Running Machine
A running machine, or treadmill, can be one of the most important items in your home gym. A running machine gives you the most intense cardiovascular exercise possible. You have the ability to modify the intensity of your exercise by changing a number of settings. This includes controls for various settings such as the speed and grade the running machine is set to.
The benefits of owning a running machine should already be pretty obvious. What is more important to focus on is what you should think about before purchasing one. There are many different treadmills on the market and many of them are a pretty bad investment. You will have to look through all your options and choose the best product within your budget.
Budget
A very important factor in what type of running machine you end up purchasing is your budget. If you can only afford to spend $500 or less on a treadmill then you will not get a good machine. A good treadmill can easily cost $1,500 to $2,000 and sometimes even more. You should expect to pay around $800-900 plus taxes for a decent treadmill that will give you a good workout and last a while.
Types of Treadmills
There are a few different types of treadmills you can choose from. You should avoid a manual treadmill at all costs as you will not get a good workout. Your two main options would be a foldable treadmill and a standard treadmill. It would be recommended to go with a standard design unless you are extremely stressed for space.
Design
You will have to consider the design of the treadmill. Take a look at how much space it will take in your room and make sure you will not have any space issues. Also take a look at the size of the running track on the treadmill. If you can barely stay on the treadmill while running then it may be uncomfortable. A larger treadmill is strongly recommended as it has a larger running space and you are not limited in space. You may also want to check if there is a water bottle holder as well as you do not want to have to stop in the middle of an exercise to get a drink of water.
Features
There are many different treadmills that come with a wide variety of features. Some even include built-in TV's and more. You will want to make sure the treadmill has all the basic features such as speed and grade control. A heart rate monitor would also be very useful. Other features such as setting session goals such as a pre-planned program pace could be useful. These could be a steady climb in intensity or it could be intense interval changes.
Brand
It is very important to buy a high quality treadmill so you only want to buy from a good brand. Do some research on the more reputed treadmill brands on the market today. Once you compile a list of brands that are worth purchasing from you can look at specific models. After you find a few models that interest you, it would be recommended to look for reviews on them to find out how good they really are.
Conclusion
This article has only covered a few of the more important things to consider when buying a running machine. There are still many other factors to consider as well. You should make your purchase based on solid information and personal preference. Find a treadmill that is going to last you a while and perform well but make sure you are comfortable using it as well.
