Posts Tagged ‘Exercise Treadmills’

How To Buy Treadmills Online

Posted on November 27th, 2009 by admin  |  No Comments »

Checking out treadmill ratings and treadmill reviews are an absolute must. Today, fitness equipment manufacturers are trying to meet the high demand for home exercise treadmills. 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.
There are two types of frames – aluminum and steel; steel is heavier than the more expensive aluminum, which potentially increases stability but steel (not aluminum) may also rust or corrode from sweat. Always choose a belt width that’s at least of 16 ” ands long enough to accommodate your stride. Choose a longer treadmill belt of 54″ or more if you or a family member has long legs.
A pre-programmed workout registers your heart rate without being connected to the treadmill by a cord or wire. Some treadmills monitor your heart by way of sensors built into the frame, which are gripped by your hands, but can only be done if you’re walking not running. Adjustable inclines let you vary the steepness of a hill.
One of the key things to remember is that the larger motors tend to run cooler and usually require less repair and maintenance. Most treadmills come with an electronic console that displays workout feedback such as speed, distance traveled, time you’ve been working out, and calories burned. Some excellent features, like heart monitors and safety keys that automatically stop the treadmill if you slip, will contribute to the enjoyment and safety of your treadmill workout or help add motivation.
One feature that is absolutely necessary in a home treadmill is an emergency stop button or a safety key that automatically shuts off the power if you should stumble, trip or fall. The deck is the belt area on which actual running, jogging and walking take place.
It’s definitely possible to find a good model that’s not very popular, but is still a good buy. 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. It’s important to set a strict budget and then stick to it.
You may want to spend less money if you’re not really sure you’ll continue using it. Commercial club treadmills are reliable and well constructed; do look into a home version. You’ll probably want to buy a unit with a motor that delivers 1.5 to 3 continuous, not peak, horsepower.
Warranties can last for ninety days or a lifetime, read the fine print. After-sales service is another important issue to think about; find out if they’ll promptly repair or replace your treadmill if there is a problem. If there’s a treadmill you’ve enjoyed using regularly at your local gym or fitness center check to see if there’s a home version available in your price range.
Once you’ve decided on the treadmill that you think is right for you, make sure to compare prices online with several different manufacturers. Most manufacturers of commercial treadmills found in gyms and health clubs also produce home versions.
You might want to bring your water bottle and towel to the treadmill store and try out their treadmills. Noise from the smallest repetitive sound can drive you nuts over a period of time and give you another excuse not to exercise.
More and more people every day are choosing to get healthier; the majority of beginning exercisers start out by just walking or jogging. Make sure to see your doctor or naturopathic doctor before you start any new fitness or exercise program.
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. If you have severe problems with your legs, a treadmill may not be the best choice of home exercise equipment for you.
And remember, home exercise treadmills are a large investment financially and in your fitness and much thought and preparation should go into the purchase of any new treadmill. With help from treadmill reviews and treadmill ratings you can find the treadmill that matches your fitness requirements at the cheapest or lowest price possible; and you’re sure to be buying from a reliable and trustworthy supplier. Spend some time shopping around; work out exactly what you need, and then shop online and offline for the best price.

Get The Lowdown On Treadmills Before You Buy

Posted on November 25th, 2009 by admin  |  No Comments »

The treadmill was one of the first pieces of home fitness equipment appealing to walkers, joggers, runners and a wide range of people. Treadmills are often used in the home to save time and avoid the expense of going to a gym. Today, fitness equipment manufacturers are trying to meet the high demand for home exercise treadmills.
AC motors that are found in some treadmill units run at one continuous speed and rely on a transmission to regulate speed whereas units powered by DC motors use variable voltage to regulate the speed at which the belt spins. With treadmills you need to watch out for the impact involved when your feet hit the belt; your body absorbs up to two and a half times your body weight. For a standard treadmill motor look for HP of around 2.5HP, this will ensure an easy and smooth action.
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. The console indicates the belt speed and other factors, such as heart rate, miles per hour, and distance. One of the key things to remember is that the larger motors tend to run cooler and usually require less repair and maintenance.
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. A heart rate monitor is a very good, useful feature to look for on a machine. The newest models of treadmills come with many extra features that you may not need.
A heart rate monitor enables a treadmill to automatically adjust the speed and/or the incline to keep your heart rate within the most optimum zone. Adjustable inclines let you vary the steepness of a hill.
Buying fitness equipment over the Internet has grown at a fast pace over the past few years. The more incline variation offered in a treadmill unit, the more expensive the model will be. Make sure to add the cost of shipping when buying a treadmill online; quality models can be heavy and shipping will cost more, but some manufacturers do offer free shipping.
Treadmill manufacturers are competing for your business and price wars are creating big savings for buyers. The taller a person is the longer their stride so you’ll need to choose a treadmill with a longer and wider belt. One indication of the likely longevity of any treadmill is to check out the length of the manufacturer’s warranty; the longer the better.
If you can afford to buy a treadmill with a heart rate monitor, it’ll be a good investment in your health. Be careful not to believe the marketing hype if you’re looking for a cheap treadmill; the truth is you get what you pay for. Warranties can last for ninety days or a lifetime, read the fine print.
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. A noisy treadmill can upset other family members or roommates and even your neighbors if you live in a duplex, apartment or condominium.
When planning your purchase always take into account any other members of your family, or roommates, who’ll be using your treadmill. Be aware the better quality treadmills can cost as much as $5000 and have a lot of bells and whistles you don’t need.
The lack of wind resistance makes running on a treadmill slightly easier than it would otherwise be on an equal elevation grade outdoors. More and more people every day are choosing to get healthier; the majority of beginning exercisers start out by just walking or jogging. Be careful, because any type of jogging or running, whether on a treadmill or not, puts strain on leg and hip joints. Make sure to see your doctor or naturopathic doctor before you start any new fitness or exercise program.
Take time to do your research, the same way you would any major purchase and buying a treadmill won’t be difficult. With help from treadmill reviews and treadmill ratings you can find the treadmill that matches your fitness requirements at the cheapest or lowest price possible; and you’re sure to be buying from a reliable and trustworthy supplier. Buying a treadmill over the Internet doesn’t have to be intimidating when you’ve done your homework.

Best Treadmill Tips To Save You Money

Posted on November 23rd, 2009 by admin  |  No Comments »

In today’s market, fitness equipment manufacturers are trying to meet the overwhelming demand for home exercise treadmills. There are many different types of treadmills, from inexpensive to expensive, to choose from. And shopping for the best treadmill can be very confusing for many buyers.
When you are considering a number of treadmills you want to first check out the amount of horsepower they have. Horsepower determines how fast and hard the motor will work. The lower the number of horsepower, the less the motor will be able to handle. You want to choose a belt width that’s at least of 16 ” ands long enough to accommodate your stride or anyone else who is going to be using it regularly.
The console of the treadmill indicates the belt speed and other factors, such as heart rate, miles per hour, and distance. The safety features on a treadmill are especially important if you plan to work out by yourself or if you have small children who might accidentally start up the treadmill when no one is looking. And the deck is the belt area on which actual running, jogging and walking will take place.
Note that some treadmill heart rate monitors can clip onto an ear or, for a more accurate reading strap onto your chest. A heart rate monitor is an important feature to have on your machine. Even though you don’t think you’d use it, it may pay to get this now and not find you need it down the line when you already have purchased the treadmill. The pre-programmed workout on your machine registers your heart rate without being connected to the treadmill by either a cord or wire. Oh the magic of technology.
Some treadmill units monitor your heart using sensors that are built into the frame. You grip the frame with your hands, of course, but will only work if you’re walking not running. The more expensive line of treadmills will have a selection of preprogrammed exercise routines for you to choose from.
When you’re reading treadmill ratings, rankings or reviews, they’ll usually cover the important safety statistics, the heart rate monitor, the merits of the interactive model and the computer fitness programs and the different levels. Buying fitness equipment online has become the favored way now over the past few years since so many people now go to the Internet for any major purchase. And the treadmill manufacturers are competing for your business and the continuing price wars always create big savings for buyers.
You want to keep in mind that what feels right to you may not feel right to others in your household who plan to use it to. Make sure it is comfortable for all users. You may have to compromise on some things to do this, that you would have liked to have had. You also want to consider the cost of the maintenance of your treadmill. Also make sure to check out the fine print in the warranty. You may end up finding out this is very important down the line.
Keep in mind that the taller the user is the longer their stride will be so you’ll need to choose a treadmill with a longer and wider belt, test out a treadmill in a local store if possible. The first thing to consider when shopping for a home treadmill, after making sure it has enough horsepower, is what you need it to do for you. Then check out the level of noise that the treadmill makes during its operation, which is something that many buyers don’t think about. Avoid any treadmill that has a belt that causes jerky movements while you walk or run.
When you buy a treadmill, the best savings and lowest cost or in some cases downright cheap, never free of course, will be for an online purchase, generally saving you up to 45% over the traditional retail stores you would drive to.
Now if there is an exercise treadmill you’ve enjoyed using regularly at your local club or fitness center, find out if there is a home version available in your preferred price range. Your gym or club commercial machine may be may be a good choice in a home version since you are probably already familiar with its features and abilities and probably are very comfortable using it.
And make sure to check with your doctor or naturopathic doctor before you start any strenuous new exercise or fitness program. Every day more and more people are choosing a healthier life. And the majority of beginning exercisers start out by walking in their neighborhoods. So whether or not you choose a treadmill to walk, jog or run, the units are very effective at burning calories, raising your heart rate and developing good aerobic capacity. Having selections of preprogrammed exercise routines on your machine are not essential to obtaining a good workout from a treadmill, but they do help to provide motivation for you, if you need it.
Final advice, if you’ve never used a treadmill before, then make sure to have someone show you the basics of its operation before you buy one. Buying a treadmill online doesn’t have to be intimidating when you’ve done your research diligently. And important to remember is that home exercise treadmills can be a huge investment both financially and in your health and fitness. Make sure to put a lot of thought into the purchase of any new treadmill. Used treadmills come on the market all the time and you don’t want yours to be one of them because you failed to get the right features that are adaptable to everyone in your household. You may want to check out ellipticals and compare festures with them too.

Why Choose Smooth Fitness Treadmills?

Posted on November 22nd, 2009 by admin  |  No Comments »

Exercise treadmills have been the biggest selling type of cardio products for more than two decades. SmoothFitness.com is a volume seller of quality home exercise treadmills and has actually been accredited with being the #1 retailer of domestic treadmills online for over a decade. So what makes Smooth Fitness #1 in home treadmill equipment?

Well with over 20 yrs in the exercise equipment industry they are able to offer factory direct pricing together with next day shipping. Additionally all of their products are backed with a 30-day money back guarantee which removes most of the risk of buying equipment online. Couple this with extended service support and some of the best warranties in the business and it is clear to see why they are the market leader. 

Looking at customer reviews of Smooth Fitness treadmills features the adjectives that are frequently used to describe them are:Stability, solidity, quietness and durability. Smoothfitness build treadmills that are virtually maintenance free and designed to last the course. But why are Smooth Fitness treadmills so durable?

They achieve this by constructing their treadmills from quality components and materials that have been carefully engineered for their intended task.

At the heart of any treadmill lies the motor. A treadmill of any quality should have at least a 2.5 HP continuous duty motor. The phrase”continuous duty” refers to the fact that the motor is able to deliver the stated horsepower continuously without overheating rather than just for a brief period. Smooth treadmills have as a minimum a 2.5 HP continuous duty motor on all treadmills across their range and back them up with a lifetime warranty.

Any serious treadmill should have a 20 inch wide tread belt so that you have sufficient space in order to walk or run without your natural gait being restricted. All smooth Fitness treadmills across their range are fitted with 20″ wide tread belts.

A component of the treadmill which is very often overlooked is the flywheel. The flywheel acts to smooth out the power supplied from the motor to the tread belt and contributes greatly to the smooth running of a treadmill. The flywheels on Smooth treadmills are carefully balanced by being spun at high speed and checked to make sure they are running true. By taking care to ensure the flywheel is balanced allows the motor to run efficiently and results in treadmill that is silky smooth in operation.

Another important component of the treadmill is the tread belt. This should be of  two-ply construction with a polyurethane top layer and base layer constructed from nylon polyester weave. The belt is formed from a single strip of material which has to be joined together in order to form the endless loop of the tread belt. This can be joined as a simple lap joint but the preferred method is to use a diagonal join. Smooth Fitness use this method in their belts which not longer results in a stronger join but helps reduce noise.

