Howdy!! After being a life long gym rat i now have a baby and have started to build my home gym. Doing a search here I was able to figure out that the IronMaster dumbells where the right move for me and i am loving those and the super bench.
Now its my wifes turn and I want to get her a treadmill. Just looking for some thoughts on folks here who have their own and what they recomend. Not sure what my budget is because like anyone i dont want to spend a lot but don’t want a peice of crap thats going to break either. Any help would be really apreciated!
[quote]DJS wrote:
Howdy!! After being a life long gym rat i now have a baby and have started to build my home gym. Doing a search here I was able to figure out that the IronMaster dumbells where the right move for me and i am loving those and the super bench.
Now its my wifes turn and I want to get her a treadmill. Just looking for some thoughts on folks here who have their own and what they recomend. Not sure what my budget is because like anyone i dont want to spend a lot but don’t want a peice of crap thats going to break either. Any help would be really apreciated![/quote]
Pacemaster and landice make good quality stuff for the home gym and if you have deep pockets there is always woodway, which is by far the best treadmill I’ve ever used. this is the model i’ve used at a private gym i frequent. if i could afford it i would buy one for my house. http://www.woodway.com/WWproducts/product.asp?id=4&pid=3
Folding models are fairly unstable and don’t feel nice. Plan on having a seven foot long, three foot wide footprint for the equipment.
The majority of models sold in “sporting goods stores” (Dick’s, Sport’s Authority, etc.) are crap, poorly made, with weak service. Look to a fitness equipment specialty store. Omnifitness.com is a good start.
Regardless of what you end up getting, have her take a test walk/run on the machine for at least a full minute before purchasing. No store should have a problem with you trying the equipment. If they do, they don’t deserve the sale.
Lifefitness is a great brand, with nice cushioning if she has any joint issues. They’re what you find in most gyms, and the home models have the same feel, but less bells and whistles. Landis has a reputation for being ideal for long distance running, but really, who wants to do that crap. Pacemaster is a very nice compromise; modestly priced ($1,200-2,000)and not too huge.
EDIT: Ha, Robo’s post wasn’t there when I started typing mine. Guess that makes two solid votes for Landice or Pacemaster.
I wasn’t going to respond to this thread, but I used my treadmill this morning and thought I’d report in as a female runner. I put a lot of miles on my treadmill. The only clothes I hang on it are sweat-saturated sport bras.
I’m currently on a Nordictrack E4400, which was probably $1200 or so. Before that I had an incredibly cheap Keys (maybe $600). The Keys, for being as cheap as it was, was a great treadmill. Maybe it was a discontinued model, or something, and the price was low for that reason. I don’t know. I used it for maybe 3 years. It was decently sturdy, nothing like the cheesy Proforms I see at Sears and Dick’s. We replaced the Keys because its deck was too small for my husband to use (he’s 6’, around 200 pounds). The Nordictrack has a long deck, particularly given its relatively low cost.
Still, I probably won’t buy another Nordictrack. I’ve had to have it serviced twice in the first three years. A mylar sheet that covers the deck got damaged. The second time they replaced the whole deck (under warranty). In both cases, my husband had been running on it right before the mylar went bad. He doesn’t run on it anymore. We’ll see what happens over the next couple of years. If it keeps needing service, I’ll ditch it when I hit the five-year mark.
I’ve used all sorts of commercial treadmills, including a Life Fitness recently. It was nice, of course, but honestly at my size it doesn’t make a significant difference. Which is what motivated me to post. If it’s just your wife running (and she’s not huge) you can get by with quite a bit less treadmill than the guys above are recommending. Especially given that you don’t know yet if she’s going to be dedicated.
If you’re going to be on it, too, I’ll agree with the previous posters that it’s best to spend more.
Pacemaster is a very nice compromise; modestly priced ($1,200-2,000)and not too huge.