you want to focus on speed it is a choice between the TITAN Pro sled and the Rogue Dogsled 1.2. If you are considering a sled to increase your strength for very heavy pushes and pulls you should be comparing the TITAN heavy-duty sled and the Rogue butcher.