Best Treadmills, Folding Treadmills, LifeSpan Treadmills, Gym, Home, & Commercial Treadmills

A treadmill, also known as a home treadmill or a commercial gym treadmill, is one of the most popular exercise machines used at home or an exercise center. Treadmills are used at home as an alternative exercise to outdoor activities when the weather is icy, wet, too hot, or too cold to safely and comfortably exercise. Gym treadmills are used as part of a larger aerobic workout program or as a safe, all-body warm-up before strength training. 

Some treadmills have a conveyor belt powered manually by the user where the rate of speed at which the belt moves is controlled by the rate of the user’s walking or running speed. Many people now prefer a motorized treadmill with a conveyor belt driven by an electric motor or a flywheel and included electronic workout features and improved durability. Motorized treadmills are suitable for longer training sessions with long endurance sessions while manual treadmills are generally used for shorter workouts.

Treadmill vs. Elliptical

Treadmills and ellipticals simulate the user’s natural running or walking motion to boost cardio fitness. A treadmill allows the user to walk or run on a moving belt at a controlled speed as well as a pre-arranged incline. Treadmills allow faster running speeds compared to most ellipticals. With an elliptical, the user places their feet on a platform and moves in an ellipse, or elongated circle to simulate stair climbing, walking, or running without causing excessive pressure to the joints.

Benefits of a Treadmill

A treadmill offers various speeds to control the type of cardio exercise for the user to participate in. Treadmill speeds range from a brisk walk, a gentle jog, or a fast run on a flat surface or at an inclined angle. Besides enhancing cardio health, using a treadmill can strengthen leg muscles, including quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, hip flexors, and glutes.

Types of Treadmills

Motorized treadmills are durable electronic exercise machines that offer various belt speeds ranging from 0.5 mph to over 12 mph. Some advanced treadmills have platforms that can be elevated at an angle or preset programs that offer easily defined workouts to simulate a running route with hills. Other clinical treadmills can provide bi-directional belt motion for retro walking and gait observations, heart rate sensors to optimize user safety and allow patients to actively track their heart rate.

The Endurance Cardio Walking Treadmill is a typical standard motorized treadmill that is great for beginners and seniors. There are padded full-length handrails to provide comfort and safety with a treadmill speed ranging between 0.1 to 5 mph. The LED display shows time, distance, speed, heart rate, and calories burned.

The XT185 Folding Treadmill for Home Use by Spirit Fitness is a durable gym-quality treadmill that's perfect for use at home for users of all skill levels. It is easy to use and has 5 preset programs to facilitate exercise for users of all skill levels and the speed and incline can be set separately. A heart rate monitor and cooling fan help to monitor a workout while staying cool as possible and when done, simply fold up the treadmill for easy out-of-the-way storage.

The TR7000i Commercial Treadmill is built with all-steel construction and four impact-absorbing shocks to replicate real-world environments and is meant to be used as a gym treadmill. Includes 15 incline levels, is Bluetooth compatible to track the user’s health goals, and the intelligent running platform will count the user’s steps and automatically pauses 20-seconds after he steps off of the treadmill.

The Philips ReCare Gait Trainer Treadmill 7.0T is ideal for work in rehabilitation clinics and hospitals with a variety of essential and versatile features that clinicians will need to ensure that patients feel confident towards rehabilitation and physical improvement. It features feedback such as a symmetry index that helps a clinician to assess the user's gait performance which makes its use optimal for physical, neurologically impaired users, pediatric exercises, and the elderly.

A treadmill is a very popular and useful piece of exercise and rehabilitation equipment for all ages. Treadmills can be used in a variety of homes, clinics, or gyms.