Buying Treadmill

Sure, a treadmill is mainly for running. Why spend an extra Benjamin or so for something so wacky as a drink holder on a treadmill? You have an end table. Use it. But the thing is that while you can make do without all those unnecessary frills in a treadmill ( Walkman holder, drink holder, arm rest, etc.), don’t outright place all other equally “unnecessary” specs out of the picture. Because it might turn out that they aren’t as unnecessary as you think.

Take the heart rate monitoring feature, for instance. You don’t need it that much. However, if you really want to fine tune your performance, then you will want to run with a program that measures your heart rate. The same HRM may be used indoors or outdoors. Some treadmills may even display your heart rate on the main display so you can keep a constant eye on it as you run. It’s a minor convenience to be sure, but you will soon find that it isn’t as over-the-top as you believe.

So how does it work? It varies from one treadmill model to another. But basically, the treadmill will pickup the signal from your Polar monitor or from a chest strap provided. Other treadmills monitor the heart rate of the runner through their hand grips (not very practical though. Who wants to run while gripping fixed handrails?). Still other treadmills have added a slick new feature in their heart rate monitor by making it so that the belt’s speed adjusts to a predefined heart rate range.

Another nifty feature of a treadmill that you should probably consider is programmable workouts. It’s not an absolute must, but if you have a set of favorite hill, interval, or repetition workouts, you can do them now on your treadmill through the programmable workout feature and save them for use on a regular basis.

The answer is pretty much obvious. Hey, if you wanted to run on a surface that shakes and shudders, you could always do that…on a skateboard on top of a high-rise building, you screaming like crazy. Jokes aside, you don’t want to run on a treadmill that shakes and shudders with every step. Make sure that the frame of the treadmill is steady and is even supported.

Though not proven, it is widely believed that the heavier a treadmill is, the steadier it is. This makes it less likely to shake and shudder. However, make sure to double check as it is not always true. Check the footprints and look at descriptions as to how the deck is built. If you are searching for a clue to finding out the stability of a treadmill, check out the maximum user weight. That may present some clue as to how stable and solid a treadmill is.

Don’t do too much incline
Generally, treadmills have a maximum incline of between 10 and 15 %. Anything more than that could involve safety issues which you have to check with the manufacturer first. So just to be safe, don’t overdo inclines.

Consider what you are running for. If you are running to train, then also consider the course you are training for. If it’s for hilly courses, then you will really need to train on a hilly course. A treadmill with a 10% incline should be able to do the work. It will give you the illusion of pushing your body uphill... an experience that will be somewhat different from an actual run up a hilly path.

However, if you’re running a course that has a lot of down hills (like the Boston Marathon, for instance), then a treadmill is not going to be of much help. You can probably try propping the back up with a couple of 2 x 4’s but that would involve another set of safety issues, so again, check with your manufacturer before doing so.