Whether you are a fitness buff or a complete exercise beginner, a treadmill can be a wise investment. But with the hundreds of companies out there selling treadmills, there is an array of options to choose from. Below you will find some of the factors to consider when you’re ready to make your own purchase of a treadmill.
Motor: When shopping for a treadmill, the most important consideration is the motor. What you’re looking for is something powerful, capable and long lasting. Look for a continuous duty horsepower motor of at least 2.0 HP. Depending on your needs you can find more powerful and capable motors as well, but for around the home usage 2.0-2.5 is enough for the majority of people.
Deck: The deck is also very important because this is of course what you’re actually running on.
Decks can be designed in different ways, but the basics are always the same. A roller on the ends allows the belt to move across and around. The deck is generally composed of a wooden or fibre board that provide some level of spring every time a foot impacts on it. Shock absorbance is important to preventing injury.
As mentioned the size of the deck is also important because that will affect how much room you have to work with. Generally you don’t want a width that’s less than 20 inches so you have enough room to run around. The length can be much more variable, from 48 to 60 inches, so be sure to consider what you’d personally like to take advantage of.
The Frame: You need your treadmill frame to be durable, strong and well made. Treadmill frames should be composed of a steel or aluminium material. Over time, these frames are known to be much more durable then plastic or wood frames.
The Console: The console of the treadmill is important because that’s what you will be using to interact with the machine. You want something that’s easy to read and displays all of the information you need. You also want something that is easy to control so that you can easily switch between programs, settings, displays options and more.
Other Factors: There are tons of other factors to consider beyond these basics. For example you could look for preset workout programs, heart rate monitors, safety features, speed and incline ranges up to 12 or 15 mph and % respectively and more. Buying a treadmill can be confusing because of the technical terms and jargon. By understanding the basics of what you need, you can ignore all the fancy sounding names and focus on what is important.
Having weighed up all of the information, a treadmill that is well worth considering is a Schwinn treadmill such as the Schwinn 860 treadmill, however that’s just one option of many, and everyone can find the model that fits them the best.
