Manual Versus Motorised Treadmill

The biggest temptation when shopping for a treadmill is the decision to purchase a manually operated treadmill over the more expensive motorised treadmills out there. Cost is always the driving factor here as purchasing a home treadmill usually involves a significant monetary investment and manual, non-motorised treadmills and running machines are generally a lot cheaper than their motor-driven breatheren.

However, before you make the decision to choose a manual running machine there are a few things you should realise.

Manual Compared To Motorised Treadmills

Getting it Moving

With a manual treadmill you provide all the power to get the belt moving. This means your lower body gets a full workout but also provides a number of disadvantages. Often you need quite a steep incline in order to get the belt moving on a manual treadmill and the extra strain needed to get the belt moving puts stress on your joints. In addition, once that incline is set, the only way to alter it is to get off, raise or lower the belt, get back on and resume meaning you are pretty much stuck with the same incline throughout your exercise routine. Many runners also complain that your running position needs to be altered to an unnatural position with more emphasis on the ‘kick-back’ to keep the belt moving which provides an unnatural workout.

Motorised treadmills are propelled at the push of a button and you can usually control speed and incline at the touch of a button or program these alterations into a digitised workout routine for a more interesting, varied workout.

Treadmill Speed

With a manual treadmill the belt moves as fast as you push it. If you slow down, it slows down. If you speed up, it speeds up. This means you are not encouraged to ‘push it’ in your routine and these speed variations make it harder to control your workout. Manual treadmills are generally considered to be O.K. if you only intend to use your treadmill for walking but even then, the frustrations involved in getting it moving and keeping the pace combined with a lack of programmable routines can turn you off of using it pretty fast.

A motorised treadmill typically features the ability to set a speed and stick to it, or regulate the speed at the touch of a button or even to program in a routine which changes the speed and incline to offer a more varied workout routine. As the belt moves at the same speed whether you are tiring or not, a motorised treadmill motivates you to keep the pace and push your workout harder.

Price and Build Quality

Manual self-propelled treadmills are much cheaper than motorised treadmills with most coming price under £150. Compare this with a decent motorised treadmill being price new at around £1000-3000+ for a decent model then they start looking highly appealing. However, you get what you pay for in terms of pricing and manual treadmills are usually not very impressive in their build quality. Combine this with the other undesirable features and you might be better off looking for a good deal on a new treadmill (there are some great discounts to be found online) or opting for a different type of exercise equipment like an exercise bike or elliptical trainer.

Electric treadmills priced under £500 are readily available but generally the more you pay, the better quality and more features you are going to find and ultimately, the better your treadmill is, the more likely you are to keep using it. More expensive treadmills feature more powerful motors, more digital options, cushioned running decks and generally better quality all round. Cheap electric treadmills are again, probably fine if all you intend to do is walk, but look carefully at the motor capabilities etc. before making a purchasing decision.

Conclusion

The choice is yours and ultimately the fatness of your wallet may be the strongest influence in your decision but shop around first as you can often find decent quality motorised treadmills reduced by such an amount that the discounts bring the price down to a more affordable level. Non-Motorised treadmills are generally considered more for walkers than runners or joggers but even then, it is hard to find anyone who would recommend a manual treadmill over a motorised one at any cost.

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