Selecting a treadmill isn’t a simple task; there are numerous options that sound equally tempting, but not all of them are appropriate. Some of them might be way too costly, while others won’t be attractive to buyers, despite their low price. It sets the customer in a dilemma of how much does a treadmill cost. They are interested in knowing the average cost of a reliable treadmill that would allow them to work out without worrying about repairs, and won’t be a burden on their pockets.
Are you a similar customer? Then you don’t need to look any further. On this page, you will find the best value-for-money treadmills on the internet. The treadmills are made to be your fitness partner for the long run. (opening paragraph)
Life fitness goals have been on the rise since the start of the new decade. The increased awareness supported by the urge to look physically appealing has motivated people to work out and be a better version of themselves. When we think about losing weight or burning calories, the first machine that comes to our mind is a treadmill.
Running is probably the most popular form of workout, and treadmill running takes the experience to a whole new level. The users can enjoy running at a flexible pace and incline while listening to their favorite music. Most treadmills also contain calories and pulse monitors that provide instant insights into your workout’s efficiency.
This information helps users understand their body’s reception to the treadmill workouts, and evaluate whether they are on the right track to fulfill their fitness objectives. The wide range of options of a treadmill makes it hard to decide which treadmill to buy.
Contents
Understanding a simple treadmill
New trainers might be confused that a simple-looking machine has different types that are made for different users and produces different results. But, it is true. The treadmill isn’t a simple topic, and every component may be different in specifications that would ultimately dictate your workout experience.
Hence, it is crucial to understand the important components to ensure that you can enjoy the treadmill benefits. Affordable treadmills are hard to find, but it is difficult to evaluate whether they will fit your long-term goals or not.
In this blog, we are going to talk about the types of treadmills, how much do they cost on average, which treadmill you should buy, and where you can find the best manual or motorised treadmill for you.
What to consider when buying a treadmill?
As is said above, the specifications of treadmills determine their eventual costs, so it is important to understand the factors that must be checked before getting a treadmill.
Running belt area
The width of your track determines the quality of your workouts. Usually, trainers recommend that runners should opt for wide track belts as they allow you the room to run flexibly without noting your steps. Narrow running belts may cause you to trip or hit the sidelines during your run. You must ensure that your treadmill’s track is based on your training routine.
Workout area
While we are talking about width, it is important to have a good understanding of your home gym’s area. You must choose a treadmill that isn’t extensively wide as it might be hard to set up in a closed room. Nevertheless, your treadmill’s width shouldn’t be extremely narrow as it might restrict your movement resulting in slower growth for your muscle groups.
Treadmill motor
A treadmill motor is probably the most important thing to check before selecting your electric treadmill. The motor is the engine that rotates the belt and determines its speed. Although treadmills with lower continuous duty ratings are cheaper, they aren’t suitable for running and would heat excessively after minutes of intensity training.
Most treadmills have a motor rating enlisted in the manual, but you can look for more detail in its description guide. For regular joggers, experts recommend a treadmill motor with a continuous duty rating of 2.5 hp. The power duty rating should be between 3 to 4 ideally. The treadmill motor also determines the maximum user weight; we shall take about that in a while.
Maximum speed and incline levels
HIIT workouts have gained wide popularity amongst treadmill trainers; their efficacy in burning calories and reducing weight is second to none. Nevertheless, the workouts demand your treadmill to run at high speeds and inclines for longer intervals. You must ensure that your treadmill has a suitable maximum speed and incline, so your life fitness goals aren’t hindered.
Additionally, some treadmills come with prescribed workout programs that allow you to train flexibly without worrying about changing the speed or incline after each interval.
Cushioning of the belt
If you have trained on multiple treadmills before, you would have noticed a major difference between the heat radiated by the belt. Most treadmills with poor cushioning radiate strong heat that may cause rashes on your sole. Cushioning is dependent on the material, elasticity, and depth of the track. A thick running belt would usually resonate little heat as compared to others.
Similarly, good cushioning keeps your ankle and joints safe from injuries; the softness of the tracks results in lesser impact during your runs, which helps in avoiding unwanted soreness. The latest treadmills come with internal springs and elastomer that eases your runs and helps in maintaining a good posture. However, these treadmills are restricted in the market due to their high price.
