There are so many factors to consider when looking to buy a treadmill to use at home. The first thing you need to do is figure out what you are going to be using the treadmill for. Different treadmills are capable of different speeds; if you want a treadmill to walk on, you are likely not going to purchase the same treadmill as a marathon runner.
Table of Contents
Best Treadmills For Home
If you’re looking for a treadmill to buy, check out our list of our favorite treadmills under $600.
Home Treadmill Selection Process (initial)
- Committed or Just Testing The Waters? This will help determine your budget.
- Budget? Low (testing the waters), medium (I’m pretty committed), or high (I’m all in, I want something that will perform today and the future as I get more fit).
- Where Will You Use The Treadmill? Where is a good place to exercise on the treadmill, considering space, ventilation, and appeal (running in a windowless basement is much different from placing the treadmill in front of a big window looking at the backyard).
- Where Will You Store The Treadmill? Ideally you can leave it where it is, and never move it, but if you have to put it away when unused, find a very convenient place to store it.
- How Will You Use The Treadmill? Walking, jogging, or running?
- Next Steps? Once you get thru steps 1-5, you are ready to start looking at reviews for treadmills that are best for your situation: For Running, For Jogging, For Walking
Committed?
Think about where you are in your journey.
- Newbie: new to treadmills or planning to get in shape
- In Shape: Need exercise equipment at home to get better in shape
- Runner: Experienced runner needing to train rain or shine, snow or blistering heat.
Budget?
In general you want something that is reliable and works within your budget. There are some very expensive treadmills out on the market today that have all sorts of cool features like blood pressure monitoring, pre-programmed workouts and even built in fans to keep you cool.
But if your budget is a bit lower you can still find some of these features, they just aren’t as fancy or they contain some features but don’t have others. It is important to think about how you will be using your treadmill months and years down the road because they are expensive units and will likely last you a long time unless you buy one that is of a very low quality.
- Low: Having a low budget doesn’t mean low quality. With so many vendors and models to choose from, even the low budget range has a great selection. For some, a small budget is because they don’t have that much money. For others, they may have the money, but they aren’t sure a home treadmill is going to work for them. If you’re unsure a home treadmill is right for you, a low budget may be a good place to start. If you find out that you’ve met your home workout goals, you can always sell it cheaply on Craigslist, and replace it with a Medium budget home treadmill.
- Medium: This usually means you work out regularly or you’re serious about changing your lifestyle and willing to make the commitment to spend more money to buy a home treadmill with better quality, more features, more durable, and probably with a longer warranty. This is really where you want something that lasts.
- High: You’re a serious athlete that is committed to a home treadmill. Probably looking to upgrade from a medium quality model or buying your first one and have some specific qualities and features needed. Or you could be a Newbie that has the funds and prefers to buy top-of-the line equipment.
Doing proper research is very important and can save you from running into the same problems other customers have run into after they purchased the product.
Where Will You Use The Treadmill?
There are quite a few factors you definitely need to keep in the back of your mind when you are looking around. Things such as how portable the treadmill is, and how much room does it take up could be factors that play a huge role in your final decision. Being able to wheel your treadmill around and get it out of sight is a nice advantage.
Having a treadmill at home is definitely convenient. But there are some serious considerations to be made on where you’ll be using it. There are several factors to consider:
Remove excuses why you don’t want to use the treadmill today
- Which room: Identify all possible options.
- Space: Make sure there’s enough space for the treadmill. Ideally, you can dedicate a room for workout equipment.
- Ventilation: Many runners find using a fan simulates the feel of running outdoors and also helps keep them cool while running
- Electricity: Make sure there’s an electrical outlet nearby. If there isn’t one and you have to use an extension cord, make sure you can leave the cord out and not have pack it up every time you need to use the treadmill.
- View: a view is important to your longterm use of a home treadmill. Which would you rather workout in: a windowless basement or a view of the backyard?
Where Will You Store The Treadmill?
For many people, leaving the treadmill out full time just isn’t possible. They can’t dedicate a room for the treadmill. Their spouse or significant thinks its unsightly and just won’t allow it to be kept out. So thinking about where you’re going to store it is a big decision.
If you pick a place to store it that is a pain to get it in and get it out of, it will be a big excuse to not use it. Trust me, I’ve been there. I’ve bought a lot of exercise equipment and even kitchen appliances that I don’t use as much because it’s stored away and I’m just too lazy to dig it out.
