Picking a Home Treadmill: Five Considerations

So you've decided to shell out for a treadmill for your home gym. If properly chosen, a good treadmill can be a great piece of home exercise equipment and last you a long time. Here are some things to think about before you go to the store so you don't end up with something that
you don't want.

Number 1: What are you going to use the treadmill for? Let's think about the stress that you place on a treadmill. If you run then it become the equivalent to about twelve times your bodyweight hitting the machine, where as if you walk it's only 3-4 time your bodyweight. Also take into account your bodyweight. I'm a pretty big guy, and if I chose to run on a treadmill it would take some abuse. I would need to invest in a high quality, commercial-caliber treadmill for that activity. If I were simply going to walk on the treadmill then I probably wouldn't need as expensive a unit.

Number 2: Does it have the features you want? I personally like to walk at a very high incline on a treadmill, sometimes as high as a 15% grade. Most home treadmills only go up to a 10-12% grade. For me it's important to be able to go higher so I would spend the extra money, but if it isn't an issue for you then don't pay for a feature you don't need.

Many home treadmills don't go as fast as runners would like, so if you plan to run on the treadmill then keep that in mind as well.

Number 3: Check out the belt length and width. Try out the treadmill before you buy it. Some home treadmills are very short and have narrow belts. This is great as far as not taking up much room, but some of them are so small that I have a hard time getting into a full stride, and I am only 6'1". Bring some good shoes with you to the store and make sure you feel very comfortable with your treadmill before you buy it.

Number 4: Does it have programs and are they what you'd like? I'm a get-on-the-mill and go kind of guy, or I adjust the machine manually, but a lot of people love hill-type programs. Some treadmills come with great programs that will run you through famous places in the world like a segment of the Great Wall of China and whatnot. These can be a lot of fun if you're looking for something to break the boredom.

Number 5: Warranty or service plan. If you're buying from a store then you want to make sure that the treadmill works! Pay attention to the maintenance of the treadmill and you can definitely extend the life of your purchase. Assuming that you're not exceptionally hard on your treadmills then you should able to use it for a very long time. However, if something does go wrong then it's important to know your warranty will cover it or that there's a regular service plan. These machines aren't cheap and there's no sense in wasting money on one.

If you've got a little bit of space a treadmill is a great piece of home fitness equipment. Check into your purchase before you make it and you'll have a great piece of machinery that will help you get leaner, healthier, and fight the blues!


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