The Best Ways To Buy Treadmills Today
February 19th, 2009 by Winston Salem, under Fitness Tips. 1 Comment
Treadmills are designed to enhance the most popular form of exercise – walking, jogging and running. The home treadmill has experienced substantial growth over the past few years. While other home exercise fitness equipment and infomercial gimmicks gather dust, treadmills continue to gain more popularity and get the results people are looking for.
Treadmill cushioning absorbs the force of your step; get good cushioning to lower the impact on your joints and ligaments. Some treadmills fold up for easy storage which makes them an ideal choice for those with limited space in a small apartment, small house or condo. Treadmill belt widths generally range from 17″ to 22″ and lengths from 51″ to 61″.
The deck is the belt area on which actual running, jogging and walking take place. The more expensive treadmill models will offer a selection of preprogrammed exercise routines. Adjustable inclines let you vary the steepness of a hill.
Safety features on a treadmill are especially important if you plan to work out alone or if you have small children who might accidentally start up the treadmill. People, who don’t have enough room for a bulky exercise machine, may want to consider a folding treadmill; they collapse to allow for easy storage. Quite a few of the treadmills available today have the ability to add an incline to your workout to duplicate running or walking uphill, thereby increasing the intensity of your workout.
One of the key things to remember is that the larger motors tend to run cooler and usually require less repair and maintenance. The newest models of treadmills come with many extra features that you may not need.
Keep in mind that what feels right to you may not accommodate others around you as comfortably. The more incline variation offered in a treadmill unit, the more expensive the model will be. Before buying, make sure the deck area provides enough space for you to exercise in comfort and the belt should work smoothly without slipping or sticking.
When you’re reading treadmill ratings or treadmill reviews, they’ll usually cover safety statistics, the heart rate monitor, the various merits of the interactive model and computer fitness programs and levels. To make sure that your treadmill is sturdy and comfortable and doesn’t operate noisily, start it up, step on it and test it out before you buy, if possible. Do your research; treadmills are an important investment, regardless of the price, and if it’s not right for you, you don’t want to find out after you’ve set the treadmill up at home.
Commercial club treadmills are reliable and well constructed; do look into a home version. Probably the most important thing to look for in a treadmill is to see how sturdy it is. Consider the cost of maintaining your treadmill as well.
You’ll probably want to buy a unit with a motor that delivers 1.5 to 3 continuous, not peak, horsepower. You’ll want a treadmill with an aluminum or high alloy steel frame that’s strong enough to support the heaviest runner who’ll be using it. It’s best to buy a treadmill that has at least a one-year warranty. Most manufacturers of commercial treadmills found in gyms and health clubs also produce home versions.
The more programs the treadmill has to offer the more you can vary your workout and you’ll be likely to continue exercising on a regular basis. As you increase your fitness levels, a quality treadmill will continue to assist your exercise needs as you progress to light jogging or to running. Be careful, because any type of jogging or running, whether on a treadmill or not, puts strain on leg and hip joints. Running or walking on a treadmill is an effective way to workout compared to other more complex cardiovascular exercises.
Buying a treadmill over the Internet doesn’t have to be intimidating when you’ve done your homework. Take time to do your research, the same way you would any major purchase and buying a treadmill won’t be difficult. If you’ve never used a treadmill before, make sure to have someone show you the basics of operation before you buy.
Tags: exercise, Fitness, Treadmills
All About Treadmills – Industry Expert Tells All
January 31st, 2009 by Winston Salem, under Exercise Tips. 1 Comment
You may know them as: Nordic Track, Pro Form, Reebok, Image, Healthrider, Weider, Body Fit, Weslo, Epic, Cadence, Freemotion, or Gold’s Gym Exercise Equipment…
What you should know about ICON Health & Fitness treadmills. ICON is a well known manufacturer of budget treadmills. ICON also has a commercial line made under the FreeMotion brand name. They have been around for many years. They are a private company with unreported sales in excess of 3 billion dollars per year. One of their largest distributors is Sears, Costco and other wholesale clubs. The ICON brand treadmills are sold under such brand names Epic, Nordic Track, Pro Form, Weslo, Cadence, Healthrider, Reebok, Image, Body Fit, Weider just to name a few. ICON is competitive in the lower priced treadmills that can be purchased from the above mentioned retail stores. ICON provides average quality treadmills in their price range, but ICON does not compare to the higher priced treadmills as far as durability and available features. ICONS are typically sold at discount retailers but they are also available on-line. For an infrequent user who mainly walks and requires only minimal stability and number of features, ICON can be a good value. My findings suggest that you get what you pay for, especially if you work out frequently. If you need more intense training, or if you are a runner, than ICON residential exercise equipment will most likely not be of sufficient quality to meet your needs.
