Treadmill Buying Guide

Everybody has a fitness goal, and so do you. In the 20th year of the 21st century, the idea of fitness runs through people’s bloodstream. Yes, that’s how I’m going to label the most inquired and intriguing trend of the year 2020. It’s all about being fit and achieving your body goals. Some people go too far while achieving an unreal goal, which turns out quite deadly in the longer run. However, that’s another thing for another day.

Fitness has become a vital activity in our lives that has taken up the passion and motivation by quite a storm, and there’s nothing wrong with it. Being fit not only refers to achieving a mere body goal but a journey to a healthy mind and heart. A study shows that people who workout have significantly lesser risks of catching fatal diseases than those who don’t.

Exercise also tends to minimize anxiety, stress, and depression. However, not everyone can make time for a workout session each day. Hence, it is always recommended to add a minimum 15-minute session a day to keep yourself active and healthy. Short sessions can help you fight with time while giving you the basic health benefits you need.

Best Treadmills for home use

ON BUDGET

Goplus Electric Treadmill

Goplus 2 in 1 Folding Treadmill

Goplus Electric Treadmill

BEST CHOICE

Electric Treadmill

Electric walking treadmill with 1.5-horsepower

Exerpeutic Electric Treadmill

PREMIUM

Precor Energy Series Treadmill

Smooth, stable, reliable, and durable

Precor Energy Treadmill

Treadmill routine is best for a short workout session while you’re quarantined at your home. Now you don’t want to sit around and turn into a couch potato while stuffing yourself with cookies and junk. Get up, move your leg, work a sweat. A summer body-goal on Instagram is all you need for an intense motivation. Without further delay, let’s help you choose the best treadmill for home.

What is a treadmill?

A treadmill is one clever device that lets you walk, brisk walk, run, sprint, and jog while staying in the same place. Back in the day, treadmills were designed and used as either a source of punishment or labor by grinding grains and stuff. The concept of treadmill evolved and became one of the most common ways to workout. Today, treadmills are used as a pre-workout warm-up exercise, which provides a good heartbeat rate and temperature, enabling you to prepare your body for the main workout round.

Treadmill size

Treadmill size is directly proportional to the workout space in your house. Treadmills can come in different sizes and features. It all depends upon your requirements and the outcome you expect. Whether you’re looking for a foldable treadmill or a non-foldable one, both of them are going to require generous space.
The treadmill belt size lets you decide which one is for which purpose.

Treadmills having a belt size of 55″ wide for all-time runners, 50″ for those who want to walk, and 60″ for tall runners. The best treadmill for home should be around 7’ long and 3’ wide. Although foldable treadmills are also available in the market, they need the same space when used.

Make up your workout routine

Making up your workout routine can help you with buying the best treadmill for home. Are you an all-time runner or a moderate one? Or you want to walk your way to the fitness journey; either way, you will have to decide to get the right powered motors. The heaver workout you have planned, the more power your treadmill motors need to provide. Think of the power of motors and your workout intensity as a directly proportional relationship.

Price range

Best treadmills for home can come in different price ranges depending on the features and size.

The $500 price range offers the lowest price you can get for a treadmill. However, there are other factors such as noise belt, wobbly frame, and flickering data screen for such a low cost, which come along. Cheap treadmills offer a mere 90-day warranty and an occasional walk or jog. You might end up with a broken belt within a few months. Choose wisely.

The $800 price range can surely prove to be the best treadmill for home. You can easily work through an entire year with an $800 price range. However, walking is the right decision. Even though 800 dollars can give you a decent treadmill but not an ideal one. Running has a stronger impact on the belt and the overall frame of the machine. Hence, not all treadmills can manage the impact. You can get the manual incline feature, unfortunately, not the power-incline.

$1000 price range can offer you a pretty decent best treadmill for home. Power incline, suitable for jogging, touchscreen LDC monitors, AUX port, and even wireless heart rate transmitter. All of it can come with a 1000 dollars price range. Not to forget, 2-3 years of warranty.
The $1500 price range is the type of treadmills you need if you’re into fitness a little too much. With countless features and powerful motors, you can run until you break a sweat.

$2000+ price range if you’re a fitness freak or athlete locked up in your house during the quarantine. The best treadmill for home is all you that you could ever need. Incline trainer, high speed, years of warranty, extra-large LCD, and accurate heartbeat monitor. Also, excellent shock absorption and integrated television add up the impressive features. The models in this price range offer maintenance-free tracks that add up to the machine’s extended life.

Which feature you need the most

Depending on your requirements and needs, make sure to know which feature you will live for and which element is causing extra bucks. Most of the best treadmill for home has in-built special features that keep you motivated and running. For instance, Bluetooth connected speakers, TV streaming, internet streaming, and much more.

The top featured treadmills have:

  • Automated incline

The automated incline is all you need if you’re looking to burn a dozen extra calories. Automated incline gives you extra muscle definition with a decent calorie-burn count. Inclined mode lets you work without having to worry about your joints because this feature allows additional protection for your joints. Incline percentage varies from 10, 20 to a maximum 40% inclination, enabling you to burn calories at a runner’s pace while simply walking.

