STEP #4

How To Choose The Best Treadmill The First Time, An Insider's Guide To Treadmill Budgets, Options and Features

Determining your treadmill needs can be accomplished in four easy steps. It's important that when doing your evaluation you be honest with your answers.

Your answers on the evaluation could be worth hundreds of dollars in savings. Follow my simple evaluation guide to determine the best treadmill for your lifestyle and budget.

Treadmill Evaluation Step #1 - Walking vs. Running
The first decision seems rather trivial at first glance, but make the wrong choice here, and you're dead in the water a couple months down the road.

You absolutely must determine in advance if you "EVER" plan on running
or jogging on your treadmill. There are major differences between a
treadmill designed to handle either walking or running.

Almost any decent treadmill is suited to walking, but when you run on a treadmill, the deck, frame, and belt are subjected to a tremendous pounding and long term abuse. The damage you can cause to a cheap treadmill by running on it is even worse when you weigh more.

Most cheap treadmills made for walking also have a small, cheap single ply treadbelt that's undersized for running. The bare minimum treadbelt size needed for running is 18" wide x 50" long.

Lastly if you plan or running, check to see what kind of shock absorption the treadmill has. Most treadmills over $1500 have a nice shock absorbing deck that will save wear and tear on your knee and leg joints.

Treadmill Evaluation Step #2 - Folding or Static Deck Design
The two basic treadmill deck designs are folding and static deck design. There are advantages to each, it all depends on how much space you have for your treadmill in your home.

If you're tight on space, or you want to incorporate your treadmill into a smaller space guest room or home office, you should consider a folding treadmill. Folding treadmill designs have become much more reliable and sturdy in recent years.

It wasn't too long ago that if you needed a folding treadmill for space considerations you might as well forget about running on it. The old treadmill decks were to flimsy and unstable.

Today, you can get a quality folding treadmill for under $1600, and not have to worry about the deck and mechanicals getting damaged when they're used hard.

When stability,a higher weight limit and superior deck performance are your top priority, a static or non-folding deck are the best option.

Static decks are more durable due to the simple fact that there is
no hinge point between the deck and frame. The solid construction allows
for a more rigid deck connection, which in turn leads to a higher allowable
user weight limit and less repairs.

Treadmill Evaluation Step #3 - Console Display Features Options
As treadmills become more sophisticated, the number of options and
features can become overwhelming. Heart rate control (ekg or wireless),
one touch speed and incline controls, interactive workouts, LED or LCD
display units, built in fans, CD players, iFIT, reflex step and power incline. The list of items sound more like automobile options, not treadmill options!

To help ease the confusion, stick to this simple list of "must have options". Anything above and the essential options is icing on the cake.

Must have treadmill options:

-ekg heart rate control, wireless IS better but not necessary
-preprogrammed workouts (6 minimum) heart rate controlled are best
-display that has, speed, time, distance, calories, heart rate
-LCD program workout display to track workout progress
-at least 3 year deck, 2 year labor, 1 year labor warranty
-top speed of 10 m.p.h.
-2.0 h.p. continuous duty motor
-strong lift motor for inclining the deck
-2 ply treadbelt

Treadmill Evaluation Step #4 - How Much To Invest in a Treadmill
Treadmill pricing ranges from $200 dollars for a no frills manual treadmill to over $6000 dollars for elite health club models that are built like a tank.

Here's What You Get in Each Treadmill Price Range:

Under $500
Treadmills in the under $500 price range are disposable. No programs,
short warranties, weak motors (if there is a motor at all), treadbelts
with a short life span, no heart rate control, no/poor display console
(might have time or distance), low user weight limit.

$501 - $1000
Moving past the "extreme budget models", a treadmill in this price
range will likely include the following items: 4-6 programs, 3-6 month warranty, 1.5 h.p. motor, 2 ply treadbelt, incline, entry level shock absorption, basic display console, ekg heart rate control, folding, and 225 pound user weight limit.

$1001 - $2500
Now we're getting into the heart of the treadmill market. A treadmill in this price range should include: 6-10 programs, 1 year warranty minimum
(or don't buy it), 2-3 h.p. continuous duty motor, power incline, power
speed control, very good shock absorption, ekg or wireless heart rate control, good display console to track workout, power folding, and a 275-300 pound user weight limit.

$2501-$4000
A treadmill in this price range will have about every option you could ever want. Upgrades over the $1001 - $2500 price range are: 12+ programs including, user, interactive and heart rate controlled, 5 year to unlimited lifetime warranty, 3-5 h.p. continuous duty motor, strong and fast incline (lift motor), power speed, power incline, premium shock absorption, wireless heart rate control (chest), premium LCD console that shows all workout information simultaneously, power folding, 5 ply treadbelt, upgraded 2-3" crowned rollers, strong aluminum frame, large 24" x 60" running surface, and a huge 300-500 pound weight limit.

$4000 +
When you reach the $4000 dollar mark, the options get more luxurious and
may include: Health club quality, 5+ h.p. motor, interactive color display
screens, free in-home setup and consultation, heavy duty rollers and belt,
reversible decks, 60"+ running surface, security code access, user profiles,
built-in weight loss and personal training routines....and on, and on, and on!

Most of you will end up investing somewhere between $1200-$4000. Like a lot of other things, the shy is the limit when it comes to pricing and options.

Establish a list of features you must have, and adjust your budget from there. Don't think you're going to get a 5 h.p. health club quality treadmill with all the bells and whistles for $1500. You need to be realistic from the beginning.

As the old saying goes, "You get what you pay for".

Go To Step #5 Critical Treadmill Shopping Mistakes To Avoid --->