Your Best Treadmill Choices

Did you know you could burn up to 850 calories in a one-hour treadmill workout?

Most people, of course, generally spend less time than that, but even at a 30-minute treadmill run, that's still a hefty number of calories to rid your body of. It's also great cardiovascular exercise and muscle workout. Not only that, you don't have the chance of injury or muscle stress that you do with other forms of exercise, such as stair steppers or running outside on an uneven or uncertain pavement or incline.

Getting the best treadmills for your home is about carefully reviewing your choices before making a purchase. Money can, of course, be a factor in your treadmill purchase decision. New treadmills start around $1000. The best treadmills are $3000 new. For a good home treadmill expect to spend around $2000. If that is well above your treadmill budget, think about a used treadmill or a refurbished one.  

Whether you buy a new treadmill, a used treadmill, or a refurbished treadmill, there are certain things you should look out for before making your treadmill purchase decision.

While commercial treadmill buyers - rehabilitation specialists and owners of fitness centers -go in for AC motors on their treadmills, you'll want a quiet DC motor for your home treadmills. 

If you're a runner and not a walker, consider only the treadmills offering a platform of sixty inches or longer. If you're only going to be walking make sure it's at least 48 inches. In either case, the belt's width should never be less than seventeen inches.

The continuous duty motor must be at least 1.5 hp - the higher the horsepower the better. This determines, among other things, how long your treadmill will last and how hard it will work for you.

You'll want to be able to incline your home treadmill's platform too. Make sure you choose a treadmill that offers that. The best treadmill incline range is zero to ten percent at least.

Some of the optional treadmill features are nice to have, but really can be done without if you're being budget conscious. Most treadmills are going to offer what you really need in electronics information - speed, percentage of incline, time, distance walked or run, and number of calories burned.

Choosing a home treadmill wisely may also include looking for a retailer or wholesaler that offers a service agreement should anything go wrong with your treadmill. Of course, the best treadmills aren't going to be maintenance intensive. If you think, however, you might want a service agreement than new treadmills, rather than used treadmills or refurbished treadmills, would best suit your needs.