Why You Shouldn’t Waste Your Money on Manual Treadmills
Manual treadmills may seem ideal for your wallet since they are relatively cheap treadmills, but your feet, body, and workouts can suffer in the long run if you purchase one. The whole purpose behind having a piece of home exercise equipment is to facilitate your workouts so you get optimal results. Using a manual treadmill can complicate a workout and even hinder your progress.
Since there is no motor in a manual treadmill, you have to provide the power to move the belt. The problem is the belts on most of these treadmills are difficult to bring up to speed at a flat or even slight incline. Most people find they have to put the treadmill in a sharp incline to get the belt in motion.
Manual treadmills also lack momentum. Unlike a motorized treadmill, every time you slow down on a manual treadmill, you will have to bring the belt back up to speed again yourself. While this may sound like a good way to burn calories, it doesn’t benefit you long term. In addition, your feet, knees, and joints probably won’t like the abuse of having to keep the treadmill belt moving.
In regards to momentum, to burn the largest amount of calories that you can, you need to maintain a fluid run or walk. You can’t do this on a manual treadmill because they have no push to them. When you ease up and slow down, so will it. A manual treadmill makes it nearly impossible to maintain a consistent and regulated workout. Yes, you will probably burn some extra calories as you continually work to keep the momentum going. However, in the long run, more calories will be burned if you stay at a consistent and regulated pace like you would on motorized treadmills.
Manual treadmills are bad investments because they can actually take time away from your workout. Most people don’t have a lot of time to workout. The time spent having to get on and off a machine to adjust its incline, and the constant slowing down and building back of a manual treadmill’s momentum is really a waste of precious time. A manual treadmill’s lack of features also makes it very easy to grow bored. Boredom can easily turn into exercise procrastination!
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.