Saturday 15 February 2014

Why You Should Use A Treadmill... Or Run Outside

There's a distinct difference between running outside and on treadmill, and they both have their positives and negatives. The top notch benefit of using a treadmill is that you will never have to contend with the elements of being outside, which depending on where you are in world can get bitterly cold or sizzling hot.

There's a cushioned surface on the treadmill that will lessen the impact of running, which can reduce the number of shin splints that occur from outside running. There are motivational factors that make a treadmill a very appealing form of exercising where you have the power to manually adjust your terrain with different speeds, all controlled by you and your fingertips.

Depending on where you are, it may be extremely difficult to find such terrain differences to ensure that you have a diverse running path, something that a treadmill can offer at all times.

The downside to the treadmill if there is one is that it confines you the size of the treadmill, which in turn will limit the amount of capable movement you can perform.

Running, jogging, or walking outside can maximize the amount your muscles are impacted through the movement in your body caused by the terrain and this has been known to cause more calories to be burned as a result. So the ability to limit your body's natural running movement is the only drawback to using a treadmill.

If you do use a treadmill, it is highly advised not to use it more than 30-45 minutes per session as your body will be maxed out at that point.

If you do not feel that your body is getting enough out of it, then you are encouraged to begin some type of interval training on the machine, which will vary your length and terrain as you see fit. It is also recommended that you should use some form of weight training with cardio exercises to reap total benefit.

If you are looking to burn some calories a treadmill, or any cardio machine for that matter, will give you the maximize desired benefits. It is not about how long you use this machine but the variance of your workout that will determine the effectiveness of what you are doing that will show you how great the treadmill is.

Paul Johnson works tech support for New York based Internet Publishing company, DigiLectual Inc. He's lost a lot of weight with a fitness regime that includes Treadmills. He shares his knowledge and research on treadmills in a series of articles.

paul_article@yahoo.com

Friday 7 February 2014

Keys Treadmills In Review

Keys treadmills are a good quality range of treadmills offering brilliant motor warranties and some nice features. They are priced between $1,000 to $2,300 so offer a decent machine at a cost effective price.

The best feature of keys treadmills is the motor warranty which is set to 10 years. One of the most important parts of a treadmill is the motor and if it breaks down the repair cost can usually be quite hefty. With a 10 year warranty you will have no such worries. This also provides testament to the durability of these machines.

If you are overweight or expect to be using the treadmill a lot then a keys treadmill might be worth looking at further.

What amazes me is although the machines have a 10 year motor warranty they are only priced in the mid-price range. A lot of commercial treadmills that have 10 years motor warranties are priced $5,000 and up. Some even approach $10,000.

Keys Fitness, manufacture all their treadmills in the USA but import parts from overseas to help them stay competitive. As a result their machines may not be as high a quality compared to other machines made solely in the US where an eye can be kept over the production process.

Advantages

The price tag of these machines range from as little as $1,000 and as high as $2,300. For this price, you'll get a 10 year motor warranty and a lifetime warranty on frames. If durability is your number one concern then Keys treadmills offer a serious advantage over other brands.

Disadvantages

As they are not made entirely in the USA their structural quality may not be as good as other better known brands. Also $2,000 might be a bit steep for some people so you might be better off looking at cheaper treadmills that still have a decent motor warranty (about 3 years).

Recommendation

Although this brand is known for being of average structural quality, newer models have been showing some improvements. For most people a 10 year warranty is not essential, 3 years will suffice. I recommend for people considering a Key treadmill to look at other brands with a lower motor warranty but better overall quality.

Thursday 23 January 2014

So, You're Looking For Discount Treadmills. Decision Time.

A treadmill, although one of the best pieces of indoor fitness equipment that it is possible to buy, is not cheap. A good one will set you back thousands. And discount treadmills are not easy to find. "Discount treadmills" is very often searched on the net. What options are there for these people who are searching for discount treadmills, and what is it that they are actually looking for?

 A "discount treadmill" can be any one of a number of things. And discount treadmills means different things to different people.