Workout modes
When you are working out at a home gym, the biggest obstacle is the inaccessibility of a personal trainer. At gyms, a trainer is usually present to guide us with our workouts and define the exact routine that can help boost results.
Nevertheless, the newer treadmills have removed the need of trainers for your treadmill workouts. They come with integrated workout modes that are fit for various fitness goals. All you need to do is select the workout routine before you start, and the running machine will do the rest.
Changing the speed, incline, and intensity of the workout independently, advanced treadmills also come with a sensory pulse rate monitor that may alter the intensity of the workout if your heart rate rises to an extreme high.
App integrations
A popular feature of commercial treadmills is the app integrations. Various manufacturers have developed particular apps for their treadmills that can be connected to the machine and can be used to store and monitor your progress.
The apps are generally available for both iOS and Android. They work as fitness trackers for your workouts and provide insights into your calories burned, heart rate, and workout patterns. The advanced applications also send notifications at your training time that will provide you the motivation to get started.
Although these apps shouldn’t be the main determinant behind your choice of the treadmill, their correct use can boost the growth of your cardiovascular health.
Weight capacity
The maximum user weight of a treadmill defines the highest weight that the motor can bear without compromising on its performance. It is essential to select a treadmill with at least 10 kilograms higher weight capacity than its users.
If the limit isn’t attentively checked, the motor would be vulnerable to frequent faults and repairs that would eventually reduce the overall life of your treadmill. Also, you must ensure that you are checking the weight in the correct units, as some manufacturers post the weight in kilograms while the others do in pounds.
Types of a treadmill and their cost
Folding treadmill
As the name suggests, these types of treadmills are made specifically for home gym owners. The ultimate goal of their design philosophy is to fit into a narrow space so you don’t have to give up on other essential equipment in your house.
Although the folding treadmills come with a narrow belt, their tracks can further be folded when not in use, which ultimately reduces the space they cover. The more advanced folding treadmill comes with an automatic fold option that allows the machine to fold independently with no effort from the trainer.
The machines gained immense popularity in the European region because of their sophisticated design and ease of fitting in a house.
The price
The price of a treadmill fairly depends on its manufacturer and its features. Renowned manufacturers often cost more; similarly, imported treadmills have a higher taxation rate, which eventually increases their overall cost.
Generally, a folding treadmill would cost between £750 to £2000, but it isn’t unusual for the price to cross either of the two limits. The pricing would eventually come down to the features and added perks of the treadmill. We shall talk about such features shortly.
Manual treadmills
If you have read one of our previous blogs about the history of treadmills, you would know how it moved from a treadwheel to an inclined wooden roller to finally the treadmills we use today. The concept behind its invention wasn’t initially to lose weight, they were designed to make the prison sentence tough for prisoners.
But as time passed, people noticed that the strain and effort involved in running on a treadmill can be helpful in losing weight. It was about the middle of the 20th century when large-scale production of treadmills took place. It isn’t surprising to know that the first treadmill was a manual treadmill.
Manual treadmills are a cheaper alternative to electric treadmills. The compact treadmill contains a dynamo that generates energy once the running belt starts moving. Hence, you would notice that despite no power source, a manual treadmill has a functioning calorie and pulse monitor.
The treadmill is great for your calf muscle groups, as it demands additional efforts from your lower muscles to keep the belt moving. The machines also have the incline feature, but unlike the modern alternatives, the incline feature can’t be adjusted while running, and you would have to step off the treadmill to adjust its incline.
The price
Although there are some problems with a manual treadmill which might make it an unlikable option, its biggest advantage is its affordability. You can get a manual treadmill for as low as £250. The running machines, on average, cost about £450, depending on the brand and features.
A modern form of the manual treadmill is a curved treadmill that uses human strength to determine the pace of the belt. Nevertheless, its efficacy makes it a suitable option for regular trainers and athletes. Manual treadmills are foldable, so they take up a lot less space in your home gym.
Non-folding treadmills
Probably, the most popular type of treadmills is non-folding treadmills. They are equally popular for home and commercial gyms. The biggest advantage of non-folding treadmills is the wide variety of workout programmes for trainers.
Although most trainers might feel that a folding treadmill is a better option when it comes to treadmill selection, it isn’t often the case. The flexibility of the running track for a treadmill comes at a cost of its stability.
Folding treadmills aren’t usually effective for high-intensity trainers, mainly because they aren’t made for high pace and incline. Users have noticed that the running track heats quickly and the instability of the treadmills has led to several muscle and bone injuries.
For high-intensity trainers, the best option is to go for non-folding treadmills. You will find them at your gyms because of their ability to cope with long spans of high intensity. The treadmills are made with more reliable components that ensure that the treadmill doesn’t require frequent repairs and is always available for use.
It comes with a broad running belt and a strengthened track which allows it to be more stable than its alternative. Commercial treadmills often contain diverse features such as workout programmes, built-in speakers, and fitness trackers that can be connected with a browser and internet device.
Another additional perk is their incline feature; you can switch from a flat treadmill to an incline with a press of a button.
The price
As you might have judged, the cost of a non-folding treadmill is based on its applicability. If the treadmill is used for commercial purposes, it would have added features that will come at a higher price.
On the other hand, if you are purchasing one for your home gym, the additional features might not be there, thus the cost will be reduced. Overall, a commercial treadmill will cost between £1500 to £5000, depending on the features and lifetime of the treadmill. A home gym owner can choose a treadmill between £1000 to £2000, which would last equally long if used with proper care.
Curved treadmill
A popular segment amongst manual treadmills is the curved treadmill. Although the treadmill requires human force to rotate the belt and that might not sound good, they are highly effective due to their design. The curved treadmill track has a great mixture of gravity and friction that allows the track to move in the backward direction.
It helps the trainer train at high speed without compromising on their running speed or posture. The eased corners and curved center allow a natural running position for the trainers who will enjoy their runs and improve their muscles simultaneously.
The treadmill comes with an advanced monitoring system that contains multiple analytics to provide you with real-time statistics about your body. The high maximum user weight is another perk that makes it useful for gyms. The curved treadmills have gained popularity recently and their high price makes them suitable for commercial gyms only.
The price
On average, a curved treadmill will cost about £2500 at the lowest, while the higher ones would require a hefty payment that might not be affordable nor necessary for a new home gym owner. Alternatively, you can choose between an electric treadmill or a manual one that suits your budget.
We will talk about the best treadmill for you shortly, but first, let’s understand the factors that determine the costs of a treadmill, and why there is price variation between treadmills of the same type.
Cost determinants of a treadmill
Treadmill motor
The treadmill motor is the most essential part of a motorised treadmill. It provides the power to rotate the belt that will eventually determine your workout experience. Understandably, it is a costly component that comes in various specifications.
The output of a treadmill depends on the power duty rating and continuous power rating of its motor. High-end treadmills usually contain a treadmill motor with a continuous duty rating of about 4-5 hp. While for home gyms that are infrequently used, a treadmill motor with a continuous duty rating between 2-3 would be appropriate.
The consequences of an inappropriate treadmill
Selecting a treadmill with a suitable motor is important, and you must ensure that you are paying the required heed to the subject. An underpowered treadmill would heat quickly and would be vulnerable to faults, which means that your workout experience is hindered.
Similarly, a high-rated treadmill motor won’t always be necessary for a home gym, as the treadmill is used for a few hours a day. Hence, it isn’t viable to pay an exorbitant amount for a better treadmill motor.
Track Cushioning
It is another feature that determines the cost difference between expensive and cheap treadmills. It is important to understand what cushioning means. A running belt is made of high-quality PVC rubber that is coated with cotton and synthetic fabric.
The advanced treadmills also use elastomers to create a less impactful belt. Cushioning of the belt depends on the elasticity and thickness of the belt, and it determines the impact of a foot strike on your ankles and the heat radiated by the belt.
Why is cushioning important?
A cheap treadmill would usually contain a running track with poor cushioning that eventually means that your joints will have to suffer from a higher impact on each stride. Similarly, you will also note that the belt radiates more heat after the treadmill is used for more hours.
High-end treadmill manufacturers have focused on adding the elasticity of the belt, which ensures that the belt reforms after each of your strikes and creates the least impact on your ankles. It allows the runner to run for longer intervals without getting tried. Nevertheless, the cost of improving cushioning is usually significant and results in a higher price of the treadmill.
