NordicTrack

NordicTrack began in 1975, when engineer Edward Pauls built a cross-country ski exercise machine in his garage in Chaska, Minnesota, and started selling it by mail order with his wife, Florence, as business manager. The brand is now owned by iFIT Inc., the Logan, Utah, company formerly known as ICON Health & Fitness, which also owns ProForm and Freemotion.

NordicTrack makes treadmills, exercise bikes, ellipticals, rowers and Pilates equipment, and it is best known for incline treadmills, including models that reach a 40% incline; its treadmill lineup runs from the folding T Series to models such as the X24 and Commercial 2450. Its connected machines work with iFIT's subscription training platform, whose trainer-led workouts can change a treadmill's speed and incline automatically. NordicTrack sells direct through its website, which offers a 30-day in-home trial, and through retailers.