Santa's bringing me a treadmill this Christmas. I've been doing some research about them, but I've never used one before. What qualities should I be looking for in a good treadmill? Some list a cupholder as a great design feature, but I have a hard time believing that is a make or break issue. Thanks for your input.

Go to the Library or a friend and look up treamills in Consumer Report's index, they did a rating in the last year or so. I have been happy with their input when making my choices.

Mimi

My Water bottle is ususally on the kitchen bench because there's dumbells in the cupholders in my treadmill, lol.

What I love about mine:

fans in the console. They keep you SO much cooler.

Great programs. There's still some programs on mine that I havent been able to master yet and I've been running 3 years now.

It has some bells and whistles - like you can plug a stereo or telly directly into the console - I've never used that, just wear my ipod. YOu can also control the treadmill via the computer as you can plug it in and you could download endless programs from itrain, as its no longer the current model Nordic Track I'm dont think you can do that any more. I've never used those features.

good wide deck - the treadmill is gym quality. Cheap treadmills just arent worth it.

Here's what I think is important for a treadmill:

I like running, but it gets somewhat boring and monotonous for me, so I need something to change it up. No incline and fast speed is only one way to get your heart rate up. The other way is keep the speed slower and increase the incline. I would definitely recommend getting a treadmill that allows you to change the incline. I do it manually, but I like having programs that will automatically adjust the incline for me. That way I'm forced to keep up with the program that it's set at instead of doing it myself.

If you plan to do a lot of walking and want to read while your on the treadmill, then make sure there's a ledge to put your magazine or book. I use the ledge for my ipod.

Another thing that is important for me is how the time/calories/distance is displayed. It's a motivational factor for me. I like that I can see my distance, calories, incline, speed and heart rate all at the same time. Some machines flash them in a repeating sequence, which I don't care for. I like to do a certain speed for a certain time interval and and it's hard to do that if I can't see the clock the whole time. Or I can't see how far I've gone the whole time if I'm trying to reach a certain distance.

I also have a club-level quality treadmill, so I have some extra feautures that are not necessary, but are still nice. I have a little track display that is goes around in an oval and as you go a certain distance little displays light up to show you how far you've gone around the track. It's another one of those motivational things. Totally uneccesary, but nice.

I also have fans built into the display console, which keep me cool. If the room you're working out in isn't so cool, you can always just get a stand fan and place it facing you on the treadmill, which works just as well as the mini fans.

You want a treadmill that will give you an accurate heart rate. I use this a lot to gauge if I need to work harder.

I like having a cup holder because I like having my Water right there while I'm exercising.

Also look at the weight capacity. I weighed over 300lbs when I started using a treadmill, so I wanted something that could withstand my weight and the wear and tear overall of using the machine. And I wasn't just walking. I would jog for small periods of time too. You want to feel like you can jog and run without the fear that you're breaking the treadmill. That's why it might be worth it to spend a little bit extra to get a better quality treadmill because they tend to be sturdier and have higher weight capacities.

Thanks for all of your information. The treadmill is being delivered today and I'll be walking this afternoon!

I love my treadmill and utilize all the time. The features I like the most is the Ifit computerized trainer system. Fan, incline to 12%, 10 mph speed. Holds weight of 300 pounds. It monitors my pulse. And it has a cut off switch. It is a Norditrack.

Happy walking.

Mine's a Nordic Track C2050 - you're sounds exactly the same as mine RedTulip.

I know you have already bought your treadmill but I'll recomend one for the benifit of others. I have had a Blades ION 9.9T for about one and a half years and it has stood up to my heavy but very well. I found mine on sale for $550.

The Bladez ION 9.9 Folding Treadmill is for Consumers seeking User Friendly Controls combined with Power, Performance and Overall Value. The Bladez ION 9.9 Folding Treadmill is Built Rock Solid with a Robotically Welded Steel Frame and uses a Reliable 2.5 Continuous Duty HP Commercial Grade Drive Motor that can take the Foot Pounding of a 370 LB Runner. Superb Performance, Dependability and Fold-up Convenience with Super Low Closeout Pricing make the ION 9.9 a Best Buy Folding Treadmill.

Okay, I've got the treadmill and it's HUGE! I'm still getting used to it. It has ifit, which others have mentioned. They are these memory cards that have preprogrammed workouts. Can you tell me if you like using these workouts and how much the cards cost? Thanks so much.

i have a treamill too & i love it, i plug in my ipod & away i go, i was going to get the one with the tv screen but i thought that way a bit too OTT for me, it had to be packed away for xmas to all for room in one of the guest bedrooms, tonight hubby is getting it back from under the bed, as it folds away nicely by taking 2 bolts out (easy)

Its sooo heavy to move..cost abut $1000..well worth it, bearing in mind im in the UK where everything over here is sooo very expensive

Massive 22KPH Max Speed

6.5 HP Peak Motor

Extra Large 7’ Blue LCD Screen

20 Stage Motorised Incline

150 kg Maximum User Weight (23.5 Stones)

12 Months Warranty

MP3 / i-pod Socket and High Quality Speakers

Hand Pulse Sensors

Extra Large Running Deck (45cm wide)

Space Saving Folding Mechanism

Easy Wheel Manoeuvrability

Shock Absorbent Running Deck

Minimum Assembly Required

2 Man Delivery

Jachut- I have some type of Star-Trac, I think Star-Trac Pro.

My treadmill doesn't have any of those ifit things.

Edited December 30, 200817 yr by RedTulips3