Treadmill Machines

The treadmill market offers a wide variety of different types of treadmills designed to appeal to people of differing fitness needs, budgets, space limitations and more. Depending upon your specific needs, the range of treadmill features you will require in order to get the most out of your choice will differ, often meaning you can spend a little less and still get a great quality walking treadmill without wasting money on extra features you will not need.

People who are looking for a treadmill for walking exercise rather than running or jogging can generally get away with opting for some of the less expensive treadmills as, although these are often less robust, they will not be receiving the kind of pounding a jogger will be putting it through.

The Benefits Of A Treadmill For Walkers

Walking is a great form of exercise but taking a stroll outside may not be the most appealing of prospects or something you can so easily fit into a busy schedule…which is where an indoor treadmill becomes really convenient.

Advantages of a treadmill for walking

• No matter the weather, you can still keep walking for fitness indoors.
• Multitasking – read, watch tv, keep an eye on the kids, study…you can do it all walking on a treadmill.
• One of the most consistent ways to keep fit, burn calories and maintain a healthy body compared to other ways.
• Convenient – being able to work out any time of the day or night makes it easier to fit in around any schedule.
• Safer than pounding the streets – no muggers, traffic, hazardous trails etc.

Disadvantages of a treadmill for walking

• No balance training – as a person gets older it becomes more important to train the muscles we use for balance by negotiating curbs, obstacles etc. you’d find in a normal walk outdoors…but will not find at all on a flat treadmill surface.
• Some people may find a walking workout on a treadmill more boring than a walk outdoors.
• Price – it costs you nothing to take a walk outside, a treadmill worth its salt is most likely to be several hundred pounds.

How To Find The Best Walking Treadmill For Your Needs

Not every treadmill is created equally and not every treadmill user has the same requirements for either their fitness goals or exercising requirements. For example, a hardcore jogger is going to need a much more robust treadmill machine than an occasional walker. To find the best treadmill for walking you need to consider what your own personal needs are. In doing so, you can avoid under-buying, where you end up with a treadmill which doesn’t meet your full requirements or over-buying, where you spend a lot of money on a feature-packed treadmill which offers more than you’ll ever need with an inflated price tag to match.

• Walking Treadmill Motor Quality

When buying a treadmill to walk on as opposed to run on, you can often look towards a motorised treadmill with a less powerful motor and lower maximum speed meaning you can spend a little less without compromising on overall quality. Look for around a 1.5 HP to 2.5 HP continuous duty motor for walking and a lower top speed than running would require.

You might also consider motorless treadmills, which are often very cheap compared to those with motors, and for walking fitness, they might be a neat fit for you. However, most treadmill fitness experts do not recommend such machines as manual treadmills fail to provide some of the features which may feel are essential to getting the most out of your workout. For instance, manual treadmills usually have manual incline controls which means you can not adjust it during your workout but must jump off, adjust it manually and then restart. In addition, the built-in workout programs which help keep the treadmill interesting do not work well (if at all) with manual treadmills because the computer isn’t able to control such things as belt speed and incline controls. Boredom is the thing which will turn your treadmill into an expensive clothes horse faster than anything else and that’s one of the huge downfalls of manual machines.

• User Weight Issues

Some running machines can be pretty restrictive on the maximum user weight the manufacturer recommends for safe operation. Those at the lower end of the price range, many of which are great for walking fitness, are particularly susceptible to some rather low maximum limits so be sure to check out the top weight limit your choice of walking treadmill can handle before making that purchase

• Check Out The Treadmill Warrantee

A good basic indication of the overall quality of the walking machine you are looking at is the length of the warrantee for frame and motor. If the manufacturer is willing to bet their running machine is going to give a good few years service then you’ve got a better chance of getting a robust treadmill but if they only want to give a few months (yup, some only come with a pathetic 3 month warrantee!) then it’s a fair bet you’ll not be getting something which is going to stand the test of time.

• Length of Treadmill Belt and Cushioning

For running, you need a good sized wide treadmill deck and the longer the better to be comfortable and safe. Walkers can get by with a short treadmill deck as they’ll not have such a long stride when walking as with running. Of course, the longer the deck, the more comfortable it is to use as there is nothing worse than the feeling of being restricted and feeling too close to the back of the belt to the point where you are worried about falling off. Cushioning is important to reduce the amount of jarring to your joints whilst walking. A good cushioned treadmill deck will reduce joint pain and potential for injury from treadmill usage.

• Monitor and Treadmill Workout Programs for Walking

The monitor is an important part of the treadmill for training, feedback and motivational reasons. One of the things which will kill your treadmill fitness routine fast is boredom, so the better the monitor and the more workout programs it has, the better. Some treadmills can download programs from the internet to increase the number of workout programs, others come with 40+ built in…some less, than 5 or fewer.

• Built In TV, Reading Rack, MP3 Connector and Other Distractions

It might seem trivial now, but those little add-ons will really come in handy when you’ve been using your treadmill for a while. Listening to music through a built in MP3 hook up can make those miles fly by, built in televisions on some of the more expensive models can be the perfect distraction and other things like book racks and reading shelves are a great way to keep your hands free with a magazine or other distraction. These things will keep your treadmill interesting and ensure boredom doesn’t set in because, let’s face it, walking on the spot can get pretty boring with just your own thoughts for company.

• Folding Walking Treadmills and Portability

If space is an issue and you can’t dedicate a big chunk of your floor to a big piece of exercise equipment then a foldaway treadmill might be the answer you are looking for. Foldable treadmills can be a little less stable than their fixed frame counterparts but for walking folding treadmills should be a good option. These running machines fold up to save you space, and because they are usually lighter and have attached wheels, they can be wheeled away and stored someplace out of the way. Some even fold flat enough to fit under a bed or in a closet.