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If you have been following athletes’ gym routines, you would have noticed them working out on a curved treadmill- an unusual treadmill with an arch in its center. Curved treadmills rose to fame during 2017, and since the past few years, they have become a hot topic for trainers. However, the treadmills are often unreachable for most home gyms. Also, they are rarely available in commercial gyms except those with a high membership price.
A curved treadmill starts at about £500 and it goes up to as much as £8000-9000. An average curved treadmill would cost you about £5000; on the contrary, you can get electric treadmills for half the price. A manual treadmill comes for about 1/6th of the price. Most beginners often wonder why a curved treadmill is so expensive, but before we get on it, it is important to understand the science behind a curved treadmill.
The Science Behind A Curved Treadmill
A curved treadmill comes with a concave belt; the machine doesn’t contain an electric motor; hence, it utilizes your energy to walk or run on it. No motor also means that you won’t have to worry about added electricity expense or repair.
Once your foot strikes the upper end of the inverse circle, it pushes the belt downward, and the belt starts to rotate. The belt would adjust itself to your running speed. As the track has a concave shape, it keeps your upper body stationary, while your lower half moves.
The posture allows your calf and thigh muscles to strengthen and also boost your sprint speed. Usually, curved treadmills also have an advanced computer console, which provides detailed workout statistics helping you make the most of your workout.
Intensifies Calorie burn
Experts have proven the curved treadmills burn 30% more than regular treadmills. They are designed to fit high intensity training; as the belt speed is dependent on your energy, your body needs to exert greater force to keep the belt moving at high speed.
Hence, the body remains in the fat-burning zone throughout the workout. The process makes the workout efficient than other aerobic workout sessions.
Engages more muscle groups
The curved treadmill isn’t only good for fat loss, but is equally efficient in building more muscles. A general treadmill doesn’t put adequate strain on your glutes and hamstrings, which means your entire leg isn’t engaged during the workout.
On the contrary, a curved treadmill is different; it keeps your upper body constant, engaging your glutes and hamstring in the workout. The manual belt also enhances your body strain, helping in tuning your muscle groups in a short period.
Prevents running injuries
Finally, most trainers fear that a manual treadmill is a den for injuries; the manual belt pushes undue strain on your lower body muscles, leading to excess joint and knee pains. Similarly, it also leads to quicker fatigue; thus, reducing the overall calorie burn.
On the other hand, a curved treadmill is different; it comes with an impeccable shock absorption system and rubber belt. It absorbs your foot strike and helps your workout last longer.
Is the high price justified for a curved non motorized treadmill?
Despite its benefits, a user might think that the high price outweighs its pros. However, it isn’t true. There are various aspects to a curved treadmill making them expensive to manufacture. In this blog, we are going to take you through a detailed study of why a curved treadmill is more expensive than regular ones. Let’s go!
Advanced Shock absorbing technology
A high-end motorized treadmill comes with an 8-point shock system that allows elasticity in the running surface; the footstrike is absorbed by the belt and it prevents any reactionary force. Hence, you would note that you can train longer on a treadmill than on a regular track. The curved treadmill takes shock absorption technology to a whole new level. The curved running surface reduces your pressure points; hence, running on the curved surface is easier and less likely to get injured.
The curved shape positions your strike at an angle; it reduces the overall pressure transferred to the machine, eventually reducing the reactionary force. On a regular motorized treadmill, maximum force is transferred to the running belt, maximizing pressure points. It leads to a destabilizing machine that leads to injuries and ineffective workouts.
The curved treadmill is made for high intensity workout sessions, and a weaker shock system would mean an unenjoyable workout that stops you from attaining your fitness goals. The best curved treadmills equip a premium shock absorption system that absorbs your foot strikes and doesn’t cause any rattling. The curved treadmill therefore has a longer life, and doesn’t need any frequent repairs.
High Quality Curved treadmill
As it is said, ‘the sweetness of the tea is dependent on how much sugar you choose to add. More the sugar, the sweeter it tastes.’ Although sugar is a no-go to our fitness goals, the example is true for treadmills. The better features and high-quality components come at a higher price.
A regular treadmill can have a cheaper alternative; you can find a manual treadmill from a Chinese manufacturer for as low as £500. Similarly, you can get a motorized treadmill for about £1200; Although these treadmills come from a cheaper price, they don’t usually last as long as you would want them to. Treadmill is already a hefty purchase, and if it requires frequent repairs, the cost of maintaining it overpowers any joy of the workout.
