Need a new Treadmill -- Seeking Advice

Andresito
Andresito Posts: 9 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi, y'all -

I'm leaving my apartment and relocating to a new townhouse. In the process, I'm losing having access to a full gym as part of the amenities offered in the building. Since I'd like to continue working out on a regular basis, are there any suggestions for a good treadmill that can be used at home? I do five days of high-intensity interval training cardio a week (30 mins each) and would like a machine that can sustain such usage. My preference is for something that has an incline feature as most machines at the regular gyms have.

Any advice anyone can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Andrés

Replies

  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,731 Member
    I have a NordicTrack. It's the second one I've owned and I liked both. The current one (Elite 3700) has incline of -3 to 15 and speed up to 12 mph.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    edited August 2017
    I got a Golds Gym one from Walmart. It goes up to 10%incline
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    If you plan to do that much running, I would look into home models by major brands like Life Fitness. More $$ upfront, but will feel like a club model and give you years of use.
  • VeronicaA76
    VeronicaA76 Posts: 1,116 Member
    spiriteagle99 wrote: »
    I have a NordicTrack. It's the second one I've owned and I liked both. The current one (Elite 3700) has incline of -3 to 15 and speed up to 12 mph.

    I have the same one!!!! Never had a problem with it. Never had a problem with NordicTrack customer service either.. I had to call them up because I couldn't figure out how to link certain devices.
  • Tweaking_Time
    Tweaking_Time Posts: 733 Member
    Azdak wrote: »
    If you plan to do that much running, I would look into home models by major brands like Life Fitness. More $$ upfront, but will feel like a club model and give you years of use.

    ^^^This^^^

    Also - something to consider - a gym membership will give you more options and usually costs about 30% to 40% of a decent treadmill.
  • kimkimcoleman
    kimkimcoleman Posts: 105 Member
    I have a Bowflex 7 series. Very high quality, has an incline.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,731 Member
    Gym membership may be cheaper, but if it takes some time/effort to drive there, you won't go there as often. At least, that's the case for me. I hate driving through town - too many stop lights and too much traffic. Driving 20 minutes to a gym just isn't going to happen more than twice a week. I can use the TM at home every day, without thinking about it. I can cook dinner while I'm running, so it's ready when I'm done. Or I can run after dinner while watching TV. It's a lot simpler, so I do it more than I would if I had to drive to a gym.
  • RSD06
    RSD06 Posts: 6 Member
    I have Nordic Trac incline trainer, 40% incline and -6% decline also. Love it. Use it 5 days a week for 30-60 minutes walking and attempting to run lol
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    I was looking to replace my treadmill, but joined the local Y instead (<10 mins away and I can do more there).

    I had my eye on an AFG treadmill that uses your tablet to program it so it can be a lot more flexible in what you do on it. Plus the one I was looking at had a big belt and would be decent for running.
  • Shawshankcan
    Shawshankcan Posts: 900 Member
    Look at the motor. 2.5 CHP MINIMUM, but I would recommend 3.0 CHP.
  • Shawshankcan
    Shawshankcan Posts: 900 Member
    Azdak wrote: »
    If you plan to do that much running, I would look into home models by major brands like Life Fitness. More $$ upfront, but will feel like a club model and give you years of use.

    This, buy nice, don't buy twice.
  • DamieBird
    DamieBird Posts: 651 Member
    They are pricey, but my favorite treadmill ever is a Curve Treadmill by Woodway. It's perfect for HIIT because the speed variable is instant, and it's self powered, so you'd save a scant amount on electricity. If you decide to go gym shopping instead of buying one for your home, look for somewhere that has one of these!

    I'm genuinely still sad that I moved across the country and I can't find one in a gym anymore :/.

    https://www.woodway.com/products/curve
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    Shawshankcan wrote: »
    Azdak wrote: »
    If you plan to do that much running, I would look into home models by major brands like Life Fitness. More $$ upfront, but will feel like a club model and give you years of use.

    This, buy nice, don't buy twice.

    It's less expensive to spend $1500 up front for a treadmill that will last 10 years than $300 for a treadmill that will last the warranty period+1 month
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    - You only need a treadmill when it's impossible or impractical to run outside. That might be <20% of the time.

    - I am always happy running on a Precor or Life Fitness model such as I use at the gym. These cost ~$5K or more, but both companies have models for home use costing between 2 and 3$k. Yes, this is still a lot of money.

    - Most consumer-level treadmills have insufficient power to keep the belt running at a constant speed while in use (e.g., they slow down as your foot makes contact). Also, they aren't solid enough for a typical adult (e.g., they vibrate). Also also, they break down a lot.

    - All treadmills require maintenance and can break, raising their cost of ownership further.

    - $3k might pay for a gym for 3-5 years, depending on your local costs. Plus you get access to all the other equipment and sometimes classes.

    - Home exercise equipment is easy to ignore, but people rarely go all the way to the gym just to sit around watching TV. (Rarely...)

    - Thus, joining a gym is almost always better than buying any piece of exercise equipment.

    - Note: I think the Woodway curve self-powered units are interesting, but eliminate one of the great things about treadmills, which is that you can set the speed. The one in my gym rarely gets used.
  • DX2JX2
    DX2JX2 Posts: 1,921 Member
    Azdak wrote: »
    If you plan to do that much running, I would look into home models by major brands like Life Fitness. More $$ upfront, but will feel like a club model and give you years of use.

    This. Quality treadmills can be a bit spendy but you can generally get a significant discount on used equipment.
    Look into it as people buy treadmills all the time and then never use them. Also, you can check with your local gym if/when they sell their used machines after they replace them.
  • deetucker70
    deetucker70 Posts: 43 Member
    I just ordered the Proform Smartpro 9000 after doing a ton of research and reading reviews. You may want to check with your Health Insurance provider, I saved 30% on mine by going through it. A lot of insurers are offering discounts on exercise related purchases.
  • adotbaby
    adotbaby Posts: 199 Member
    Also agree with getting more of a high-end model. Look at local online ads for used, we got a very good one for $100, retail $800.

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