If you have already decided that a treadmill is your fitness machine of choice then you may well be some way down the line towards buying one that you can use at home. Before you choose a model to buy, however, you should compare treadmills to find the best option to suit both your fitness needs and your budget.

Although all treadmills work on the basis of helping you to get fit by giving you a motion controlled walking or running platform, not all models come with the same features and benefits. Buying the wrong treadmill could see you waste money that you could have saved or you could simply buy a machine that doesn’t do what you need it to.

Let’s say that you’ve chosen a few treadmills that look good to you. Now answer these questions to see which one comes out best of all:

Question One: Do I need a motorized or a non-motorized model? This is a key factor to consider. A non-motorized model works by you moving the belt when you walk or run on it. A motorized model moves the belt for you. In many cases a motorized model will have more features and functions than a manual treadmill.

Question Two: What kind of exercise is the treadmill suitable for? Some treadmills will give a simple general fitness option here, allowing you to walk or run on their belts. Others will allow you to push yourself harder and faster and/or to train in a specific way. So, for example, an advanced treadmill may allow you to set a slope so you can hill run. Or, it may allow you to monitor mileage, step counts and your heart rate, all of which are useful for race training. If you are looking to lose weight then a calorie burner measure could also be useful.

Question Three: What kind of power options does the treadmill give me? Some trainers need to work hard on a treadmill whilst others are more geared towards jogging on the machine a few times a week. The horsepower that runs a treadmill’s engine may have a bearing here. More powerful machines give you more in-depth and long-term development options. A basic engine, however, may suit many everyday fitness needs.

Question Four: Which treadmill best suits my home gym needs? Treadmills come in all kinds of sizes. Some can be folded away if you have no space to have a static model set up and some complex machines can be quite bulky. It is important to compare actual machine measurements here to make sure that the models that you compare could actually fit into your home.

Question Five: Which treadmill gives me the best value for money? The cost of treadmills will rise according to how powerful they are and which features they offer. So, compare your chosen treadmills and see which ones come with essential features and which ones also have extras that might be ‘nice to have’. Think about how important these features will be to you. For example, if you are looking to lose weight then a calorie burning facility could be useful. However, if you are an experienced runner using a treadmill to train for races then this may not be of so much interest to you.

Hopefully, once you’ve asked yourself these questions you will find it easier to choose the right treadmill for your individual needs. Happy running!

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