Your Complete Guide to Buying a Treadmill

Women running on treadmills

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By Simon Gould

Getting your first treadmill can be very daunting. There are so many out there and the good ones cost a lot. It’s a big decision to make and one you want to get right. I’ve written an ebook to help answer the question and it’s not a small book. I have the perfect experience to give this advice having been around treadmills for nearly 40 years.

The free ebook

First let’s give away the free ebook. It’s free on the following link as a pdf file which is a common format for ebooks. You don’t have to register anywhere and no email address is required. It’s very detailed at 248 pages but easy to read. It has 4 chapters and each is designed to take you through every step to getting your first treadmill:

Free eBook “A Guide To Getting Your First Treadmill”

It does take a while to download but I promise you it’s worth it. You’ll find recommendations of the best treadmill to buy based on what your goals are. Plus what to do when you’ve got it, from a couch to 5k treadmill plan for the beginner to speed work for the experienced. It’s all in there from a to z, you’ll find it invaluable.

Infographic

Below this graphic are details of each chapter of the book.

Summary of each chapter in the book

These are the introductions to each chapter in the book and serve as a good summary for what you can expect when read it. You can see by the chapter name I’ve gone through everything you need to know about buying your first treadmill.

Chapter 1 – Should you invest in a treadmill?

There are many benefits to exercising at home. I like the convenience of having my treadmill in the next room. There’s no traffic or people to avoid. The deck is nice and soft unlike some terrain outside. You’re safe at home and it’s private. If you don’t want people looking at you like on a treadmill in a gym. You won’t have that at home, you’re free to wear what you want.

With a treadmill it’s easier to measure your results. This is especially the case with losing weight. This is because you can measure the calories burned very accurately. There is a treadmill calories burned calculator on the web where you input your speed, distance and weight and you’re told the number. You can’t measure this very well when you exercise outside.

Once you know in detail how you’re exercising on a treadmill you can increase the speed or distance. This is easily seen on the console. You can do speed work to enable you to run faster. With accurate results you can measure your progress making all sorts of goals achievable. When I train for races I’ll do it on a treadmill.

You can pay a lot of money for a treadmill. But do you realize these are more cost effective than a gym. With a gym you pay the monthly subscription forever. You can get cheaper gyms with few facilities but a treadmill is a one time investment. I advise you spend at least one thousand on a treadmill but you get all the benefits listed above.

Running outside can be dangerous. As well as causing more injuries than a treadmill there are cars and other people to avoid. You can’t guarantee your safety outside but you can on your treadmill in your home. Treadmills aren’t without dangers themselves and people do get hurt but for safety, give me a treadmill every time.

A treadmill is perfect for the whole family. I wouldn’t like my family exercising outside like I run on a treadmill. It’s inside the family home and everyone can get the benefit of a regular workout. With young children you have to supervise them and be careful. But a mother and father can achieve their fitness goals perfectly on a treadmill.

Chapter 2 – Before you get your treadmill

A treadmill is a way of exercising either in the home or in a gym. The first thing one will do if you exercise regularly is that your health will improve. If you eat carefully as well as the treadmill you will lose weight. Weight loss can occur whether you walk, jog or run. Results can occur very quickly which you’ll discover once you start.

A treadmill can open you up to a world of health benefits and possibilities. In the previous chapter I’ve shown that you can use a treadmill to train for a race or go for certain distances. I do all my training on a treadmill for whatever race I may be entered in for. I feel fantastic after I exercise and I can do it all in one place.

If you are over weight, older or have minor injuries, you still may be able to use a treadmill. You would need to speak to your health care provider about any exercise activity you want to do. You can walk to start off with and build up to going quicker or using the incline. Later on in this book I have many workout routines you can follow that cater for walkers, joggers and runners.

Current physical advice for adults from the World Health Organization say we should exercise for 150 minutes per week. That’s 2 and a half hours or 30 minutes, 5 days a week. This is something you may not be able to do at first. But that’s the beauty of our bodies and a treadmill. You can train on these machines and get a bit better every time.

If we push ourselves to go for a little longer every week, our body’s adapt and you’ll be able to do the 30 minutes in one go. The heart and lungs get more efficient at their jobs and we find what used to be hard, feels a lot easier. There are people who take this as far as it can go and run very long distances like 50 miles! They’re called ultra runners.

In this chapter I go through exactly what you need to think about before getting your treadmill. Like what they can do for you and what you’ll need if and when you get one. You’re going to need running shoes even for a treadmill and even if you only walk or jog. I go through how to stay safe. Little things to help you prepare for your treadmill you’ll find here.