Added features
‘The sweetness of your coffee depends upon the sugar added to it.’ The saying is valid with treadmills, too. The more money you add to your budget, the better treadmill you can get. The most essential components of a treadmill are the motor and its cushioning that have a direct impact on the quality of your workout.
Other than these, there are several features that may determine what the overall cost of the running machine is going to be.
Maximum speed and incline
One of these features is the maximum speed and incline levels. If you are a high-intensity trainer, you would require a treadmill that has a high maximum speed and incline, which would eventually translate into a higher cost.
Multiple fitness trackers
Similarly, if you are selecting a treadmill with various monitors, such as heart rate and calories, they will also have an impact on the cost. Additionally, the latest addition of integrated apps and fitness trackers has also been a reason behind increased costs.
Desktop treadmills
Manufacturers have also started creating desk treadmills; these treadmills come with a free tablet holder at the top of the running deck, which can hold your laptop and tablet.
If you have a limited budget, then it’s essential to ensure that you select the most useful features, while giving up on other frills that aren’t necessary for your exercise. Finding the right treadmill can be a tiring task; it is hard to determine which features are essential, and which ones can be left.
We are going to talk briefly about several questions you should ask yourself about your treadmill before confirming your decision.
How to choose the right treadmill?
After our above discussion, you might have reached a fair conclusion about the treadmill you should select for yourself. Nevertheless, if you are still confused, here is a list of some questions that you can use to determine the applicability of your treadmill. Make sure that all these questions are confirmed by the treadmill’s description.
- What is your preference: motorised treadmills or manual treadmills?
- What is the maximum user weight and whether it is appropriate for you?
- What are your expectations regarding the intensity of your workout?
- Does your home gym have ample space for a non-folding treadmill?
- Is the motor adequate for your workout intensity?
- Does the incline level suffice your life fitness levels/goals?
- Does the maximum speed level suffice your life fitness levels/goals?
- What features make your perfect treadmill?
These questions are pretty basic, but answering these questions will provide clarity in your mind that shall ease your treadmill search. Some of these answers are subjective, and you must ensure that your answers are realistic and settle with your budget. You should remember that your treadmill’s major goal is to help you burn calories.
Conclusion: How much is a treadmill?
The crux of our entire discussion is that “your fitness objectives determine the cost of a treadmill”. The answers to the questions above rely heavily on your workout goals and how you plan to achieve them. If your workout goal is to introduce exercise in your lifestyle with merely walking, you can get a manual treadmill that will cost about £350. On the other hand, if your goal is to burn calories using HIIT workouts, you will have to opt for a high-end treadmill with max speed and incline.
Where to find affordable treadmills?
The next question in your mind will be where to choose the treadmill; the answer is as simple as it gets- on this site. We have got a wide range of treadmills that have different specifications and prices. Our variety consists of multiple treadmill types that shall satisfy different fitness objectives of the trainers. Our goal is to provide treadmills at the most affordable rates to ensure that no trainer has to give up on their exercise due to their budget restriction.
You can find a detailed description of each treadmill type on its page that will help you evaluate whether it fits your benchmarks. To ensure that customers make an informed decision, we have a review section at the end of each product that shall help you determine how the treadmill worked out for different individuals.
Be it interval training or simply walking, the importance of exercise in one’s life can’t be overstated. It is important to keep our body in its best physical shape to live a happy life amongst our loved ones. Treadmill workouts are great at burning calories; however, nothing happens overnight, and you must stay consistent with your efforts to enjoy excellent results.
FAQs
Is the Opti folding treadmill a good buy?
As the name suggests, the Opti folding treadmill is designed to save space. The treadmill comes with a wide range of features that may attract several trainers. Nevertheless, its popularity doesn’t make it immune to the stability problems that general treadmills face. If you are looking to train at low intensity, it would be a suitable buy; however, if you are looking to practice HIIT workouts, rethink your decision.
What is the top speed of a treadmill?
Top speed refers to the maximum speed that a treadmill could run on. For most treadmills, it is around 12-16 mph. It isn’t advised to run the treadmill at its top speed for long intervals, as it might overheat the motor.
