Treadmill Machines

If you have limited space a compact treadmill is a very appealing option. Designed for small spaces, these smaller sized treadmills are very convenient for apartment living, housesharing, student flats, mobile homes and caravans and any other residence lacking in free space. A compact size treadmill might even be something you can leave in your office and fit in a sneaky workout during slack times.

Sometimes called compact portable treadmills, as their somewhat stripped down nature makes them very lightweight and easy to move around, these workout machines are also suitable for anyone who travels around a lot and does not want to miss out on their workout routine.

Compact treadmills are not the same as folding treadmills as, although they do fold up to a more managable size, they are also designed to be much more compact in other areas too, in order to really make the most of small space provisions.

In order to acheive this level of compactness and reduced bulkyness there are usually quite a few trade-offs made in the design between overall quality and how compact the machine can be. A compact treadmill typically has a shortened running deck, less heavy duty motor, manual incline controls, reduced monitor size and and functions and are generally a little less stable due to a more lightweight frame.

Whilst the aforementioned design compromises might sound like quite a lot to give up on, it does make for a very lightweight, very portable and very compact treadmill, many of which can fold down to just a few inches in height making them very easy to slide under a bed, slip behind the couch, store in a closet etc.

Those trade-offs do however mean that most compact treadmills are more suited for walking on rather than running, as the shortened running deck means it is probably not long enough to account for the longer stride length from running. Exceptionally tall people may also find these compact tredmills are not as comfortable to use as they would like and overweight people should definitely look at the recommended maximum weight limits to ensure they are not too heavy to use these machines as the more lightweight frame and weaker motors often equate to lower maximum weight limits for problem free usage.

What this all boils down to is simply this: if you do have the space for a bigger treadmill (and remember, non-compact folding treadmills still fold to save space but not to quite such a small footprint) then definitely look into buying one of those more sturdy, more powerful treadmills. If space really is at a premium or portability is important then there are some great compact treadmills for home exercise so long as you understand their limitations.

Some more of the best rated compact treadmills include: