Treadmill Equipment – Things to Consider

Treadmill equipment is possibly the most popular kind of gym equipment with most commercial gyms as well as home gyms incorporating this most basic of fitness machines.

If many manufacturers report increases in the sale of treadmill equipment this is because treadmills facilitate the most basic of exercises – walking, jogging and running, for which no training, or skill is required and which can suit most fitness levels and body types.

treadmill equipmentAnother reason for the popularity of treadmill equipment is that walking is a very effective load bearing (as against cycling that does not let the legs take all the load of the body) exercise that is low impact that can keep a person fit with little effort.

Further, treadmill equipment, unlike other gym equipment such as a multi weight station and so on, can fit along one wall of a room taking up little space.

Treadmills are also very versatile – not only can you increase the level of difficulty of your workout – from walk to jog to run as your fitness levels increase; but you can also increase complexity of your exercise by simulating walking up a slope or incline by making appropriate alterations in the equipment.

Before buying treadmill equipment, consider the following –

Continuous Duty Rating – This is something like the horsepower of the treadmill equipment and the continuous duty rating of 1.2 to 2.5 is what you should be looking for. With a treadmill “peak duty” is less meaningful than this continuous duty.

Treadmill equipment features that you should check out

  • One of the things that can destroy the best fitness intentions is boredom. And walking on a stationary machine each day for a considerable length of time can get really boring. So if a treadmill has several features such as variable incline and speed, preset programs and other add-ons such as a book holder or DVD viewing and so on then it is more likely to retain your interest for longer.
  • Features such as a speed and heart rate monitor and an estimated amount of calories burnt indicator can also keep you motivated and interested in your workout. A heart rate monitor will also warn you if you’re overdoing it.
  • Also check how comfortable and smooth the treadmill equipment is to use – it should be long enough to accommodate your longest stride and should be heavy enough and sturdy enough to take some rough handling. A wobbly or jerky treadmill is a no-no.
  • Another thing to check in your treadmill equipment is the noise level. If the noise is going to jar or irritate, or drown out the music or TV, then obviously it is not a good choice.
  • Consider the amount of space you have in the room where you aim to place the treadmill equipment – take a tape measure, in a large showroom it could look a lot smaller than it will in your more modestly sized room. Does it fold up and away when not in use.

Safety Features – Check if the treadmill equipment has console grips, handrails, an emergency stop button and so on.