To some people it can just mean cheap treadmills. These are people who just want a treadmill, but don't want to pay a lot. As long as it does the job that's fine. Nothing flash, just a cheap treadmill.

What are the best ways to get a cheap treadmill? Well there's a few and we'll look at them in a minute.

To other people a discount treadmill is a new treadmill at a significantly reduced new price. It doesn't have to be cheap, in fact they may well be looking for expensive treadmills, as long as they find them at discount prices.

Discount prices for treadmills are not easy to find, either for new expensive treadmills, or new cheap ones. The best place to find the best prices for treadmills in on the net. No doubt.

Why are there more discount treadmills on the net? Think about this. A regular treadmill store needs to sell treadmills to someone who walks in the door. So it needs to be close to the customers. To be close to lots of customers it needs lots of stores close to lots of people. That means a lot of expensive buildings situated on lots of expensive real estate. That leads to high overheads.

An online store, on the other hand, can have one large building to service it's entire market. And where can it locate it? Cheap real estate. One building and cheap real estate add up to lower overheads. Hence that store can compete better on price than a local store.

 Many discount treadmills are sold direct by the manufacturer to the end user. This also cuts out one or more layers of profit between the manufacturer and the customer so the manufacturer can compete even more on price, although if they also have other stores selling their products they need to be careful not to put their own distributors out of business.

So, if you're looking for discount treadmills, then do it on the net. How do you find the best prices? Well of course that is the age old question, and one incapable of complete answer. Because of course online business is business none the less and all the stores need to compete. On price as well as other factors.

However like regular business, there are opportunities to pick up a discount treadmill. Online stores have sales too. So if you're prepared to wait and bide your time then you can pick up a good deal if you catch a sale.

And you can pick up a good discount treadmill at an end of stock sale or run out. Where they are selling them out just to clear them for the new model. If you are prepared to keep your ear to the ground and wait until new models are about to appear, then contact the merchant and enquire about the model about to be superceded then you may get a great discount treadmill.

Of course, all this takes some work and time.

What about someone who just wants a cheap treadmill? There's a few options. Firstly work out exactly what features you need and which ones you don't. If you are prepared to accept a lower level of features and buy the most basic models you can get some great treadmills for well under $1000. There are well known brands such as Proform which offer very good models for these prices without all the features of the upmarket models, but which work well.

If you are looking for really cheap treadmills then why not consider a manual treadmill? Undoubtedly they are not the best treadmills, you have to power them yourself and there are disadvantages to this. On the upside, there is no motor to break down!

Other sources of discount treadmills, or just plain cheap treadmills, also exist. Why not consider a refurbished treadmill, or a remanufactured treadmill? These are second hand treadmills which have been stripped down to a certain degree and rebuilt. There are some things to know about before buying one of these, and we can't go into all that here, however remanufactured treadmills are well worth considering.

These can also be sourced on the internet.

Alternatively there are second hand treadmills. These are, of course, just used treadmills that someone is trying to sell. There can be traps for the unwary with second hand or used treadmills. So if you are intending to go this way then do your homework and know exactly what to look for before you start looking. Buyer beware!

Another source of very cheap treadmills can be your local gym. Gyms have large numbrs of treadmills and get rid of them from time to time to make way for new ones. Again though, all the warnings about second hand treadmills apply to these too.

So, if you are looking for discount treadmills, there are some things to think about. First decide on your basic needs. What features do you need (not want) and what don't you need. Research the lower end of the market for treadmills which offer the features you need, and no more.

Decide if you want new or second hand. New discount treadmills require some time following the market, researching the prices, and using your head. It takes time.

Used discount treadmills offer other choices. Are you sufficiently experienced to buy second hand with the attendant risks? Would you prefer a machine that has been refurbished, with a warranty? There is still lots to think about.

So, if you are in the market for discount treadmills, get your pen and paper out, and start writing. Work out exactly what it is you are after!

Friday 17 January 2014

Burn Calories And Enhance Body Sculpting Results With Challenging Workouts On An Incline Treadmill

Incline treadmill is suitable for wide range of therapies and workouts. Incline treadmill provides a more challenging way to increase the workload in terms of distance without going faster. Incline treadmill simulates an uphill climb, while the electronics can be programmed to create running or walking. Incline treadmill strengthens muscles and burns calories allowing the user to lose more weight.