The component that under pins the tread belt and is responsible for the feel of the treadmill is the “deck”. A good quality treadmill such as the ones made by Smooth Fitness use solid wooden decks of appx. 1″ thickness. The deck is typically supported by rubber grommets and helps to absorb the pounding the deck takes when the treadmill is being used.

In order to move the tread belt has to run over rollers. This is another component that most potential buyers of treadmills are unaware of but which are important to the smooth running of the treadmill. Ideally these should be 2″- 3″ in diameter but the type and quality of the roller bearing is a more important consideration. Top end treadmills are usually fitted with crowned rollers and Smooth Fitness fit these even to their entry level (5.45) machine.

The control systems that regulate the treadmill and facilitate such features such as heart rate control, custom programs, and user profiles require some fairly complicated electronics. Unfortunately the some what hostile environment that these electronic circuit boards reside in means that they are more likely to fail than other components. The electronics in Smooth Fitness treadmills are covered by a 3 yrs warranty against failure. This is the standard of cover you should expect to see in other treadmills but unfortunately not all manufacturers offer this sort of cover.

By using quality components, and over engineering their products to meet the needs of the most demanding users, Smooth Fitness continue to meet consumer’s demand for a reliable, high quality, home treadmill.

Tips For Treadmill Buying Trips

Posted on November 11th, 2009 by admin  |  No Comments »

Treadmills are simple to use, but can be dangerous in the wrong hands or around children. Today, fitness equipment manufacturers are trying to meet the high demand for home exercise treadmills. Today’s best rated treadmills can do anything your training demands, such as hills, intervals, tempo, long distance, and anything else you can do on a treadmill.
Choose a longer treadmill belt of 54″ or more if you or a family member has long legs. There are two types of frames – aluminum and steel; steel is heavier than the more expensive aluminum, which potentially increases stability but steel (not aluminum) may also rust or corrode from sweat. With treadmills you need to watch out for the impact involved when your feet hit the belt; your body absorbs up to two and a half times your body weight.
Adjustable inclines let you vary the steepness of a hill. A heart rate monitor enables a treadmill to automatically adjust the speed and/or the incline to keep your heart rate within the most optimum zone. Features such as extra cup holders, built-in fans, CD players and other electronic gizmos may be handy but not essential for you to get an ideal workout.
The newest models of treadmills come with many extra features that you may not need. Some excellent features, like heart monitors and safety keys that automatically stop the treadmill if you slip, will contribute to the enjoyment and safety of your treadmill workout or help add motivation. 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.
Notice that some treadmill heart rate monitors clip onto an ear or, for more accurate readings, strap onto the chest. Some treadmills monitor your heart by way of sensors built into the frame, which are gripped by your hands, but can only be done if you’re walking not running.
Treadmill manufacturers are competing for your business and price wars are creating big savings for buyers. Less expensive treadmill models may be fine for walkers but may not hold up as well for regular or seasoned runners. Any treadmill with a belt that causes jerky movements while you walk or run should be avoided.
It’s best to buy a treadmill that has at least a one-year warranty. The more incline variation offered in a treadmill unit, the more expensive the model will be. The taller a person is the longer their stride so you’ll need to choose a treadmill with a longer and wider belt.
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. Make sure to add the cost of shipping when buying a treadmill online; quality models can be heavy and shipping will cost more, but some manufacturers do offer free shipping.
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.
Did I mention to make sure to check out the warranty fine print; this is important. If you’re looking for a heavy-duty treadmill that can withstand running as well as walking, be prepared to spend more money.
Your club commercial machine may be may be a good choice in a home version; you’re already familiar with its features and probably are comfortable using it. Be aware the better quality treadmills can cost as much as $5000 and have a lot of bells and whistles you don’t need.
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. The lack of wind resistance makes running on a treadmill slightly easier than it would otherwise be on an equal elevation grade outdoors.
Be careful, because any type of jogging or running, whether on a treadmill or not, puts strain on leg and hip joints. Whether you use a treadmill to walk, jog or run, the units are very effective at burning calories, raising heart rate and developing aerobic capacity.
Spend some time shopping around; work out exactly what you need, and then shop online and offline for the best price. By following the above tips you’re sure to find the best treadmill for you. A treadmill is a good investment for anyone who has decided to make a conscious effort to become healthy and fit.