Treadmills

Exercising on a treadmill is often the best choice for a cardio workout. Going for a run or a simple walk, the treadmill is a popular piece of fitness equipment for the home gym.

Buying a Treadmill

Are you trying to improve general fitness, build up stamina or increase weight loss then buying a treadmill is the right choice of fitness equipment to add to you home gym.

There are two types of treadmill you can choose from:

– Manual Treadmills, are quite basic and are pushed by the running or walking action.

– Motorised Treadmills, offer more functionality such as heart rate monitors, choice of inclines and variable speed settings.

Exercise on a treadmill doesn’t have to be all running, treadmills with variable speeds can be set to slower speeds to allow walking as well as changing the incline to allow for walking or running on flat terrain or hilly terrain.

Treadmills with LCD Screens

LCD screens five the user useful information while on the treadmill. You can see your running speed, exercise duration, distance covered and much more. The LCD screen on the treadmill will often allow you to control the treadmill in terms of speed, incline and time settings.

Treadmill Speed

Treadmills will typically have a maximum speed, this is important to consider when purchasing your treadmill, users who are starting out with walking or a slow run will need a treadmill that goes up to 12kmh (approximately 7.5mph). As you get fitter and need to progress your running to a faster pace you should look at moving up to 14 or 16kph and if you’re training at an even higher level you may want to start looking at treadmills that go above 20kmh. For treadmills that go above 20kmh you will need to look at a commercial treadmill.

Treadmill Incline

Treadmills are available with manual and motorised inclines. Treadmills with a manual incline are typically found on cheap treadmills with the motorised inclines usually on more expensive treadmills. Typically the treadmill will have an incline average of 10 to 20%, with some treadmills having a larger incline (as much as 40%).

Treadmill Space Requirements

It’s important you measure up before purchasing a treadmill, as a rough guide you should allow the same amount of space as a single bed for a treadmill at home. A half metre space on either side of the treadmill is also advisable to allow a free-running or walking motion when on the treadmill. If you’re limited on space you can always look at folding treadmills that are becoming more popular.

Treadmill Brands

Many of the leading fitness equipment manufacturers provide treadmills for home use. Reebok Fitness have a modern range of treadmills, York Fitness also have a range of treadmills to suit all price budgets as well as Tunturi Treadmills, Pro-Form Treadmills, BH Fitness and many more.