Foldable Treadmill - All You Need To Know

The foldable treadmill comes in many styles but essentially it can be manual or electric.

With manual treadmills, you're essentially doing all the work yourself. It's up to you to get the belt going and keep it moving.

It sounds good exercise-wise but as you're determining the pace, your motivation is less than if you were being driven along as you would be with an electric model.

Another disadvantage with manual treadmills is that you don't the sophisticated features electric treadmills have.

These include the built-in workout programs which give you plans to work on your fitness and also provide feedback on progress together with vital factors about your body such as heart rate. This feedback can be very important for your motivation and sense of progress.

Electric types are far more flexible. You can adjust such factors as the incline while on the go, for example. A flick of the switch and you're facing a steeper gradiant.

With the manual foldable treadmill, you need to crank up the incline in advance.

If you're serious about your exercise, you must get hold of an electric folding treadmill.

Remember than an electric treadmill is only as good the motor that drives it. The maxim is 'the larger and heavier the motor, the longer the treadmill will last.'

The motor is the beating heart of your treadmill and if it can't do its job properly, all the other fancy features of the device are useless.

Motor capacity is measured in horsepower. You need to check a figure called continuous duty rating. This should be 1.5 to 2.5 horsepower. Another figure known as peak duty is of less value.

One key measturement is treadmill duty - the amount of power output at which the motor is rated. This should lie somewhere between continuous and peak.

Here are some other things you need to consider when buying a treadmill.

First there's the matter of weight capacity. Treadmills are rated by the maximum weight of the user. You may want to take the manufacturer's rating with a grain of salt and deduct 50 pounds to be on the safe side.

Next there's the key matter of the stability of your foldable treadmill.

Stability is vitally important in a treadmill. It's a measure of well the unit can withstand heavy use and remain solid without jerking or shaking. This applies to the handrails, too. There's nothing worse than holding on to wobbly handrails when working out.

Runner's World magazine considers stability to be the most vital quality of a good treadmill

A number of factors contribute to stability including user weight capacity, unit weight, and quality of construction.

However, stability is generally a measure of quality which is itself a function of price. When buying a foldable treadmill, you generally get what you pay for.

Next we'll look at the cool features that moden treadmills have. Check out fold up treadmills - cool features.