Treadmill Machines

On first impressions, it is easy to get the impression that a manual treadmill will perhaps offer a better workout than their motorised counterparts. With a motorless treadmill, the user has to provide the extra effort to move the treadmill belt through the power of their own legs rather than having a motor simple make it move at a constant speed so in theory, you sould get a better workout right? However, what sounds good on paper, is less so when it comes to practical use.

Manually powered treadmills are much less comfortable and user friendly than a motor powered running machine. Unneccessary stress is put on the user’s joints by the initial pushing and straining to get the belt moving. You may have to physically raise the incline of the belt in order to may the initial belt movement easier and because motorless treadmills lack dashboard controlled incline controls you are then stuck with that level of incline for the rest of your workout.

Manual treadills only go as fast as the user is going. When you slow down, the belt slows down and vice versa. There is none of the motivation to keep going and push yourself which you’ll find on a continuous speed motorised belt and therefore the quality of your workout will suffer. Powered treadmills have varied workout routines which vary the speed and often incline of the deck in order to provide such things as interval training and generally, keep things interesting. A manual treadmill workout may become boring, fast, meaning you’ll give up faster leaving your shiny new manual treadmill as an expensive ornament.

The main reason people opt for a manual treadmill is quite possible the attractive low price tag. A cheap manual treadmill which you’ll no doubt find in a supermarket or other nonspecialist store, is very appealing before you know what you are getting into. Picking up a manual treadmill for under £100 is vastly more appealing than spending £500+ for a good walking treadmill and £1000+ for running. Opting for the cheapest manual treadmill you can find is a great way to ensure disappointment. Poor dashboard features, manual incline controls and usually weak built quality can almost guarantee you’ll give up on your fitness regime – fast.

A better option, if it is price which is really the biggest issue when it comes to buying a manually operated treadmill, is to shop around for a bargain in the motorised category instead. Many online stores offer huge discounts on older models or overstocks and home users often sell their unwanted lightly used motor powered machines at greatly below retail price after their new year’s resolution (etc.) wears off.

Check out some online retailers to see if you can can find a motorised treadmill on sale rather than opting for a cheap manual treadmill. You are much better off spending £300 on a £600 treadmill being sold at half price rather than paying full retail price for an inferior £300 treadmill. Amazon usually sells their treadmills at lower than retail prices, often saving you several hundred pounds over the MMR so that’s a great place to start looking. Or you can try looking for a second hand treadmill instead as many people want to get rid of their machines after only a few weeks of use and you can often find a lightly used one at a huge discount in local ads.

Manual treadmills really are not the way to go, whatever your reason for looking at one. If you really hope to avoid disappointment and hopefully stick with an exercise regime, then you absolutely need to spend a little more and find a treadmill with a motor of some kind or you are likely to find you will lose interest fast.