Are you looking for “Treadmill Buying Guide for Beginners“? If Yes, Read On!
Whether you’ve already purchased a treadmill or you’re trying to learn more about your current treadmill, this beginner’s buying guide can help. We’ll be discussing the most important features and what they’re used for so that you can buy the right treadmill or use yours more effectively during your workout.
1. Incline Levels
Incline levels are important if you want to burn excess calories and boost your endurance. These levels will move the front of the treadmill up and down so that the difficulty increases. This will further work your:
- Calves
- Quadriceps
The amount of incline will vary from one model to the next. The typical, maximum grade, of a treadmill, will be 15 percent.
As a comparison, outside terrain is said to have a normal grade of 6 excluding hills and rough terrain.
If you’re a treadmill buyer, you need to plan for increasing your incline during your workout for peak performance slowly. A general rule of thumb is to increase the incline every 1 – 2 minutes until you have reached your maximum. However, when running at a fast pace, you may need to adjust these levels accordingly.
2. Treadmill Maximum Speeds
How fast do you expect to run on your treadmill, what is the ideal speed for treadmill in km/h? Many runners will not be able to reach the maximum speed that a treadmill can reach as beginners. Some machines can reach 16 km/h or 10 mph. If you’re wondering, you’ll be running a very fast six minute mile at this rate. If you’re a beginner, you’ll likely not reach this speed.
When searching for a treadmill, you’ll want a maximum speed of at least 10 – 12 km/h. The higher end may be excessive for your needs, but it depends on your goals. A 12 kph treadmill will be good enough for an ambitious beginner.
If you’re a runner that wants to improve their speed and stamina, you’ll want a machine that can accommodate 12+ km/h.
When trying to build up endurance and burn calories, it’s a wise choice to increase your running speed throughout the duration of your session. Many runners will:
- Start at 6 km/h
- Increase the speed to 6.5 km/h
- Increase the speed to 7 km/h
- Lower the speed to 5 km/h
- Increase the speed to 7.5 km/h
What this does is forces your body to adapt and change to a vigorous workout. The treadmill speeds for beginners may change, but altering speed levels throughout your workout is always a great idea. You’ll want to maintain a speed for 1 – 2 minutes before adjusting as necessary.
3. On-board Monitors
On-board monitors are very useful tools. Not only do these monitors allow you to keep track of the time you’ve run, but they can also track:
- Calories burned
- Distance
- Time
- Pulse (sometimes)
Advanced systems will also have pre-programmed workouts that will increase your speed and incline throughout the course of your session automatically.
Note: Inexpensive treadmills will often lack an onboard monitor.
While not a necessity, monitors can help make your workout a little more enjoyable.
4. Safety Features
There is only one safety feature that is seen on treadmills. This is a safety clip that will attach to the runner and plugs into the machine. What happens is that if you are being outpaced by the treadmill, you’ll pull the clip out of the machine and it will shut itself off.
This is a feature that will only be necessary on non-manual treadmills.
Note: Since electronic treadmills are rather inexpensive, non-manual treadmills are quickly becoming obsolete.
5. Manual vs Motorised Treadmills
Check out our helpful guide Motorised vs Manual Treadmill: Which is Best for you? for top tips to help you choose.
Electric treadmills are computerized, so they have the following features and drawbacks:
- Heavy in weight
- Larger in size
- Easier speed and incline adjustment
- Easier belt movement
Manual treadmills, however, are the complete opposite.
- Lighter in weight
- Smaller in size
- Less components to break
- No on-board monitor to track your workout
- Belt is harder to move
If possible, I would personally choose an electric treadmill. While heavier and often larger in size than a manual treadmill, they offer on-board monitors, proper treadmill speed adjustments and oftentimes, incline adjustments.
If you’re buying a treadmill, you’ll also want to consider the following features:
- Storage: Many foldable treadmills, allowing for easy storage options.
- Wheels: Transport is much easier when treadmills have wheels available.
- Warranty: Electric treadmill motors can break. Some manufacturers offer a lifetime warranty on their motors.
Once you find the right treadmill and settings, you’ll be able to quickly build your stamina, lose weight and increase your fitness levels.
Now you know the key features. Check out our latest reviews to check the price and features of leading treadmill models and treadmill guides.
FAQs
What Is The Best Time to Buy a Treadmill?
A treadmill is an excellent investment in your health and home gym. However, it can be a significant hit for your pockets. So if you are considering buying a treadmill, it’s best to ensure you get the best price. And there is no other perfect time than the beginning of the year (January).
As the year begins, the majority of people usually have New Year’s resolutions. For example, cutting some weight or exercising more frequently is a common resolution. For this reason, most stores and brands reduce their prices to lure resolution-conscious customers.
Also, June is an ideal time to buy a treadmill and exercise equipment in general. For starters, most retailers want to clear their inventory in June and therefore you might expect lower prices. Not to forget, due to rising temperatures in June, some people prefer running and exercising outside.
More importantly, watch out for various seasonal discounts on websites and physical stores. Of course, the most prevalent is Christmas. Still, you can get superb offers for treadmills on Amazon Prime Day and Amazon Black Friday for sites like Amazon.
What is a 5 grade on a Treadmill?
It’s reasonable enough, especially for treadmill beginners, to confuse a percent grade for incline angle in degrees. Well, percent grade is simply a measure of the height distance for every percentage of horizontal distance. So, in this case, a 5 grade means that for every 100 meters you cover, you will gain 5 meters in elevation.
How Do I Know Which Treadmill to Buy?
Other than our highlighted buying guide, there are still other considerations to cross your mind before buying a treadmill. For instance, how much room you can offer the machine in your home and the ideal location to place it.
Also, what do you want to achieve from exercising with the treadmill? This particularly can help you decide on the motor power. As you can imagine, if you intend for vigorous physical activity, you have to get a treadmill with a high-powered motor.
And lastly, your budget will be a critical factor in deciding the type of treadmill you want to buy.
What Speed Should a Beginner Run On a Treadmill?
Treadmills are an excellent start point for people interested in running. You can keep your speed steady rather than running outside where it’s impractical to pace yourself, and it may cause fatigue, sore muscles, or even injuries.
It’s best to start by walking for at least 3 minutes at 3mph(5km/h) and slowly building up momentum. Then, increase your pace up to 4.5mph(7.5km/h) for beginners until you are out of breath. Running can be quite a challenge, but it’s the most effective way to burn excess calories on the treadmill.
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- 【Essential for Modern Living】 A versatile 2-in-1 foldable treadmill, offering flexible...
- 【Enjoy Comfortable Workouts】 Featuring a wide 16.98-inch running belt with scientific shock...
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- 2 in 1 Design - This folding treadmill provides two exercise modes(Walking and Running Mode)and an...
- Simple, Clear Display - The display on the monitor shows you your real-time workout information. It...
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Last update on 2023-12-09 / Amazon Product Advertising API
