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Manual Treadmills

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Exercising on a treadmill is an excellent way of increasing one's fitness levels. It is also one of the best lower body workouts you can get while doing cardio (especially when you really increase the incline). If you are a fan of the treadmill and you want to invest in one for your home or health club, there are basically 2 options that you got: either manual or motorised.

To help you decide whether the manual type is the one for you, we will have a look at manual treadmills, how they compare to motorised ones and also look at some of the best. Let's start!

What Makes The Manual Treadmill Manual?

The treadmill is manual because it has no motor. The belt is motored by the movement of your feet against the deck. As your movement stops, so does the treadmill belt. Most manual treadmills have an intelligent flywheel that increases the speed of the belt as you decrease or increase your speed. You don't even need electricity for a manual treadmill as there is no plug in cables or motor.

Manual Treadmills Vs. Motorized - How Do They Compare?

To help you decide if you would like a treadmill that is manual or motorised, let's see how they compare:

  • Portability - Most treadmills that are manual are also portable and/or foldable, where motorised treadmills are not. Motorised treadmills are bound to its place and are much more difficult to move, while a manual treadmill can easily be packed up and stored underneath a bed or in a cupboard.
  • Impact - The manual treadmill may have more impact on the knees and joints than the motorised one, because of the treadmill belt being motored by one's legs.
  • Difficulty of use - The manual treadmill may be more difficult to use because of the way it works, and it may take time to get used to it.
  • Cost - Manual treadmills are a great deal less expensive that motorised treadmills
  • Adjustment of incline - The motorized treadmill's incline adjusts automatically while the manual one requires that you change the incline manually (this would require you to get off the machine)
  • Simplicity - Manual treadmills are very easy and simple to use, no complex buttons or settings, while the motorised treadmills can be a bit confusing.

Why Would You Want To Go For A Manual Treadmill Instead?

There may be many reasons why you would want to choose a manual treadmill over a motorised one. A motorised treadmill may seem like it is better than the manual ones, but here are why the manual treadmill might be the better choice for you:

  • Inexpensive - As manual treadmills are a lot less expensive, it won't hurt your budget as much as a motorized one would.
  • Simplistic - Manual treadmills are very simple and don't have complex buttons or functions to worry about.
  • Great for walking - If you mainly use your treadmill to walk on, then the manual one is well suited for that.
  • Foldable and can be stored away - Most manual treadmills can be folded up and stored away in a cupboard or under your bed.
  • Non-threatening - With a manual treadmill you don't have to be afraid of falling off the belt, as you control the movement of the belt yourself.

If you have decided that a manual treadmill is the one for you, the next thing you will have to do is to decide which one to go with. If you would rather have a look at the motorised treadmill, then you can read all about it by clicking the link. To help you with picking your manual treadmill, we will look at some of the most popular manual treadmills that is available on the market today:

The sunny manual treadmill

The Sunny treadmill has a computer displaying your progress. It is foldable to and can be stored away. Here are a few of its specifics:

  • Computer display: Speed, time, total distance and calories burnt.
  • Dimensions: 49.2 x 25.2 x 46.9 inches
  • Weight - 50.9 pounds
  • Running surface : 42" x 13"

The Stamina Manual Treadmill - Stamina Inmotion Treadmill

The Stamina Manual treadmills have a dual flywheel to ensure that the belt runs smoothly and the padded hand grips ensure that your grip is comfortable. It can also be folded to be stored in a cupboard or underneath a bed (folds down to 45 3/4 x 25 1/2 x 7 1/2"). Let's look at some of its specifics:

  • Computer display: Battery operated monitor
  • Dimensions: 43.5 x 28.5 x 51 inches
  • Weight - 67 pounds
  • Running surface 41" x 17"

Here are some extracts from the manual treadmill reviews from Amazon.com

  • "This treadmill is great! It's not too big, and does exactly what we need,"
  • "If you aren't already pretty fit, I strongly recommend you look at another treadmill"
  • "It doesn't take up as much space as one of those treadmills at the gym, although it's just as sturdy"

The Denise Austin Easy-Up Manual Treadmill

The Denise Austin treadmill is completely manual except for the single button electronic display that shows the progress. As an extra safety measure it can be locked after it has been folded to ensure that the machine doesn't knock over. It comes with a water bottle and an instruction video. Here are some of its details:

  • Computer display: - Single-button electronics display tracks speed, distance, time, and calories
  • Dimensions: 46.5 x 50 x 21.1
  • Weight - 45 pounds
  • Running surface 41" x 13"

Some extracts of the manual treadmill reviews from Amazon.com

  • "I am sooo glad I got this inexpensive manual treadmill instead of an expensive motorized one"
  • "After using some lubricant on the belt it was much smoother."
  • "Extremely unstable. Hard to walk on the belt.

Conclusion

Manual treadmills as well as motorised ones are a great way to increase one's cardiovascular fitness levels. Motorised treadmills may be easier to use as you don't have to motor the treadmill, but manual treadmills make for a less expensive and a more simplistic workout.

You have to take into account your specific needs, storage space and budget to decide. But no matter which one you invest in, make sure that you use it regularly to get most use out of it!
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