The price of a treadmill depends on the cost of its material; a manufacturer doesn’t produce the treadmill to curb the health issues of the world, they aim at ensuring the firm earns enough profit to keep them in business for a long time. Hence, they need to adjust the prices of a treadmill depending on its cost. Curved treadmills are sold at a high price due to the cost of material. The treadmills are designed for athletes and HIIT trainers; therefore, a company can’t compromise on the quality of the treadmill otherwise the treadmill won’t last.
curved manual treadmills come with advanced console, running belt, shock system, side rails and structure. The high quality components increase the life of the treadmill and it enhances the workout experience. Therefore, even if the cost of the treadmill is high, its long life lowers the depreciation cost and you won’t need to worry about a new purchase for about five years.
High End Running belt
If you have ran on motorized treadmills and curved treadmills, you would agree that the running belt of a curved treadmill feel different and premium. The curved running belt is made of high-grade rubber with a balanced composition of polythene and elastane; both of the components not only make the belt easier to run on but they also ensure the longevity of the machine.
The curved treadmill has a concave shape and advanced elastane technology that creates a regular posture, allowing you to run for longer intervals without getting tired. The belt’s technology also helps the movement of your strikes, creating a effective motion for your strides.
Heavier Components
So far, we have mentioned the applicability of curved treadmills for high intensity training; the idea of the treadmill was devised to suffice the purpose. Experts noted that a higher incline doesn’t helps in strength training and sprint intervals as most trainers expect them to; although the higher incline burns more calories, the metabolic rate stays fairly consistent due to the workout procedure.
However, a curved treadmill allows trainers to run at their natural pace without restricting the calorie burn. The concave shape of the treadmill means that the workout requires more oxygen, boosting your metabolic rate; therefore, your body burns more calories and is under a higher strain, helping you in building strength for longer workouts.
precisely, curved treadmills required heavier components that could endure heavy pressure during fast paced runs. Weaker components are prone to falling apart if high pressure is exerted. The heavier components result in a higher cost that pushes the overall price of the treadmill. Similarly, the heavier components need to be adjusted to ensure their viability for the long run; heavier components require additional expertise to manufacture, which ultimately pushes the cost.
Angular Parts
The higher designing cost is another reason behind the high price of a curved manual treadmill.
A traditional treadmill may be efficient in burning fats and enhancing endurance, but it doesn’t look aesthetically pleasing. The consistent design of a flat treadmill has been used for far too long, and our eyes are no longer attracted to it. A curved treadmill is non-conventional, and its arched shape is liked by most users. Nonetheless, the unquie shape comes at a high price.
Belts, base and structure has to be molded to accommodate the parts in a curved treadmill. However, as you may expect, the curved parts aren’t easy to create. Poor installation would mean the treadmill doesn’t last long and the workout isn’t enjoyable. Hence, manufacturers have to take the bitter bite and spend more in ensuring an ultimate fitting that doesn’t malfunction.
Another reason for spending more on a machine’s designing is to ease the trainer’s motion. While we were discussing flat treadmill belt, we mentioned that rotating it can lead to an undue strain on your joints, leading to injuries. If the curved treadmill didn’t had angular components, the belt would be harder to rotate, meaning the purpose of buying a manual curved treadmill was inexistent.
Production Facilities
It isn’t necessarily a primary reason behind the high costs, but production facilities do have an impact on the price of a product. You would know that the price of a product is dependent on its demand and supply; if a product has restricted supply, the price would automatically skyrocket. As curved treadmills are relatively new, we don’t have similar market competition for curved treadmills in comparison to traditional treadmills.
A primary reason for less producers is the difficulty of its production; you might have notied from our eariler discussion that a curved treadmill has a complex production proceudre; it is expensive to produce, and requires high-end machinery. Instead of going for its production, exiting producers try to focus on a more-selling item; hence, the number of suppliers doesn’t increase.
The lack of competition gives producers a margin to attain higher profits and have a laidback approach on efficiency. However, as demand rises for curved treadmills, we can expect additional producers to enter the market to benefit from higher profits. The increased producers will soon approach to be efficient and price wars will drive the price down. Considering new entrants in 2022, we can expect the fall in price to come as early as 2023.
Customer Base
A high stride angle isn’t a up of tea for all runners; aged trainers and beginners prefer to run at a fixed pace on an electric treadmill. The belt rotates on its own, and less strain is induced on trainer’s body. Therefore, they won’t usually go for a curved treadmill, even if the price were a bit cheaper.
