You are all psyched up to purchase a treadmill. You go shopping and see there is a bit of a price difference between the manual treadmills and the motorized treadmills. The price tag on the manual treadmill is very appealing because it’s so cheap. Yet, is a manual treadmill really a good investment? To put it simply, no, it’s not a good investment. Manual treadmills can make it harder to reach your workout goals and I’ll explain why.
What makes manual treadmills so cheap? If you have ever walked on one, you know the answer! They have no motor. You are the treadmills motor! If you have never used a manual treadmill before, you should know that most are very difficult to bring up to speed unless they are in a steep incline. This may seem like something you can deal with at first, but unlike motorized treadmills, manual treadmills have no buttons to bring their inclines down. Who wants to walk uphill every workout?
Manual treadmills don’t give you the momentum you need for a good workout. The machine speeds up and slows down as you do. Constantly bringing a machine back up to speed will put a lot of pressure on your feet, knees and joints. Exercise equipment is supposed to facilitate the workout, not make it stressful on the sensitive areas of your body.
To burn the maximum amount of calories possible, your body needs to maintain a fluid walk, run or jog. Manual treadmills do the opposite. When you slow down, it slows down. There is no push. It is nearly impossible to keep motion consistent and regulated on a manual treadmill. You may burn additional calories getting it up and running and then back up to speed when it begins to slow its pace, but in the long run you will burn more calories on a treadmill that is motor driven because it keeps your motion regulated and consistent.
Trying to operate manual treadmills takes a lot of time away from working outing because they have no unique features. If you want to adjust the height of the treadmill you will have to get off of it, adjust it, get back on it and bring it back up to speed manually. The lack of features on manual treadmills also makes it very easy for boredom to take over a workout.
The number one reason people purchase manual treadmills is because they are cheap treadmills. You can find them for a few hundred dollars or less. While that may seem like a good deal, for just a few hundred dollars more, you can often times find a quality used treadmill that is motorized. And if you prefer to buy new, you can find a high-quality motorized treadmill for just under $1,000.
Taking a few extra months to save your money for a motorized treadmill is well worth the wait. Your joints will not be as stressed on a motorized treadmill, you will have better workouts and your workout time will be anything but boring.