Things To Look for When Buying A Treadmill That Many Buyers Miss

Thinking about buying a treadmill? Excited about the prospect of being able to workout anytime in the comfort of your own home gym?

That's great - but you'll want to make sure you look for specific features when shopping to ensure you find the right treadmill for you. Missing these things can mean the difference between a workout you love and one that is just so-so.

With that in mind, here are some tips on what to look for when buying your treadmill:

#1 Good Cushioning

Cushioning is the ability of the treadmill to absorb the force of your step. Cushioning gives you grater protection for your knees, hips, back and ankles.

Unfortunately cushioning doesn't get the respect it deserves these days because it's not "flashy".

But, especially if you'll be running - it's extremely important. This is why you want a high quality brand with a solid cushioning system.

Most good brands like Sole, Nordictrack or LifeFitness will give you good cushioning without you even having to check for it.

But if you want to check, you can always go out to a fitness store and walk on different treadmills to see how they feel. You'll notice varying levels of cushioning and may find one you like better than another.

#2 Incline

Treadmill incline is a feature in almost all treadmills these days (unless you're going extremely cheap). But what most people miss is that there are levels of incline.

Starter treadmills will give you about 0 - 10% incline while mid-range and higher end models will give you up to 15% incline.

Why is this important?

Well, if you plan on using your treadmill a lot for high intensity intervals you'll want as high an incline level as you can get. There's nothing like topping out at the 10% level and having nowhere to go.

If you're in reasonably good shape, I'd estimate you're going to be reaching that 10% incline in about a week to a month.

So look for a machine with more incline - so you have more room to grow.

#3 Console Options

You definitely want to look for a console that is bright and backlit - so you can read your workout feedback easily. You also want to find a treadmill with a console that is well laid out and easy to use.

There's no point in getting something that's so complicated you have to have a PhD just to figure it out.

Another thing to check is whether there are prominent and easy to reach stop/start buttons and a safety key. These will come in handy if you ever stumble.

Finally, you'll want to make sure you get a constant reading of your workout stats - not one that toggles back and forth between miles and calories burned for example.

#4 Long Side Bars

This is something almost NOBODY thinks about. But since this is all about things most buyers miss, it fits right into this post perfectly.

If you look at different treadmills, you'll notice that the side bars that stretch out from the console are of various lengths depending on the brand and model.

Some are shorter and some are longer.

Why is this important?

Well, longer side bars tend to make people feel safer than shorter side bars. This is because you feel like you have something on either side of you as you're walking - kind of like bumpers on either side if you move a little bit too far one way or another.

That doesn't mean shorter side bars are NOT as safe - it's really about the perception of safety. This is also important in elderly exercisers as well who prefer to feel safer as they are walking.


So those are some things to look for when shopping for a treadmill that most buyers miss.

Keep them in mind when you're looking for your treadmill and you're more likely to find a treadmill you can use for years to come!