The greater the incline angle on the treadmill the more muscle activity, greater body motion and more exertion. This is the principle of the incline treadmill which brings in fat loss, good body sculpting results and loss of calories results. People desire to achieve these as to maintain healthy bodies that look great.

 The more the incline on the treadmill, the greater the calories will be burned on the treadmill simply because walking at an incline on the treadmill causes more muscle activity and greater range of motion. Incline treadmill engages the lower body muscle group, forces people to incline at each step, exert themselves and significantly burn more calories than walking on a flat surface of the treadmill. With the incline treadmill people can enhance their total body sculpting as never before.

Objectives of fat loss, burn calories and better heart health can be achieved using the incline angle of the treadmill. Incline treadmill workouts can be done while watching TV and there is no need to go outdoors for walking. People can get a healthy cardio workout with walking at a brisk pace on a treadmill and then increase the incline with no side effects. This will reduce lower back injury problems and knee problems incurred while running or walking on outdoor concrete.

Adjustable resistance cardio cables during exercise increases the calorie burning potential by providing total upper-body resistance workout as people walk or run on the incline treadmill. Treadmill at an inclined angle operates smoothly with no effects or problems and enables individual to walk or run on it and achieve workout results.

Treadmill stress starts with individuals walking on a treadmill at an easy walking pace and then increasing the incline angle after every few minutes. This makes the individual do more work and is similar to walking up a gradual inclined hill.

With increase in the treadmill incline, larger steps are compensated by leaning forward from the waist which puts the center of gravity forward more and increases the use of muscles to maintain the forward lean of the upper torso. This burns more calories and provides a good workout. Beginners on a treadmill are advised to initially walk on the flat surface of the treadmill and over time they can increase the speed and incline several times higher than what they began with on the treadmill.

Workouts over the incline treadmill all the time can generate negative effects on ankles and tendons. People should avoid and restrict themselves to 10% inclination on the treadmill. People should take care that they don't overdo themselves while using the treadmill at incline angle and stress themselves. People should stop the workout on the incline treadmill if the speed and the incline start causing problems to shins, calves or even heart.

Incline treadmill is an effective and ideal solution to lose fat, burn calories and achieve body sculpting results. However, individuals should take care so as to avoid over stressing or over working on the inclined treadmill which may create problems for them.

Wednesday 15 January 2014

Epic Treadmills - Good Value Or Not?

Epic treadmills are well known in the treadmill market for their budget range of treadmills. Epic treadmills are one of the lines of treadmills manufactured by Icon fitness, the largest of all the fitness equipment manufacturers and the company which manufactures, amongst others, Proform treadmills.

Icon has over $1 billion of sales of fitness equipment worldwide so is a substantial manufacturer. It manufactures reasonable quality machines for the lower end of the market but doesn't compete with the much more expensive brands at the upper end.

Epic treadmills are sold by Costco, the discount gym equipment retailer (amongst others) so you should expect low prices.

The most well known of all the epic treadmills is the epic t60 treadmill. In fact this treadmill is really the only model amongst the epic treadmill range that is well recognised.

One of the reasons for this is that the epic t60 treadmill is well rated by some of the nets treadmills rating sites as a good value buy. And the epic t60 is therefore a good seller.

The treadmill doctor rated the epic t60 a "best buy" in the price range $500 to $1000, however noted some deficiencies in the treadmill none the less. In particular they noted problems with the keypad and the rollers, but you're not going to get the perfect treadmill for under $1000.

The epic t60 has a powerful motor. It has a good cushioned running platform and can accommodate runners up to 350 lbs. It has an impressive range of user features including iFit technology, an interactive feature that Icon put on their Proform treadmills as well.

With iFit your workout becomes more interesting. Hook up to the internet and track your fitness and progress. iFit will devise a personal workout program for you, so that each time you set foot on your treadmill, you will have a new goal to reach, and a personal best to beat. Competing with yourself is a great way to increase the challenge.

iFit technology also allows you listen to music as you workout, and provides inspirational images that can be the backdrop to your run.

