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The Tale of the Treadmill Whose Price Was Too Good To Be True
You've decide the convenience and health benefits of a home-based gym are right for you and realize cardio is your number one need. You go to the store with the most ads they have a fantastic number of choices and they are cheap! The young guy at the store tells you about the most amazing Treadmill Deal, you load it into the car, take it back to the house, spend hours assembling it, and stand back to admire it.
The next morning you get up early, put on your gym clothes, turn the machine on and start to run. The machine is kind of wobbly and bounces every step. It feels a little insecure but you continue every morning. By the time three months has passed the belt has torn, you've called and called but no one has come to fix it and it's now sitting in the corner unused. After six weeks, a technician with a belt arrives, charges you $300 for the repair (it's a wear part and not under warranty) and you start to wonder whether this was such a good idea. The machine keeps wobbling and after another three months the corner of the frame breaks you can see the dollar signs and your cardio machine becomes just another bad mistake sitting in the basement.
Welcome to the cardio world inexperienced shoppers, offers too-good-to-be-true deals and no unbiased advice on what you should buy.
The first exercise that you should do, before you buy exercise equipment, is decide what you intend to do with it and assess your own level of fitness. And be realistic if you haven't exercised in months don't think that you suddenly will change into an athlete.
Self assessment is the key to getting the right equipment
How many times a week and how long will you work out?
How many times a week will family members?
Do you walk, jog, run or speed run on the treadmill/elliptical at the gym?
How heavy are you?
Have you a history of fitness training or is this a new venture?
If you are regular gym member or sport's enthusiast, working out three times a week at a fast jog or light run, then you need to look at light commercial equipment .
If you or your family plans to work out often or extensively, runs on treadmills or ellipticals, or one member weighs over 200 pounds you should be considering commercial grade, name brand equipment even though the initial cost is much higher than all those hyped cheap machines. You will use it more often and be comfortable and safe on it, and it will be the cheapest selection in the long run when you include maintenance, warranty and longevity.
Commercial equipment is made to stand up to continuous running
The difference in the quality and service warranties are significant and that's what makes the extra cost a valuable investment. The equipment is bio-mechanically correct to prevent injuries
- The frames, motors, controls, belts and decks are made to last and take the pounding
- The exercise programs are versatile and most are Heart Rate interactive useful for effective training
- Parts are available for many years and are readily available
- Warranties are extensive often covering three years and if problems are found manufacturers will often send out upgrade kits before they break
- Service is usually easy to locate in areas where there are commercial gyms
- The equipment is designed to be repaired and serviced often taking less than 20% of the time it takes to repair residential equipment
- Power switches are designed to be always on to support continuous use no burnt out control boards
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You have options if you are on a budget
A good commercial treadmill or elliptical can be a great investment but if you are on a budget you can create a great gym at home for a lot less money by focusing on different choices:
Commercial bikes and rowers have the same great quality but are much cheaper cross training is a great option that might fit your needs if you also run at the gym or outside
Complete core training packages will cost you under a thousand dollars - you can focus on injury prevention at home and add outdoor sports or running for the cardio component
Build your gym piece by piece start with inexpensive core training products, add a bike or rower, add free weights, benches and mats, and when the money is there to do it right then buy the best treadmill you can afford
Residential treadmills are for light use, walkers and joggers
If you haven't worked out much in the past and intend to walk or jog under an hour a day then residential equipment can be a good choice although we would still recommend you buy the higher quality machines
- Look for higher horsepower motor and ask about the continuous use rating to compare machines
- Compare the quality of the frames and look for heavy duty construction
- Compare the warranties and select the machines that provide the lowest labour, parts and maintenance and get a commitment on how long you will wait while your equipment is down
- Make sure that the equipment is level and not wobbling before you start exercising
- The floor needs to be level and the equipment not sitting on carpet purchase an equipment mat if your room is carpeted
- Make sure that you turn off the main power after every time you use it otherwise you will burn out the control board
- Call the technician for preventative maintenance once or twice a year
- Call the technician as soon as you hear it squealing, vibrating or banging or if it suddenly starts to wobble.
- Don't ever spray the equipment with cleaning solution spray a cloth and wipe it with the damp rag
If you are a serious runner, in training for events, then you need to think about specialized runners' treadmills to provide you with safe indoor running. These treadmills, with heavy duty rubberized decks, prevent the continuous pounding on your feet and the shock on your shins of running on a flat metal deck. If this type of equipment is beyond your reach (these machines can be expensive) then look at cross-training, strength training or core training as your indoor options.
Red Jacket Services provides the design, installation and management of custom home fitness environments in Toronto and Southern Ontario . Similar to professional kitchen designers, we use our experience in the commercial fitness industry to create the most efficient use of space in your home and optimize your precious work out time. Services also include specialized renovation, in-home fitness testing, training, equipment maintenance and equipment repair to keep your fitness environment operating at peak efficiency.
Let Us Help You Build Your Perfect Home Gym
Feel free to contact Sandra Perkins, President of Red Jacket Services, to inquire about this article or about assisting you with your fitness room challenge. Or visit our website at www.redjackethome.ca .
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