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Table of Contents
About Treadmills
Editor's Picks
Recommended Products
About Treadmills
Anyone into fitness and health dreams of having a home gym. And the first essential piece of
equipment is a treadmill, a wonderful machine that lets you run in place enjoying the safety
of home, the entertainment of surround-sound music or video, and even light after dark.
Here’s a primer on this key piece of home workout gear.
Just because it’s spring, we tend to think of a treadmill as being unnecessary, a
winter-only product. But don’t tell that to Christine Clark. Finding a tread to be the
most efficient way to balance a family, running, and a medical career, the 37-year-old
pathologist from Anchorage ran up to 70 miles a week on her home tread. In February, the
virtual unknown shocked the running world by winning the U.S. women’s marathon trials
and earning a berth on the Sydney Olympic team.
Fact is, one of these home hamster wheels is a great fitness tool, whether you’re serious
about competition or simply want to stay in shape year-round. “It’s not only a real
time saver,” says Kenny Glah, a perennial Hawaii Ironman triathlon contender, “but
it allows you to reach some training intensities that are hard to achieve outdoors.” In
other words, while you can slack off on the road, the numbers on a treadmill console don’t
lie.
In complete agreement is Richard T. Cotton, the chief exercise physiologist at the American
Council on Exercise. “We all know that running melts fat and strengthens your heart and
bones like nothing else, but not everyone realizes that treads can actually make running
indoors easier and more effective than running outdoors.”
In the past, your choices for the home either were cheap contraptions suited only for walking,
or ultra-expensive ($4,000 to $8,000) club-quality machines. But a number of excellent
quality machines are now available at affordable prices, as treadmills have become the number-one aerobic activity at America’s gyms over the last decade. (The number of people running in place at the gym and at home rocketed 720 percent in the last decade, to more than 37 million; treadmill usage and sales now equal those of exercise bikes, steppers, rowers, ski machines, and ellipticals combined, according the National Sporting Goods Association.)
What’s affordable?
As the only exercise machines that use a motor and take constant pounding, home treads with
features necessary for serious running—not walking only—start at about $2,000 and
go up in price past $6,000. These necessary features include:
- Burly all-welded aluminum or steel frames
- Continuous Duty (CD) two to three HP motors with Pulse Width Modulation (PWM)—the
electronic equivalent of injecting bursts of energy into the flywheel to keep the belt
traveling at a uniform speed when the runner’s G-forces impact it. (Without big CD
motors and PWM, the belt will often hesitate when your foot impacts it.)
- Heart-rate control (HRC) programs. Formerly an expensive option, HRC is everywhere now,
dutifully setting the right pace for your fitness goals, weight loss, or training for a race.
- Knee saving shock-absorption systems are standard equipment
As they go up in price, models offer dazzling new display screens, some using
video-quality images, to entertain and distract you into running twice as far. Here are our
picks for the best treads on the market (Note: With one exception, these treadmills are not
yet available online; we’ve supplied contacts for finding a local dealer):
Editor’s Top Pick
Woodway Path
Cost: $6,580
After a few minutes on the planet’s smoothest, most shock-absorbing, and durable
treadmill you’ll be hooked. It’s just a shame this sleek, futuristic machine
costs so much (the Path is Woodway’s economy model). And it’s a shame it’s
made by a tiny family-owned Milwaukee company that only marketed it to pro football teams
and rehab centers for the last decade. Unfortunately no one else can knock off its unique
design until its patent runs out in 2002. Woodways are hard to find, but worth it—so
invulnerable that health clubs go years without calling for repairs, yet so well-cushioned
that you can run on it barefoot. (It’s true. I did.) The secret? The Slat Belt, 52
individual rubber-coated aluminum planks on ball bearings that circle smoothly around dual
rail loops, like a horizontal escalator or the tracks of a tank. There’s no conventional
wooden deck, no fabric belt to rub on it, no jerky friction on impact to throw off your
stride or stress its 2-HP motor. That’s on the small side as high-end treads go, but
more than enough in this configuration to power an 11 mph maximum speed, 15-degree elevation,
and a wide array of programs (10 preset and 10 custom workouts, plus heart-rate control). By
tucking the motor directly under the running surface, the Path leaves you with no front
plastic housing to kick and elevates you nearly a foot off the ground—another reason
why Woodways stand above the rest.
Contact: http://www.woodway.com; 800-966-3929
Editor’s Budget Pick
Vision T8500 HRC
Cost: $1,999
Trickle-down is a wonderful thing. Last year, one of the best values in the tread world was
the T8500, a big, solid, indestructible tank with the heft and features of a costly club
machine. This year, the T8500 adds heart-rate control—and doesn’t cost a dime
extra. The rest of the story remains the same: rattle-free steel frame; 2-HP motor; 10 mph
maximum speed; 12 degree elevation; wide, 20 inch belt; and some of the easiest-to-use
programs anywhere.