The epic t60 can be folded away after you have done your workout. This is a worthwhile feature as treadmills are very large pieces of equipment and take up a lot of space.

 The epic t60 treadmill boasts a worthwhile warranty on the motor, but not necessarily on the rest of the treadmill. A 12 year warranty on the motor is good, but 90 days for the rest isn't so good.

Epic treadmills aren't known for long warranties.

But are epic treadmills the best value? There is no point in buying an epic treadmill merely for a great price if it isn't the best value.

And good value isn't just a case of a good price. Customer service and warranty come into it too. And on those the epic treadmills tend to fall down a little.

So if you are looking for an epic treadmill, or even an epic t60, there's something to think about. Don't dismiss them out of hand, however, they are good treadmills for the price, just not as well supported as they could be. And if you can buy an extended warranty with the treadmill at a reasonable price then this would be worthwhile.

Where do you buy them? Well they are available at Costco, but the range is very limited. And at the time of writing the epic t60 treadmill is not listed for sale at Costco. That's something else to think about. If you really want one then try and find out why they don't seem to offer them at the moment. This may of course change though.

So, epic treadmills, good value or not? It depends, but don't buy one without a little more investigation.

Friday 10 January 2014

Landice Treadmill

Landice Inc. has been in business for over 35 years and specializes in making only treadmills. Landice has placed over 50,000 treadmills in health clubs and gyms. Landice treadmills are generally viewed as commercial treadmills.

Landice treadmills are not affordable for every user. Landice treadmill pricec starts at $2995.

Landice makes commercial and high end home treadmills. The LTD series of Landice treadmills is built for home use or light commercial use, whereas the Club series is constructed for very heavy use in club or gym environments.

Landice treadmills include a range of features. Few Landice treadmill models offer buyers the protection of a lifetime residential treadmill warranty. This warranty keeps the retail value of the Landice treadmill models at a high price. All Landice treadmills have large walking/running areas with the motor power (3HP) to back it up. Landice treadmills are known for customer satisfaction and have been rated well by users. Landice treadmills offer some of the highest quality construction in the market.

All Landice treadmills offer aircraft locking hardware which makes the frame stronger, high inertia cast flywheel that gives a smooth feel while protecting the motor from stress, wear & tear, 400-500 pound user weight capacity which is great for heavier users, 4 ply tread belts which are twice as strong as the 2 ply tread belts which prolongs the life of the tread belt and VFX (Variable Flex) cushioning which absorbs shock in vertical, side to side or rocking motions to avoid injuries to joints and knees.

The high price is the only drawback of the Landice treadmill. For runners, serious trainers, high end home users and gyms, Landice treadmill is the best option.

The Landice L7 treadmill features a 3.0HP motor with whisper drive, a 20 x 58 inch four-ply tread belt cushioned by VFX shock absorption and 15% electric elevation. This treadmill offers 2.5 inch and 14 pound rollers to bear user weights up to 400 pounds.

The Landice L7 treadmill is good for weight-loss programs. This model offers a lifetime warranty on the frame, parts and wear items and one year on labor for residential and home use treadmills.

The Landice L8 treadmill is a full featured treadmill suitable for weight loss programs and for larger users requiring a wide training surface and durable machines. This model of treadmill offers running surface up to 22 x 63", 500 pound user weight capacity, 3-1/2 diameter & 22 pound steel rollers, 15% electric grade elevation and maximum speed range between 0.5 - 12 mph.

Landice Inc. offers commercial grade treadmills in their L9 series and in the L7 and L8 club-grade models. All of these offer heavy-duty features and stronger warranties to meet the rigorous demands of the club and sports fitness markets.

Landice treadmills are high quality and reliable treadmills. However some of their features are not needed by users. Landice treadmills are mostly used for commercial purposes.

Wednesday 8 January 2014

Life Fitness treadmill a great piece of exercise equipment for users

Life Fitness treadmills have been designed in such a way that they fit well in almost any home. Not only that, but Life Fitness treadmills are also priced to be affordable for most of the people looking for a treadmill and they have all the features that they need in order to get a good workout without having to travel anywhere.