Most ICON treadmills fold and will latch in the up position. While the latch is designed so that the walking deck will not fall while unattended, it is not recommended that you pull on the walking deck while in the up position. This could make the latch break loose. It is also very important that the incline be completely down at 0% before folding. Should you try and raise the walking deck when the incline is in the up position, it is possible to break the piston that is used to help reduce the load when lowering the walking deck. ICON treadmills offer an internet capable iFit.com connection. IFit.com was designed by ICON as a personal trainer interactive program which offers workout programs for CD and MP3 players, VCR’s and online connections. In 2008 they started making iFit.com with SD card capabilities in the exercise equipment consoles. You do have to purchase or subscribe to the service, but many users find it a convenient way to have a personal trainer while using their treadmills in the privacy of their own home.
On most models a tethered safety key is needed to start the treadmill. This key may have to be inserted, or on newer models it may be a magnet. It will also stop the treadmill when pulled out. This is an excellent feature for safety reasons. By attaching the safety key to yourself during your work out should you fall the safety will automatically shut down the treadmill. Anyone that you do not want to use the treadmill such as children cannot start the walking belt without this safety key in place. Most ICON treadmills have built in programs and some higher end models let you design a custom user program.
You may also be able to custom design a heart rate program. Higher end models usually offer one or two fans in the console. This is a great feature that you can only appreciate while using the treadmill. Almost all ICON treadmills offer an incline. This simulates walking up a hill. The incline is measured in percentages. You will find this could range from a maximum of 10% to 15%, all though ICON has manufactured treadmills with up to a 50% incline. This was a popular model for mountain climbers, but it also only had a maximum speed of 6 mph.
As you can imagine going up a 50% incline is hard enough, so trying to run at the incline would not be safe. Some models offer to monitor your pulse. These models will have a hand grip that you must hold with both hands to get a pulse reading. It also helps if your hands are a bit wet or sweaty to give a better pulse reading. Some higher end models let you purchase as an accessory, a pulse monitor that you would strap onto your chest. This would act as a transmitter to send signals to the console to get you’re pulse reading. Most ICON treadmill consoles offer a book holder, a nice feature if you like to read and walk at the same time. The down side of the feature is of course you block out the readout on the console display.
Some newer models offer TV screens and CD players. You may find that the DC motor that operates the walking belt may cause a bit of interference on the TV signal. It may be a smarter choice to purchase a treadmill without a TV screen and point your treadmill towards a TV. The consoles also will sometimes have several pockets to store a remote control or bottled water. ICON treadmills are easily assembled for the do-it-yourselfer.
One huge benefit that ICON offers their customers is a national service network. This network of service centers cannot be overlooked or undervalued. This is one area where ICON is above and beyond many others manufacturers. Your treadmill purchase is only as good as the service beyond the sale. Should you not be able to assembly your treadmill, for a cost ICON will arrange for a local service center to professionally assemble your treadmill for you. Something else to consider is that repair costs are considered high on all exercise equipment. Even in the most populated areas of the country it can be hard to find a qualified exercise equipment repair company. It has been my experience that the specialty retailers of high end exercise equipment will not even consider repairing these lower priced models. This being the case, when you do find a qualified service center they will expect top dollar to perform repairs or maintenance. I do suggest, as many consumer organizations do, that you purchase an extended warranty on all exercise equipment purchases, especially treadmills.
One ICON model is the Epic T60, it is one of the more popular models sold by this manufacturer. The Epic T60 provides users with reasonable quality in the $500.00 to $ 1000.00 price range. There have been some reported problems associated with the rollers and the key pads on the console, but for the price the Epic T60 is a good buy. Epic treadmills generally offer an outstanding 12 year warranty on the motor, but only 90 days on parts and labor. Once again I cannot say this enough you may want to consider purchasing an extended warranty on all ICON models and for that matter any lower end priced exercise equipment no matter who the manufacturer is. Epic does offer features such as the ability to design personal workouts and may include a stereo or a TV screen depending on the model you choose.
For the price, ICON treadmills are reasonably dependable and will last for a fair period of time. Before purchasing an ICON treadmill, investigate other brands and research the various models that are available to you. You may be able to find a superior treadmill for a similar price if you look for sales and online specials. ICON is not a poor choice in treadmills for many people, but if you are intent on a top quality, long lasting product, you may want to look further.
Some other considerations that you must address before purchasing any exercise equipment include number of users, maximum weight of the users, and frequency of use. Also know that all treadmills are rated for a maximum user weight. A user exceeding the maximum rating chances cracking the walking deck at worst and burning out the moving parts rather quickly. Lower end models generally are rated at a maximum weight of 250 pounds. It is also recommended that you purchase a treadmill with a CHP (Continuous Horsepower) motor as opposed to a THP (Total Horsepower) motor. Lower end treadmill will have a DC powered motor, while many commercial treadmills have AC powered motors. Also check the application of the treadmill. Most ICON models are labeled for “In Home Use” only and the warranty will be void if used in a gym or other commercial type setting i.e.: condominium or apartment workout rooms.
To find out more about Treadmills, visit Forests Wakefield’s website Exercise Equipment Service at tradmillmart.com and find out more about under $ 1000.00 treadmills, and about Epic, Smooth, Nordic Track, and Pro Form exercise equipment.
Tags: exercise, Exercise Equipment, Treadmills