Contact: http://www.visionfitness.com; 800-335-4348
Recommended Products
Landice L7
Cost: $4,395
Have the attention span of a gnat? The L7’s 4- by 6-inch video graphics window blows
away dot-matrix displays and offers lots of tricks to keep you focused. Tired of the animated
depiction of you running through a park? Just push a button, and the screen: switches to a
quarter-mile track; plots your total elevation gain against images of the Eiffel Tower,
Statue of Liberty or Washington Monument; displays an EKG-like readout of your pulse within
your target heart rate zone; shows your personalized 30-day training calendar, which logs
your daily swim, bike, run, and strength workouts. Serious runners shouldn’t scoff
at the graphic wizardry. The L7 has a monster 3-HP motor that ramps up to a blistering 12
mph, a unique shock-absorbing system that is softer where your foot lands and firmer at
push-off, and a deck so durable that you won’t need to change it for 20 years. Got
your attention yet?
Contact: http://www.landice.com; 800-966-3929 or
800-LANDICE
True 450 HRC
Cost: $2,995
It’s the sound of silence—no squeaks, no rattles, just a quiet so deep you can hear
your own breathing. Rock-solid construction and classy lines earned True its “Cadillac
of the industry” rep, and its tough 2.5-HP motor and fine electronics only enhance it.
Programs includes four built-in, two create-your-own, and five Heart Rate Control, the latter
among the few that change both speed and elevation to keep you in a preferred training zone.
If you’re a perfectionist, a worthwhile option is a super-thick (3/8 inch) orthopedic
belt ($300), which feels like running on carpet and somehow makes this thing even quieter.
Contact: http://www.truefitness.com; 800-426-6570
PaceMaster Aerobics Pro-Plus Interval
Cost: $2,395
Here’s a tread that allows you to do interval training—sprints that build speed
and are critical for swifties gunning for sub-40-minute 10K’s and sub-3-hour marathons.
The Pro-Plus Interval is the least expensive, major-league tread that offers interval speeds
(12 mph). Brand new, the Pro-Plus is just the third product from a 30-year-old company that
tops the consumer-satisfaction charts every year. How does it differ from the other
PaceMasters? It’s souped-up (others top out at 10 mph), stretched-out (58-inch belt
length and 20-inch width, for long strides), has five Interval-Training Heart Rate Control
programs, a burly 2.5-HP motor, and reinforced frame for the extra pounding. If you’re
looking for passing gear at a relative bargain price, this is it.
Contact: http://www.pacemaster.com; 973-276-9700
Spirit 3250 Fold-Up w/HRCl
Cost: $2,195
Spirit’s treadmills immediately stand out for two reasons: They fold up, which makes
them super convenient for apartment dwellers or anyone who doesn’t want to devote half
a room to a treadmill, and they don’t feel like fold-ups—a big accomplishment.
Unlike other fold-ups on the market, which are hundreds of dollars cheaper but also wobbly,
noisy, and always seemingly on the verge of collapse, Spirits are built like tanks. And even
at a beefy 225 pounds—50 pounds heavier than other fold-ups—the 3250 effortlessly
pivots into its 3- by 3-foot footprint courtesy of a couple of gas-assist shocks that you
can operate with two fingers. Features include a 20- by 52-inch belt, 2.5-HP engine with
PWM, 15 percent elevation, 10 mph max speed, eight preset programs and heart-rate control.
Contact: http://www.spiritfitness.com;
800-258-4555
Schwinn 6700p
Cost: $1,899
A jaw-dropping deal, the 6700p is the market’s lowest cost heart-rate controlled
treadmill, meaning it automatically changes elevation to keep you in a predetermined
heart-rate zone. It’s also the lowest-priced to offer 11 mph maximum velocity, ideal
for interval training, which serious runners use to increase their speed. It’s got a
2-HP engine with PWM, a 52- by 18-inch belt and 12 preset programs. One caveat: This is
Schwinn’s first line of treadmills, a product of its recent merger with longtime,
low-end tread maker Hebb Industries.
Contact: http://www.schwinn.com";
800-SCHWINN
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Treadmill Buying Tips |
Shop at a fitness specialty store, not a sporting goods store: The stock of quality
treads and expertise of salespeople is better at the specialists.
Give them an in-store workout: Bring exercise clothes, running shoes, and a water
bottle with you and conduct test runs of 30 minutes to an hour. Sample all features
and programs and see how the machine runs when hot.
Look for signs of poor quality: Wobbling, instability, belt-slippage upon impact,
and engine hum are red flags.
Spend more for durability. As the only aerobic machine that has an engine, a large
number of moving parts and is subject to extreme G-force pounding, a treadmill is
far more susceptible to breakdowns. That’s why, all things being equal, you
may want to spend more for the more durable model.
Look for “continuous duty” rating: The engine should have a minimum
“Continuous Duty (CD)” rating of at least 2 HP, meaning it can run
continuously at this horsepower without breakdown. As a rule, the bigger the engine,
the cooler and longer it will run. Don’t confuse CD with a “Peak Load”
rating; an engine could burn out if it hits peak too often. 2 HP is the minimum for
users weighing more than 180 pounds.
Know your goals before buying: Are you a walker? A serious runner? Will the whole
family be using it? How much room do you have for the tread (including maneuvering
space around it)? Most runners will be happy with a speed range up to 10 mph and
incline up to 10 degrees, although competitive 10K runners and triathletes who do
intervals and speed work may need 11 or 12 mph (8 mph is plenty for walkers and
joggers).
Other features to consider: A self-lubricating deck (the laminated wood surface
under the tread belt) reduces the jerky friction that can occur when the belt heats
up. Also, automatic slow-speed start-up aids warm-up and reduces the chance of
falling off the belt for beginners and experts alike.
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