Why purchase a treadmill

Within today's faced paced environment it is becoming increasingly more difficult to find time to partake in physical activity for general health and well being. Purchasing a treadmill will enable you to save on rising monthly gym memberships, fuel costs and give you the opportunity to exercise within the comfort of your own home.

Using a treadmill will help aid your fitness goals ranging from improving general cardiovascular fitness, weight loss as part of a controlled diet, fitness and exercise testing for sports performance and general rehabilitation programs.

Treadmills not only vary with price but also vary in styles which are designed to cater for all environments ranging from commercial gym grade treadmills to space consciencous home use machines.

Types of treadmills

For home

Purchasing a treadmill for the home can be a daunting task. We are here to help make that decision making process and easier one. The two types of home use treadmills come in two styles:

Folding

A folding treadmill is particularly important if you are space consciencous. Once you have finished your work out the treadmill can be folded away for storage. Generally treadmills have the ability to fold away vertically and slightly angled. Their method of folding is ultimately dependant upon the construct of the base.

Non folding

A fixed bedded treadmill or non folding treadmills are generally more stable and robust. However, you will need the permanent floor space.

Commercial use

We offer a full range of commercial grade treadmills to suit the needs of the environment been used whether it being for sport and exercise testing, hotels and apartment complex studio's.

Features to take into consideration

Size of the machine

The size of the treadmill is probably one of the first decisions to consider, essentially making sure the treadmill will fit into the desired space. More importantly you should consider the reason for purchasing a treadmill. Is it to walk / power walk or to run and sprint. Some treadmills, typically below £500, the running deck is smaller than some peoples stride length, thereby making it essential to check this information before committing yourself to what appears to be a bargain.

Motor size

The treadmill motor size is one of the most important components of the treadmill. As with a car engine, the higher the power, the better the performance. The minimum motor size you should look out for in any motorised treadmill should be 1.5hp. The average motor size being 2.5 - 3hp for home use treadmills and 3hp + for commercial grade treadmills.

Speed

The maximum speed of a treadmill will vary across the board from 8mph up until 15mph and beyond. Generally, the higher powered motor sizes and commercial treadmills will have the capacity to cater for the higher speeds.

Elevation / Incline

All treadmills will feature a percentage incline. The use of an incline is beneficial to use as an alternative variable to increase or decrease the intensity with relation to your heart rate. A steady incline is said to be more efficient in fat burning than changing the speed as a variable to increase heart rate.

Running deck & suspension

The running deck is the generally made from particle board decks for the budget range of treadmills or MDF - medium density fibre board for the higher end treadmills because it is able to withstand higher ground reaction forces before cracking in comparison with the particle boards.

Heart rate control functions

For those that are serious about "getting fit" you will appreciate the importance of heart rate training and exercising within specific heart rate zones to accomplish your desired fitness goals. Nowadays, treadmills can have the capability of monitoring your heart rate either "telemetrically" which refers to transmitting your heart rate direct from a coded heart rate strap to the respective built in receiver. The second method is to take a pulse reading from pulse grip receivers, which is a secondary measurement and in some respect a less accurate way.

Programs

The console of a treadmill will offer various programs. Some models will offer only a standard number of programs and will be simple to operate, whereas other models may provide additional features such as user defined programs, heart rate control programs and the ability to input and store user information.

Programs are particularly important to use as a motivational tool and a positive way to monitor your performance over time. If you are motivated by feedback then it is recommended to research into models that have sufficient amount of programs, whereas if you only tend to use manual control, then it is recommended to research into models that invest more into the frame work and construct as opposed to a more complex console.

Display and feedback

The computer display powers the functions on the treadmill. You can control everything from speed, incline and the types of program you use. Some higher end models with also have the ability to store user information to provide more accurate exercise feedback on the console. Standard feedback consists of speed, console, program progression, heart rate, calories burnt, distance ran and the duration of the exercise.

There are two types of computer displays; LED (light emitting diode) and LCD (liquid crystal display). The LED displays are generally shown on the budget - intermediate range, whereas LCD displays are generally found on the higher end range of treadmills.

Treadmill Warranty

It is always important to check the particulars of what the warranty entails. Essentially, if the manufacturer issues a warranty that covers the frame and motor in addition to a lengthy parts and labour backup, this often reflects their belief in the product to be a good quality treadmill. Always be sure to double check that the warranty covers both parts and labour, otherwise you may be required to either fit the parts yourself or pay additionally to pay for an engineer to do it for you.