- Distance: Make sure where you plan to use the treadmill is convenient to where you will store it. Rolling or carrying the treadmill can be a workout in itself, so make sure your storage place is convenient. If you store it in the garage, will you really go get it from there and haul it all the way to your workout spot?
- Space: treadmills require a good amount of space when stored. Some foldable treadmills get compact better than others. If you plan to put it in a closet, make sure it won’t block access to other things in that closet. And make sure it doesn’t get blocked in by other stuff either.
How Will You Use The Treadmill?
OK, let’s talk about the treadmill itself now. Thanks for hanging in there. I hope you can see, that for a home treadmill, there are several factors to consider, even before you start deciding which treadmill to buy.
Looking at a high level, there are basically 3 types of treadmills on the market. Some are better than others for walking, jogging, and running.
- Treadmill For Walking: These normally have lighter requirements for things such as deck width, speed, power, cushioning, etc. Most wouldn’t be happy jogging or running on these types of treadmills for any length of time or distance.
- Treadmill For Jogging: These are medium duty treadmills. You’re looking for wider decks, longer treads, perhaps if the budget allows one that has cushioning, etc. Power and durability start to become a concern as well. You start to see more features in this category, such as incline, auto-incline and decline, programmed workouts, etc. Many of these can be used for light running and can do all the walking you need.
- Treadmill For Running: These have the biggest demands. They need to be quality, have wide decks and long tracks, lots of horsepower, speed, and other functions to track and analyze performance. Some of these treadmills in the high budget range can be gym-grade machines, ones that are able to go all day long, 7x24x365. These can do everything well, from running, jogging, and walking.
Once you’ve decided on what you plan to do with the treadmill, you can start the selection process of the best one for you in that category. You’ll see low, medium, and high prices in that category and can now see how much it’d cost to buy, let’s say, a running treadmill in the low budget range.
Next Steps?
Time to check out the reviews! Narrowing down the treadmills for your category is a huge timesaver. It allows you to now focus on treadmill specifics for those in that category.
Hopefully after reading about these great treadmills you have discovered something that works with both your budget as well as for your personal cardiovascular needs. It is always important to look at the negatives as well as the positives when looking at products because nothing is perfect and sometimes the one fault that something has (such as the size of a treadmill) could be the deal breaker and the reason that you don’t want to buy the product.
Walking, jogging, or running on a treadmill is great for your body, your muscles, stress relief as well as piece of mind. Getting 30 minutes per day of exercise is a widely held belief to a healthier lifestyle.
If you’re completely out of shape and or overweight, many folks find it embarrassing to go to a gym, or even to go shopping for workout clothes. A home treadmill is a great way to start your journey from the comfort judgement-free zone of your home.
Remember, no matter what level of fitness you are in today, you’re looking for consistent use and consistent improvement. Some find this kind of workout plan very achievable:
Beginner Workout Plan
- Walk at a pace faster than normal for 10 minutes
- Walk at that same pace, but increase the time until you get up to 30 minutes
- Walk at a brisk pace (for you) for 10 minutes
- Walk at that brisk pace until you get to 30 minutes per day (this is a great place to remain for many people!) Your physical well-being (knee health, age, etc play a big part in how strenuous of a workout you should aim for).
- Do intervals of brisk walking and light jogging
- Graduate to light jogging 10 minutes
- Increase light jogging to longer periods until you get to 30 minutes. Some may stay here, this is a good zone for long term health and weight loss goals.
- Getting more fit, start jogging at a medium pace (for you). Again, aim for 10 minutes, then increase until you’re comfortable doing 30 minutes per day.
- After that, if you so chooose, you’re ready to find some more specific workout plans!
To Conclude:
Everyone is at a different place on their journey to being more fit or achieving some fitness goal. A home treadmill is one of the best pieces of equipment that are simple to use and nothing to learn (we all know how to walk, jog, or run). No bands, movements, or other contortions to get used to in using the equipment.
We wish you all the best in your physical fitness goals and hope you find this website useful. If you do, please follow us using the links above, or share any of these articles with friends and loved ones.
* One last thing, we are not doctors or qualified to be physical trainers. So please, before you embark on any physical exercise, consult your doctor or a physical trainer to ensure you can achieve your fitness goals safely.
~ Peace ~
Be sure to check out our article on the best treadmills under $600.