Life Fitness treadmills are being used by numerous world champion athletes, top athletes, military personnel and health club members.

Life Fitness offers two Life Fitness treadmill lines: Life Fitness Cardio and Life Fitness Sport Cardio. There are seven different Life Fitness treadmill options in the first line (T3, T3i, T5, T5i, T7, and T9i/e) and two in the second line.

 Life Fitness offers the T-series as a direct descendant of its commercial model series, starting with the standard quality T3, their benchmark value model, and topping out with the Life Fitness T9i, recommended by Health Magazine.

Basic treadmills are included in the T3 series of Life Fitness treadmill models. There are two choices in this category viz the T3 and the T3i. Both of these Life Fitness treadmill models offer a large number of features including classic workouts (hill, random, manual), sport training workouts (sport training, 5K sport training, 10K sport training) and EZ Incline TM workouts. Display options on the T3 and T3i models of Life Fitness treadmill include display of elapsed time, distance, speed, incline, heart rate, calories per hour and calories burnt.

Both Life Fitness treadmill models can accommodate speeds up to 10 miles per hour and an incline of 15%. The T3i Life Fitness treadmill includes heart features including Polar Telemetry® and heart rate zone training workouts (cardio, fat burn, heart rate hill, heart rate interval and extreme heart rate). Life Fitness treadmills in the T3 series consist of a 2.5HP motor and supports inclination up to 15%.

Life Fitness treadmills in the T5 series are meant for competitive running. The main difference between a Life Fitness treadmill in the T3 series and the T5 series is that those in the T5 series are capable of speeds up to 12 miles per hour.

The Life Fitness T5 treadmill provides a wide & long walking area and a powerful drive motor. It has a few less programs and a simpler display than the T5i but features the same durable construction throughout.

A Life Fitness treadmill from the T7 line, adds daily training workouts to the package (30-minute walk, 3-mile jog, 45-minute cross-train) and customizable workouts.

Finally, the T9 series of Life Fitness treadmill models have additional customizable workouts, speed interval training, pace mode, calories goal, distance goal, and time in zone goal, as well as Life Pulse TM digital heart rate monitoring. The Life Fitness T9i treadmill bears up to 400 pounds weight and features a 5/8 inch 60 x 20 inch belt with cushioned deck, 3.5 inch roller and 4.0HP motor. This treadmill series offers a top speed of 12 MPH, inclines up to 15% and provides readouts/feedbacks. It also provides 16 preset programs as well as six custom memory slots for personal workouts and it monitors heart rate through Ergo hand sensors and a wireless chest strap.

The warranty period on Life Fitness treadmill models is impressive. Life Fitness treadmill provides lifetime warranty on frame and shock absorbers, fifteen years warranty on the motor, three years warranty on electrical and mechanical parts and one year warranty on labor. The Life Fitness T9 treadmill series provides a lifetime warranty on the motor and ten years warranty on electrical and mechanical parts.

A Life Fitness treadmill can get users well on their way to fitness. With the wide variety of workout options available, even on their basic models, users will never be bored. If users are keeping a close eye on their cardiovascular fitness, the heart monitoring available on a Life Fitness treadmill can't be beat.

A Life Fitness treadmill might be the best treadmill choice for users. If users are going to use a Life Fitness treadmill, they should make sure that they know what they are doing before using it. Users should always make sure that they are very comfortable walking on their Life Fitness treadmill device before they decide to start running. This is always the case no matter what model or style of Life Fitness treadmill they own.

Before buying a Life Fitness treadmill model users should take a look at the different features that are offered with the treadmill model. Users should make sure that the treadmill motor has a high continuous duty rating and has a long warranty.

Life Fitness treadmills have an excellent life span. Some of the popular discount Life Fitness treadmills are model numbers 5500, 8500 and T3i. No matter how strenuous workouts users desire (use of hand weights to tone arms and body while walking/running on the treadmill), Life Fitness treadmills are a great piece of exercise equipment.