Everything about treadmills

Let's begin by understanding how a treadmill really works to make it easy to buy one of these machines. When you're through with this, you'll have a complete grasp of what a treadmill is really all about.

treadmill Design Basics

All treadmills have basically the same parts. These include a motor, flywheel frame, rollers, deck, belt, electronics and display console. You need to know what each of these parts does. So if you're told the treadmill has a strong motor, you know why you should be glad. This section may seem a little long but trust me, it'll be worth your while to read it word to word. It may even save you a few hundred dollars.

treadmill Motor - The core of The treadmill

The motor of a treadmill is its core. It delivers the power to the belt system. treadmill motors are typically measured in horsepower. Most will have horsepower between 1.5 and 3. However not all motors with the same horsepower will perform the same. This inconsistency in performance can be traced to other parts such as decks and belts which may be inferior or poorly designed.

When you buy a treadmill, you must ensure that the motor is a minimum of 2 horsepower. treadmills that have lesser horsepower than this may frequently break down or require repairs due to over heating. They may not be able to handle stress beyond a point. Continuous Duty Horsepower rating is an extremely important factor when you're considering which treadmill to buy. It means the power that can be reached and maintained by a treadmill motor irrespective of the load on it. A motor that is larger in size and more powerful won't heat up as often and will break down much less frequently if at all.

The Flywheel assists in regulating the speed and consistency of the belt. The flywheel ensures that the belt continues to run after your feet impact the running surface.

Quality flywheels ensure a constant speed when the treadmill is running. The machine doesn't vibrate or run in a jerky motion if the flywheel is a good one. It also protects the motor and ensures durability of the treadmill.

This is the framework that holds all the parts of a treadmill together. Usually made of steel, the frame has to be strong and strudy enough to hold everything together.
Steel frames are preferably over any other metal because Steel is strong and stainless steel doesn't rust. Aluminium frames also can be opted for. They are in fact stronger than Steel and can sustain a heavier weight.

The belt on a treadmill is driven by the rollers. The rollers also provide power and ensure that your walk is smooth. The bigger and heavier the rollers, the better it is. Quality treadmill rollers take pressure off the belt and motor and so make them durable. Large diameter rollers are preferable.

The deck of the treadmill provides support to the running surface. This is just below the belt surface. The larger the weight in a treadmill, the more important a good deck is.
It also absorbs shocks.

Shock absorption is very important. You can get exhausted running for a little while if the shock absorbers aren't good enough. If they are, you could run for hours very comfortably.

The console is usually the part of a treadmill that gets the attention of every treadmill shopper. Consoles can be so attrative that people choose one treadmill over the other purely because of them. This isn't playing very smart. A console is important but not that much. You'll get a useful console with any $1000 plus treadmill.

What you need most on a console are displays that tell you the speed, time, distance, calories, speed control, pulse rate, track display and power incline. Of this the first four are important, the later four are a luxury and anything else is just bells and whistles. Some treadmills even have a wireless interactive heart rate control!