Treadmills have become one of the most demanded pieces of fitness equipment
on offer in the market. Whether in fitness clubs or at home, treadmill
usage is on the rise among an increasingly diverse spectrum of the population.
Why are treadmills becoming so popular?
There are several factors that contribute to the growing demand of
treadmills. Treadmill exercise brings the following advantages:
Low Impact Exercise
treadmills let you walk as well as run. Walking is the most natural
and easiest form of exercise.
Health Benefits
walking or running on a treadmill brings numerous health benefits
for the heart, lungs and blood circulation as well as physical benefits:
it helps you control and improve your body weight, body fat and physical
and muscular endurance.
Convenience
a treadmill is the weatherproof alternative to jogging! Moreover, if
you have your own treadmill, you choose when you want to exercise without
worrying about health club opening hours. This is particularly important
for busy professionals and couples with small children.
Dignity
a treadmill ensures that you can exercise in the privacy of your own
home.
Easy
everyone knows how to walk! Therefore, everyone can use a treadmill.
So why not buying your own treadmill and start benefiting from all
these advantages from the comfort and convenience of your home?
If you are considering buying your own treadmill, here are the most
important factors to take into account:
1. Treadmill Motor Rating
At a very basic level, treadmills can be motorised or non-motorised.
Non-motorised treadmills are powered by your steps and, consequently,
you will always control the speed at which you walk/run. Although this
kind of treadmills are less likely to break down, they are usually more
difficult to operate. In this sense, the obvious advantage of the motorised
treadmills is that you can pre-set the required speed at which you need
to work out to reach some weight loss/calorie burn or heart rate targets.
This helps you reach your goals more efficiently and makes the motion
more natural.
2. Continuous versus Peak Duty
This refers to the horsepower of the treadmill motor. Continuous duty
horsepower is the rating for 24-hour continuous usage, whereas the peak
horsepower is the highest that the treadmill motor can deliver under
the least amount of stress. It’s therefore important to consider
the continuous over the peak duty. So watch out when buying your treadmill!
Some treadmill manufacturers quote the ‘peak performance’
power of the treadmill motor as opposed to ‘continuous duty’,
so make sure you clarify how much the continuous duty is.
3. The Length and Width of the Treadmill Running Deck.
This is particular important depending on how you intend to use the
treadmill. If you prefer to run, you will want to go for a treadmill
with a longer deck than if you would just like to walk. A longer and
wider deck will also make you feel more comfortable when exercising.
4. The Thickness of the Treadmill Belt
You may want to consider a treadmill with a two-ply belt. Although they
are normally more expensive than one-ply belts, they will usually last
longer and will not curl at the sides.
5. Treadmill Weight Capacity
Both the type of exercise (walk or run) and your body weight will affect
the treadmill’s weight capacity. This will in turn determine the
continuous duty that is advisable. Generally, if you are only going
to walk, any motor should be fine, but if you are going to run a treadmill
with a continuous horsepower of 1.75 or over is recommended.
6. Cushioning System
This feature is particularly important if you have problems with your
joints or have had to give up running. All treadmills have some kind
of shock absorption but usually the more expensive the treadmill, the
better the deck cushioning.
7. Treadmills with Heart Rate Monitoring
Treadmills that monitor your heart rate will automatically increase
or decrease the speed and/or the deck inclination in order to ensure
that you are working at your target heart rate. This can be done through
a pulse-grip or a chest strap. This will allow you to optimise your
work out for weight loss and endurance training, by keeping you always
on target. Naturally, treadmills that include this feature are more
expensive, so you need to consider how worthy this is for you.
8. Treadmill Speed
Treadmill speeds can range from 0 to 12 mph. The range that you need
will obviously depend on whether you are going to use the treadmill
to walk or run. A range of 0 to 8 is more than enough for walking.
It’s recommendable the starting speed is quite low, so that the
treadmill is not going to start suddenly making you loose your balance.
9. Percentage of Incline and Type of Adjustment
The percentage of incline is one of the variables that influences the
outcome of your workout. The higher the incline, the more effort that
is required to keep the same speed, the more calories you burn, the
higher your heart rate, etc…
There are two types of incline adjustment: button-controlled or manual.
A treadmill with button-controlled incline will ensure that you do not
need to stop your workout in order to raise or lower the incline.
The latest treadmills can offer automatic incline, which means that
it automatically changes to compensate variations in your heart rate.
