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Are Manual or magnetic treadmills any good?
By admin | April 14, 2010
Topics: Treadmills | 3 Comments »
« Omni-Directional Treadmill | Home | What level of fitness do you have to be at to become a trainee fitness instructor/personal trainer? »
By admin | April 14, 2010
Topics: Treadmills | 3 Comments »
April 14th, 2010 at 10:25 pm
Personally, I prefer motorized…simply for the fact that I fall down constantly on the manual ones. I have, however, heard that the manual ones ARE better in terms of the overall workout/calories burned because YOU are using your legs to pull yourself forward, whilst on the motorized ones…the belt moves along for you..making it easier.
April 14th, 2010 at 10:25 pm
We had one given to us by a colleague who bought it and didn’t really ever use it. I found it jerky and the belt would slip frequently. It was aggravating and didn’t work well at all. We eventually tossed it in the trash after my son got his foot scraped by the belt. He was using the treadmill to walk on it and then it was still moving and his foot got caught under the end and rubbed his skin raw…My experience has been that any treadmill can be dangerous for kids. We bought a motorized treadmill several months ago and the experience has been dramatically better. Off limits to the kids and much more useful. I wouldn’t have one of those manual things in my house again EVER.
Also, I found the following on the treadmill adviser webpage
"If you plan to run, not just walk, on your treadmill, or if you weigh more than 180 pounds, don’t settle for less than 2hp. A DC-driven motor (as opposed to AC) gobbles less power, and is less expensive to repair should trouble arise. Experts say you should avoid manual treadmills altogether."
April 14th, 2010 at 10:25 pm
I haven’t heard of magnetic treadmills to tell you the truth. Is it possible you’re thinking of magnetic elliptical trainers? Magnetic elliptical trainers are fine so long as buy an elliptical trainer from a manufacturer like Bowflex, Schwinn, or Horizon Fitness.
Manual treadmills are not worth it. They cost anywhere from $100 – $400. You’re really just better off jogging in place or taking a walk outside. If you’re looking for a quality treadmill for the lowest price possible, I would consider the Merit 710T Treadmill. It’s about the cheapest treadmill you can buy with a motor.
If you want something a little more expensive, go with anything from Horizon Fitness. They have a very strong track record, are very solid, and sell for very little money compared to most other treadmill brands. If you want more details you can check out my treadmill reviews at:
http://horizontreadmillreviews.blogspot.com
I hope this was helpful and if you have any other questions don’t hesitate to send me an email!
treadmillmaster@gmail.com