Discover the Best Treadmill for You

What to Look for in a Treadmill?

Some treadmills come packed with a wide variety of features and gadgets; others will have nothing but the very basics, so it’s useful to know what features of treadmills actually do and how important they are based on how you want to use the treadmill.

Think about the following factors before you buy:

• Top speed of the treadmill – do you plan just to walk or do sprints?
• Electric (motorised) or manual?
• Power incline or manual?
• Check the treadmill supports your weight limit
• Dimensions of the treadmill (if you are tight on space or will be moving it regularly)
• Whether you need a foldable treadmill for easier storage
• Additional features – such as heart rate monitor, Bluetooth or bulit-in speakers

Incline

Most treadmills come with this feature in some form or another, and to be blunt, I would stay clear of one that doesn’t have incline as it limits the usefulness of your running machine in the long term.

The incline is perhaps one of the biggest variables that can affect how hard you train; even just a couple of degrees of incline can make a huge difference to how many calories you burn.

Inclines can be manual or electric; manual requires you to stop the treadmill get off and set the incline, while electric inclines can be changed while you are still running. A power incline is important if you want to mix flat and hill running in the same workout.

Running Deck

The running track is one of the most overlooked parts of a treadmill, with a lot of buyers unaware that buying a treadmill with a running deck too small may cause them a lot of problems.

Knowing your stride length (while jogging) will give you a good idea of the minimum length running deck you can use. The width is also important if you are heavier or taller.

Foldable Treadmills

This is important for anyone who:

• Doesn’t live in a house with huge amounts of space or a spare room
• Doesn’t want to trip over a treadmill in the middle of the night
• Wants a clutter-free home when not working out

Just remember to check the size of folding treadmills in their folded up state (all my reviews show this), as many larger ones can still take up a lot of space even when folded. Read my article on the best folding treadmills for more info.

If limited space is one of your top considerations, we recommend compact treadmills.

Console

This is my favourite part of any treadmill, even though some are much more advanced than others; you’ll find most come with the ability to track time, distance, speed and calories burned.

They also come with a variety of preset programs you can use for your workouts.

The more expensive models like the Branx Elite Runner Pro and Reebok ZR8 will generally have better displays, and the ability to connect to music or heart rate monitors.

Make sure to check out our treadmill reviews to see if the console on the model you’re interested in has the right capabilities, as it can be a make or break part of the treadmill experience for many people.

Safety Features

Accidents can happen, but there are a few features of most modern running machines that can reduce the potential for injury, such as the emergency stop clip.

This works by attaching to the clothes of the user and will switch off the treadmill if you should trip and fall.

Other safety features include childproof controls with either a password or key required to start the treadmill.

Motorised or Manual

There are two main types of treadmill, motorised and manual. Electric treadmills are by far the most common, but manual treadmills are still in demand for walking and light jogging.

Manual (sometimes called magnetic or self-powered) treadmills are much cheaper overall due to the lack of motor, and often lower build quality.

I would recommend getting an electric treadmill in most cases as they will give you a better overall workout experience.

If you educate yourself on manual vs motorised before you buy you’ll make sure you get the best home treadmill for your needs. Check out our guide How Much Electricity Does A Treadmill Use for more information.

Get Started

Here are some places to get you started: compare all treadmill by price category, look at specific treadmill reviews, or find the best treadmill for how you plan to use it.