10. Treadmill Programs
Most treadmills offer a variety of programs for different types of workout:
fat burning, time, heart rate, etc… During the duration of these
programs, the speed and the incline of the treadmill belt will vary
automatically, making the workout less monotonous and keeping you motivated.
11. Monitor Features
Electronic displays of speed, time and distance are generally a standard
feature in all the treadmills. They can also provided information on
the total number of calories burn, calories per minute, percentage of
incline or even your pulse.
12. Other Considerations
Other factors you might want to take into account when buying your treadmill
are:
Floor Space: some treadmills can be folded for compact storage.
If you decide to go for a folding treadmill, make sure that this feature
will not affect the stability of the treadmill.
Quality of the treadmill materials: the treadmill frame is very
important since it will determine how long the treadmill is going to
endure intense workouts in optimum conditions. Usually, if your treadmill
feels solid and stable when running both at low and high speeds, that
is a very positive sign.
Space for treadmill accessories: this can be very convenient
to place bottles of water, headphones or your remote control while exercising.
It also means that you don’t have to stop your workout if you
need a sip of water.
Virtual Reality!: The time when you will be able to turn your
ordinary 30 minutes run into a exotic trip might not be that far away.
Virtual reality technology is already out there and it might not take
that long to be available in everyone’s home.
Now that you are a bit more familiar with the considerations involved
in the purchase of a treadmill, it all depends on making trade-offs
between the money your are willing to spend and the features that are
most important to you.
Recommendation
We have had a browse through the web to find the best treadmill
deals in the UK. We recommend SweatbandFitness.co.uk
who have a huge range of top brand treadmills at highly
competitive prices.
Scroll down to view just a few of the best offers we have
selected:
| Motor Specification |
1.75hp
Constant Rated D.C. Motor. |
| Speed Range |
0 - 8mph. |
| Running Belt |
Full Size 1200mm x
400mm x 1.4mm Thickness. |
| Running Deck |
Silicon Impregnated
Flexi-Deck. |
| Incline Adjustment |
3-Position, Manual
to 10% Incline. |
| Safety Rails |
30mm Round Tubular
Steel Safety Handles with High Density Foam Padded Grips. Safe-T-Key
Auto Stop System. |
Exercise
Monitor |
Integral 7-Function
programmes including Calorie (Theoretical Calorie Burn), Distance
(Miles), Pulse (Ear Lobe Sensor), Speed (mph) and Time (Minutes
/ Seconds) Modes. |
Warranty
 |
24 months parts &
labour warranty with 3 year warranty for the treadmill motor. |
For more information on additional features and delivery,
please visit this
page.
Mid-price Treadmill Recommendation
| Motor Specification |
2.0HP |
| Speed Range |
0 - 16mph |
| Running Belt |
508mm (w) x 1524 (l)
durable PVC/fabric belt |
| Cushion |
Advanced dual cushioning
system |
| Side Rail |
Plastic extrusion
with non-slip pads |
| Elevation |
Power incline 12% |
Computer
|
Large dual backlit
LCD display showing time, speed, distance, calories, heartrate and
body fat percentage monitoring. EKG hand pulse heart rate with built-in
wireless receiver (with optional chest belt) Heart rate control
and recovery. Personal data storage for up to eight users. |
| Programmes |
QuickStart, Target
3, Preset 3, Heart Rate Control |
For more information on additional features and delivery,
please visit this
page.
Top of the Range Treadmill Recommendation
| Trimline
380 (7800) HRC Motorised Treadmill |
|
Street
Price: £2,500
Sweatband Price: £2,200
You save: £300
The flagship of the whole Trimline fleet! This is the ultimate
in durability, comfort and ease of use for people who demand the
very best.
A tougher, heavier treadmill for more rigorous workouts - featuring
a larger and wider running surface, driven by
a 3 hp continuous duty Leeson motor.
The cushioned Softstride belt
is 2-ply and 20" wide and 57" long, running on 2.5"
precision-machined rollers.
|
| Warranty |
(Domestic
Use) 24 Months Parts Warranty, 10 years Motor Warranty, 12 Months
Labour Warranty. |
Programmes
|
Manual, Beginning
Walker, Rolling Hills, Speed Intervals Walker/Jogger/Trainer,
Hill Repeats, Hill Repeat - Fat Burn, Mountain, HR Weight Loss,
HR Cardio, Fitness Test and 3 user-defined
Computer provides feedback on Time, Speed, Distance,
Incline, Calories, Pace, Cal/Hour and Heart-rate control feedback.
|
For more information on additional features and delivery,
please visit this
page.
|