Workout programs

The best treadmill for home can have various built-in workout programs that can help you burn extra calories and extra dollars, too. Be sure to make the wise selection by opting for the features you need and features you don’t.

iFit workout programs often come free with certain treadmill brands for a limited period. Hundreds of renowned fitness celebrities upload effective videos and tutorials on how to get the right workout for you. Moreover, iFit google maps let you virtually travel anywhere on the screen. The brands which are offering iFit are NordicTrack, HealthRider, and ProForm.

Passport Virtual Active works with interactive videos. Passport players are connected to your home TV and provide you with songs depending on your speed. If you are walking, the passport player will sense the rate you’re currently on, and sets the music accordingly. If you’re using max speed, the player will put up a fast track for you. Fancy, isn’t it?

Passport Virtual Active is compatible with most treadmills by Horizon Fitness and Vision Fitness.

Our Top Recommendation

Precor TRM 243 Energy Series Treadmill

The Precor Treadmill TRM 243 puts you in control of your fitness. The color LCD touch console suggests workouts based on your goals and progress, and lets you select what information to display. Your workouts are more enjoyable too, with console controls for your music player and a USB port that charges your mobile device while you work out. Responsive and intuitive lever style Motion Controls for speed and incline are just like those used on our health club models.

  • Health club quality workout at home
  • Smooth, stable, reliable, and durable
  • Maximizes stress reduction on your joints by giving the optimal amounts of underfoot cushioning
  • Loaded with helpful workout features scientifically designed to help you get the most out of your time spent exercising

Wireless Pulse Monitors

A wireless pulse monitor keeps track of your heart rate. It offers you an accurate heart rate despite being wireless. Such is the accuracy. Moreover, the built-in programs are automatically provided to you, which gives you your target heart rate. The heart rate control feature maintains the target heart rate. It syncs with the video player, which offers you videos that keep you going with the same heart rate as yours.

Accessories

The best treadmill for home offers treadmill mats for better flooring and enhanced experience. The carpets are placed underneath the treadmill for extra support. Also, the mats help reduce vibration and noise caused by running. Cleaning solutions and appropriate brushes add up to the machine’s life. Keeping your treadmill clean can help you stretch your treadmill’s life by years. However, it’s important to read the manual to know which cleaning solution and the brush is best for the model you are using.

A tablet holder or a reader stand is all you need if you are not willing to pay extra dollars for a built-in LCD. You can go for a cheaper option by purchasing a tablet holder, placing it on the machine, and you’re all set to be entertained. You can also include a mini fan holder, water bottle holder, tablet holder, and much more. Customizing stuff is always fun.

Test run

After you have reviewed and decided on the model you are going for, always be sure to go for a quick tour of all the treadmill stores nearby instead of ordering it online. It’s a wise decision to try it yourself rather than relying entirely on the reviews. Reviews might get you confused or make you regret your choice because not every brain think alike. Everyone has different needs. A machine that works for you might not work for someone else. Hence, make sure to take a test run before purchasing.

Motor

As explained earlier, a treadmill’s motor is what lets you walk, run, and sprint. If the motors aren’t powerful, you will be left with just the walking option. Treadmill motors are described in terms of Horsepower HP or continuous horsepower CHP. Best treadmills for home fall between 2.25 to 4.25 CHP.

The ideal CHP entirely depends on your needs and workout plan. Make sure to finalize a workout plan before purchasing a treadmill to ensure how much CHP you will be needing.

  • For walking, you will need 2.0 CHP or higher.
  • For jogging, you will need 2.5 CHP or higher.
  • For running, you will need 3.0 CHP or higher.

Add an extra 0.5 CHP if you weigh over 200 pounds because a motor that runs to its full capacity will be down faster. Hence, to avoid excess strain, add up the extra CHP to your list.

Track size

If you’re on the shorter side and your workout plan depends entirely on walking, track size isn’t something you should be concerned about. However, if you are on the taller side who takes long strides, you should consider track size. Go for treadmills that support 63″ long track size. Walking treadmills have track size around 55” and 58” or 60” for running treadmills.

Treadmill belt durability

The three main factors that determine belt durability are thickness, lubrication, and metal rollers. For better durability, two-ply or four-ply belt thickness is much better than a single layer. Thicker belts also reduce noise and vibration. However, most home treadmills come with a single layer. Be sure to inquire about the treadmill belt thickness and track layer before purchasing.

Metal rollers save the machine from stress and strain. Larger rollers add up to the belt’s life. For best home treadmills, 2.5’ diameter rollers are perfect. Lubricating your track is what you need to do every few months if you’re going for a cheaper treadmill. For $2000, such machines are maintenance-free.

Safety guide

Even though treadmills feel like the safest and friendliest machines that save you from gaining extra pounds, the treadmill experience can turn into a negative one if not considered properly. The auto stop is an important feature that is designed to keep you safe. The feature includes a key inserted in the machine and is attached to your body with a lanyard. If you fall, the key will come off with you, and the machine will stop.

Moreover, the key can be removed after the workout to avoid unwanted activation of the treadmill. This feature is best if you have children or pets roaming around!

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