With treadmills, weights and lifting equipment, the gym is one of the most common places to exercise and remain fit. But it takes too much time traveling to the gym every day or every other day. It's disrupting. In addition, you have to pay those periodic membership fees just so you can continue going.
But, what if you could do away with all that? What if you bought your own equipment and exercised at your house?
The treadmill is the best exercise gear you can buy for home use. It's quite simple to use and somewhat uncomplicated to buy. Not only that, but for most folks, running is an excellent type of exercise. It develops the muscles of your legs, improves cardiac-respiratory stamina, keeps your blood pumping, and burns down calories. The treadmill is a splendid pick of equipment in lieu of actually running outside. You can run even in bad conditions - whether it's snowing, pouring rain, when the area is too muddy for running, or even when it's too hot. The treadmill can also be recommended to all types of exercise enthusiasts, regardless of sex and age.
So now that you understand what makes the treadmill excellent for home exercise, let's go down to the details. The number query we all likely have once confronted with buying a home treadmill is, "How much will it cost?"
Home treadmills can cost a good deal of money, so it is urgent that you mull over your budget before you buy. It is also similarly important that you buy the highest quality home treadmill that you can locate, which is of course, only common sense. The intelligent buyer will always desire to get the most for his cash. And so do you.
A suitable home treadmill likely shouldn't carry off too much from your us billfold. Plan on paying at least $1,000. Trust me, that isn't a lot compared to different home exercise equipment that some people have in their homes. If you long for a high end home treadmill, try adding about $300 or $500 in there. There are some pretty good models that are below that price range, but bear in mind that low-priced home treadmills are frequently worth exactly like what their cost dictates.
There are four factors involved when you buy a home treadmill. These are:
How much money you have
Any extras you covet (programming, heart rate, monitor, etc.)
What type of motor you want; and
How much room you have in your home
By answering all these questions, you should possess some fundamental idea of which among the available home treadmills in your best buy.
Fact #2 - The Motor Factor
Before we begin, let's get down to the basics first. A normal home treadmill is comprised of seven main parts. These are:
The frame - which is that piece of metal that extends perpendicularly from the running deck and is where the handlebars are located
The running deck - which is the area that you run on
The running belt - the moving part of the running deck
The motor - the engine that makes the running belt run
The motor controller - the mechanism that allows you to set the speed of the motor
The incline motor - a tiny motor that controls the degree of slant as you run
The console and control computer - that portion of the treadmill which makes you do all the other stuff
Out of all these seven components, the most critical is clearly the motor. That's because it's what makes your home treadmill work in the first place. For this reason, you want to consider the motor first when you buy a home treadmill.
As mentioned, most home treadmills possess two motors - one to push the belt and the other to lift and drop the bed for inclines. When you inspect a few home treadmills as you shop, select one with a continuous duty belt motor with at least 1.5 horsepower. 1.5 horsepower is the standard, but bear in mind that more horsepower doesn't automatically mean better. This is especially accurate if the motor is not continuous duty. So, when the salesman tells you that "maximum power" is what it's all about, don't be fooled. You know better. Get the home treadmill with the continuous duty motor.
Here are some other terms you want to familiarize yourself with as you browse around for a first-rate home treadmill:
Fixed Speed Alternating Current (AC) Motors - while the motor runs at a constant speed, it uses a transmission to govern the speed of the treadmill
Direct Current (DC) Motors - directly regulates speed, using variable voltage and not a transmission; this means that the motor itself changes speeds as the user makes adjustments
Variable Speed AC Motors - also regulates speed directly and connects directly to the drive belt
Peak Horsepower - the maximum horsepower a motor is capable of reaching prior to stalling out
Continuous horsepower - the actual horsepower being used when someone is using the treadmill
Fact #3 - Different Specifications
Of course, it goes without saying that besides from the motor, there are other things you need to watch for in a home treadmill. That is what makes a treadmill so wonderful - every part is equally important and should be chosen with the highest care if you want your money's worth.
Most people use the home treadmill for running. Others may favor walking on it, but lion's share really buy home treadmills because they don't want the inconvience of having to go outside for a hurried jog every daybreak or sunset. For that, you need a lot of smooth surface. Your home treadmill comes equipped with a rolling belt on which you will do your running. The suggested belt size ought be at least 48 inches long and 16 inches wide. Look for a home treadmill with those kinds of specifications and I promise you that you won't regret it one bit.
If you plan on running, get a home treadmill that goes up to 10 mph. For incline, get a treadmill that can go up to 10%. Some people say that an slope of 20% is the best selection, but in actuality, that's too much. Ten percent is exactly what you require, not too much, not too little.
Cushioning is another item you should watch out for. Sprains occur when you run because you were wearing the improper shoes or the area wasn't advantageous to running, i.e. there wasn't sufficient cushioning to support each foot-strike. When you buy a home treadmill, select one with a running bed that can absorb shock. Also, make certain that the bed doesn't move around with every foot-strike.
Inspect the frames. Make sure that they provide you with stability. The treadmill should not rattle or move all over when you run or walk on it. A good tip would be to try standing on the treadmill and hold on to the handlebars. Assume your position when you run. If the frame feels like it isn't solidly placed, don't buy that home treadmill. Move on to the another one.
The control panel of your home treadmill is the fun part. This is where you control every other aspect of your treadmill, besides the motor (and occasionally even that). Most home treadmill models these days come with their own exercise programs and let you select which amongst the beginners, advanced, and expert programs you want to try. Additional home treadmills have their own personal electronic trainer installed in their programming. You can access that via your treadmill's control panel.
When examining at control panels, it is vital that it be within effortless reach from where you will be as you run. It is important that it be easy to use as well. Understand that your control panel is your one access to your home treadmill because it's where you can control everything with just a touch of a button or a turning of a knob.
Fact #4 - Making the Decision
There are numerous types of home treadmills for numerous types of people. There are home treadmills with personal trainers installed in them. There are home treadmills that are purely traditional in the sense that they don't have a single program running them. There are home treadmills with extreme horsepower. There are home treadmills with low power. So before you buy, try to determine what you want. Use the questions below as a guide in arriving at a decision:
Do you want running or walking programs included?
Do you require a heartrate monitor?
Do you want a feature that lets you connect your home treadmill to a website such as ifit.com for new workouts?
Do you want a home treadmill that folds (normally more costly) or do you have enough space to house a treadmill full time?
How easy is the treadmill to maintain?
Once you have all that down, then you ought to be prepared to the next step, which is
Fact #5 - Trying it Out
This may be the most significant step to buying a home treadmill. Trying one out before actually buying is only logical. After all, those spec sheets they show you are only facts, numbers and complicated descriptions. You won't know for certain until you try it or grasp it in your two hands.
Build a list of all home treadmill models you like and phone sporting goods stores to see if they are available locally. Spend at least 10 minutes on each treadmill, making certain that it runs silently and doesn't vibrate even when you're running on it. And while you're there, see where the drink holder is, a location where you can set your walkman, a book rack, and some other little things that aren't incredibly momentous, but would be a nice addition regardless. And after checking all those out and coming up with your hands full, make the buy and bring your new treadmill home.
Now spend a few minutes browsing around this wibsite for more helpful tips on buying a home treadmill.