Well I still haven’t been out to actually run…for all sorts of rather traumatic reasons I’ve lost a lot of confidence and just struggling too much to get out on the lanes. Also the farm traffic is so big it gets a bit scary!! So to get going I’ve been recommended to try a treadmill, but there are so many!! The more research I do the more there are!!!!!
Does anyone have any recommendations please to just help me narrow or focus my search please? Thank you
Unfortunately I can't offer any advice on this .I have used treadmills many years ago at a gym but never had my own , I have however like you looked at a few and as you say , far too many around, some at silly prices also !
For me, the only ones that interested me , mainly for the look of their build quality were all in the £500 + category .
Sorry I can't be of more help !
Like Instructor57 I'm afraid I can't offer any personal insights. I do all my running on a treadmill, but I drive down into town to the council gym and use theirs. We are fortunate to have a reasonable gym for such a small rural community.
Hi! I can't help you directly, but I'm interested in gathering information about treadmills for our members who use them, so I will be following this post and I will be posting this question myself xxx
Points to consider
Size, where are you going to put it? You will need some extra space around the sides and end.
Budget
Features, what are essential to you and what would be nice extras
Foldable or not
I got a treadmill (healthrider) a few years back in order to keep running through winter. It was bigger than I expected, but as its in the garage not too much of an issue. It worked and I can run even on days when the weather is dreadful.
Hope this helps
All depends on your budget.
We bought a ProForm treadmill just before the first lockdown in March 2020 as I was fearful we wouldn't be able to exercise outdoors during lockdown. Think we paid around £550.
It is reasonably basic but it folds up and has the usual elevation and speed settings, plenty for what I & husband need.
Although I don't really like running on the treadmill it has been really useful and used much more that I thought it would.
I've recently been injured (not through running but not been able to run) so the treadmill has become my recovery aid before I get back on the roads and trails. No doubt it will also be used over the winter when it's too slippery to get outside.
Don't forget it is Black Friday you might get a bargain..
Hi, we bought a Nordic Track treadmill a year ago, but it lasted a week before I sent it back. No matter what I tried the software would not run on it and without the software the treadmill would not work. I was asked if I wanted an engineer to come and look at it, but after spending a lot of money (a lot!) to buy it, I said no!! If it doesn’t work from day 1 I don’t see why I should try to get it fixed.
Second time around we recently bought the Reebok FR20 treadmill which is a completely new design and not a bad price, about £700 (currently on offer at £600- typical). It does everything we want it to do, easy to put together and seems very solid. However compared to the Nordictrack the running deck on this one is much harder and not as cushioned, but I am getting use to that. Also, not convinced the belt speed is very accurate, I k ow I can run at 10kmph but if I set the treadmill to that I feel like I am sprinting and running to stay on it. If I run at a speed closer to 7.5kmph (which feels like my normal outdoor speed) I’ve also noticed that when the treadmill says I have done about 3.8km distance my Fitbit says I’ve done well over 5km. So definitely think the treadmill speed and distance are a bit out. Not that this bothers me as we just use it on days when we can’t get out due to weather or when I only have time for a short run before work etc.
Note Reebok also do a slightly larger version with a bigger running deck and motor, called the FR30 but last time I looked that wasn’t available yet in the UK. Note neither of these models fold!
Not saying these machines are any good for you, but just wanted to share our experience. When choosing remember most machines require some self assembly, they are also very heavy so not easy to move and not suitable for weak floors and remember when on the treadmill you need some extra head height as well ! Finally they also get delivered in one massive box and I mean massive. Think the Nordictrack box weighed about 120 kg or something stupid, so think carefully about where the ‘box’ is going to be delivered to !
Hope you find this useful. Happy to answer any more specific questions if you have any.
Think you'll find the treadmill calibration will be far more accurate than a wrist-based estimate from your Fitbit. I have a Garmin FR 235 - a dedicated running watch - it's Indoor Run function overestimated my distance (and therefore my pace) by about 20%. I *always* go by the treadmill distance, not my watch.
10km/hour ⇒ 60 min/10km = 6 min/km.
In other words, 5km in 30 minutes.
The difference is that when you're outside, your pace varies naturally up and down. A treadmill forces your pace to be even. This might be more tiring.
Also, watches often misjudge distance, more so if they don't have built in GPS.
My (GPS) vivoactive3 often under-reads distance by up to 10%. (Especially on the very bendy local parkrun course.)
So today, very heavy rain and strong winds is where the treadmill comes into its own. Personally I prefer running outside, but for today the treadmill is the difference between running or not running !
Fully agree with what you say, like you say the treadmill is a constant speed so always feels a bit different to road running. Mind you if I put it on the 10kph speed I feel like I am sprinting 🤣
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Treadmill recommendation?
Running on a treadmill
