[NordicTrack] Why I Gave Up On iFit and Went Manual Mode

on

When my 2 year subscription to iFit expired, I didn't renew it.

I liked the iFit workouts. I did many of the Tommy Rivs Pusey series.

After my subscription expired, I went manual mode, and honestly, I think it is better.


Q: So why didn't I renew?

  1. I didn't like the inconsistency of the workouts regards difficulty. I never knew whether my next workout would be an easy one, that didn't leave me feeling fulfilled, or a super hard one.
  2. I didn't like the inconsistency of the workouts regards timings. Because I am busy with work, working 5 days a week or more, not knowing how long the workout might be (some were less than 30 minutes, others nearly 1 hour) was a pain, made it hard to fit it into my life.
  3. I went long periods not using my subscription (either busy with life or lazy), making it not seem good value for money.
  4. Tommy Rivs stopping to look at wildlife and stuff, honestly, I found annoying, I just wanted to do a run.
  5. I had no great sense of making progress.


Q: Why did I go manual mode

    1) I get a great sense of making progress.

And this is for the simple reason that I get to pick how long I run, how hard, and what elevation.

I wanted to do under 30 minutes with some elevation but not too much.

I started doing:
  • Elevation all at 3 degrees incline
  • 2 minutes walking at 4km/h
  • 20 minutes running at 9km/h
  • 5 minutes running at 10km/h
  • 2 minutes talking at 4km/h
And when I feel like it, I'll increase my running speed.

So now (as I write this on 19th September 2026) I am doing:

  • Elevation all at 3 degrees incline
  • 2 minutes walking at 4km/h
  • 20 minutes running at 9.6km/h
  • 5 minutes running at 11.3km/h
  • 2 minutes talking at 4km/h

The idea is to hopefully get to:

  • Elevation all at 3 degrees incline
  • 2 minutes walking at 4km/h
  • 20 minutes running at 10km/h
  • 5 minutes running at 12km/h
  • 2 minutes talking at 4km/h

And then I might simply increase the elevation by 0.1 when I feel like it, not sure yet. One thing I am sure about is that I am in control.

Yes, running in manual mode is a bit boring, but I find it passes quite quick if you focus on completing minutes. And I always seem to have things to think about.