Family Fitness - Treadmill

hello007007

Hello,

My children want me to get a treadmill. I think it will be a good idea but they can be expensive. Ive tried the treadmill at a gym but are the home treadmills any good.

If we get one everyone will be using it, I dont think it will just gather dust espcially as my teen boy is into fitness - any one else got the family a tradmill and are you happy? could you also recomend one?

Many thanks,

toniq

I have this one, hubby got it for me at xmas as I wanted one, I love it and use it loads, has loads of modes, inclines and warm ups, socket for ipod and drinks holder etc and a safety cord, really good for the money and was simple to put together.

My older kids in their 20's use it often to.

£249

http://www.sportsdirect.com/karrimor-pace-treadmill-760435?colcode=76043502

pinkshoes

It is worth paying for a decent one as you will use it more.

You can pick up some fabulous second hand ones for under £100 - just keep an eye out for local pick up and then hire or borrow a van to collect!

I have a Reebok cross trainer (c5.7e) which I still use every week. I find it easier on my knees than a treadmill.

Malthusian

I'm sure you're right when you say that it will get used, but that puts you in a minority of treadmill owners. For most people treadmills are mind-numbingly dull, and the constant repetitive impact means accumulation injuries are more likely than running outside with variations of terrain and gradient. A family trip to Parkrun on Saturday morning is free.

To actually answer your question, home treadmills can be just as good as the ones in the gym, but it would help if you specified your budget.

macca1974

I had a treadmill for years (it was a Nike one I think about £500 from Argos). Worked really well and I did miles and miles on it.

The key points I'd make if your family are going to use it a lot though are

1 - They are really big (the treadmills not your family ), so make sure you have room for the treadmill and a decent amount of space around it
2 - They are really loud, so you'd need to have it somewhere separate from the rest of the family (mine was in the garage and you could still here the pounding on it)
3 - Get some entertainment set up as well, I had mine in the garage with a tv on the wall with some wireless headphones, made it seem like you were at the gym
4 - Don't overuse, I really enjoyed using mine, but as mentioned above, if you don't give yourself enough recovery time, you can get lots of niggling injuries, make sure you have decent trainers