Chapter 3 – Buying your first treadmill

You’ve chosen to buy a treadmill and that’s a fantastic decision. Regular exercise is a big commitment especially when 30 minutes per day is recommended. You’ve taken your first step to getting healthy and fit for the rest of your life. Buy a good treadmill and it will last for many years and serve you and your family well.

When you buy a treadmill you’re always asked about shipping and assembly. Many treadmill companies now offer free shipping but this will likely be only to the curbside. There is usually an extra cost for assembly where a professional will visit and make sure the treadmill is placed in the right spot in the right room and assemble it.

I always advise you pay for assembly. I think it’s worth it. You get an expert who’s assembled these machines many times before. They know exactly which screws to tighten and when. They can give you advice on maintenance plus they usually clean all the packaging the treadmill was transported in. There’s more information in this chapter.

There’s a section on the best treadmills for home use. I’ve gone through many treadmills and found what I think are the best 9 and have reviewed each of them. I go through what is the best for walking, jogging or running. If you plan to just walk on a treadmill then you don’t need one that can go 14 mph and other features.

Treadmills for walking cost less. The one I’ve picked as my favorite costs $600 whereas for running you need to pay $1,500+. The treadmills featured all have good warranties and a good treadmill can last up to 12 years and longer. That is if they are well maintained which you’ll find details about how to do that in this chapter.

You might want certain features in your treadmill. Do you want one that’s really quiet. Perhaps you want a Bluetooth feature. You’ll also find pages here where I go through those treadmills that have certain technologies. Some are cheaper, while some can be expensive. You need to think about what you want to do on a treadmill and what suits your needs.

Chapter 4 – Using your first treadmill

Treadmills can be tricky at first especially if you’ve never used one before. You may have some anxiety but there are ways to make you more confident. After some practice it will feel completely natural. All you need to do is learn about all the settings and how your treadmill works. Including how to program and use the preset workout routines.

As with exercising outside, you need to think about good posture and form. This helps you exercise effectively and you’ll get less injuries. You can still get aches and things like knee pain and shin splints on a treadmill. In this chapter, as well as routines for people new to exercise, I go through any injuries you can get and how to avoid them.

Treadmills have a terrible reputation. This is especially the case for people who enjoy running outside on trails or parks. I actually prefer doing my exercise on treadmills, they’re so versatile, you can do any type of exercise on them. I like to have a TV on the wall in front of my treadmill and I can enjoy a TV show or movie. This is something you could do.

If you don’t exercise much or are a beginner then take care not to run too fast. This is a very common mistake to make. You don’t have to run or walk very fast to get a good workout. Whatever you exercise for, whether that’s to lose weight or just to get healthy, it’s not a competition. Go for a speed that’s comfortable for you and one you can stick with.

Unless you’re trying to improve your running speed or train for a race, you’re best exercising by time and not distance. The World Health Organization recommend you exercise for 150 minutes per week. That’s 30 minutes per day, 5 days a week. They don’t specify the distance only the time spent doing the activity. That’s what you should think about with your first treadmill.

While this chapter is mainly aimed at beginners, I have thrown in a speed work section. This is for experienced runners who want to increase the speed of their normal runs. This is why I say the treadmill is so versatile. Anyone at any level can get a good workout. The couch to 5k routine is something every beginner should try and I’ve included a good one in this book.

Summary

That completes the 4 chapter introductions and gives you a thorough guide of what you can expect. I think the book caters to more than just getting your first treadmill but that’s my primary audience. You have everything you need to know. Whether you should invest in a treadmill to buying one and then what you could do when you’ve got one.

I personally have run for many years, I’m 44 now and I prefer treadmills. My experience of these machines has enabled me to author this book and a website that currently has over 230 pages. I still have ideas for over 100 more pages of content and my knowledge is something I enjoy sharing. The website gets a lot of visitors so it seems the content is liked too.

I always say that whether you choose to exercise on a treadmill or not, the fact that you’re exercising at all is the important thing. A treadmill adds to the convenience. The health benefits are so big. One doctor has said that if exercise were a pill, it would be the most prescribed pill on Earth and it would be called a miracle cure. Exercise is that good for you.

The only problem with exercise is that it requires a time and motivation investment. It’s not easy and in a way that’s part of the appeal. You feel a real sense of achievement when you’ve done your days workout. You may not feel like it sometimes and that’s when it really counts. As long as you’re not very unwell you can still get a good workout done.

If this book has helped you get a treadmill and start exercising regularly then it is a success. While the book is free some links are affiliate links and I may receive compensation from the businesses I work with if you choose to buy a product. I stand by my recommendations and you can ask me anything you like on my website should you wish to.

Thinking of buying a treadmill? Here’s my favorite, I always recommend it when asked.

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