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Our Running Guru. Amanda Brooks. Editor's Rating: 8. This feature supports the joints while running or walking and changes based on your points of impact.
Motor and Rollers: The continuous duty 3. This motor is also exceptionally quiet, and paired with the 2. Workout Programs: This model is designed with 9 preset workouts and two personalized user IDs so that users can easily store data and workout preferences for a more tailored workout and easier goal tracking overall. One downside is there are no custom workouts, just pre-built. Heart Rate Monitoring: The model comes with both touch sensors and capabilities for a telemetry strap for wireless heart rate monitoring however, the strap is sold separately.
Deck: With a shorter deck at 57 inches long and 20 inches wide, this model is more compact and easier to use in small spaces. The stated weight capacity for residential treadmills and inexpensive commercial models is typically to pounds; all the treadmills we tested accommodate at least this much weight.
Treadmills with higher weight capacities tend to be more expensive and have much shorter belts, as they are designed more for walking. Treadmills that accommodate weights over pounds are rare. We also considered connectivity —the ability to export workout data, sync to wireless headphones, or stream content.
During our testing, we found tracking treadmill workouts with a wearable fitness tracker generally preferable to exporting workout data to a companion app from the equipment itself.
Among treadmills that offered connectivity, we looked for those that communicated with popular health and fitness tracking apps such as Apple Health, Fitbit, and MyFitnessPal. FitRated may earn an affiliate commission on purchases made through its site. The belief [is] that the treadmill will easily outlast its warranty, and less tech means less risk of failure and associated repair costs.
We had a team of professionals assemble the majority of our treadmills on-site to ensure that they would be properly put together. We had five testers compare nine treadmills for the first iteration of this guide in , and in late we tested another seven treadmills with seven new testers, including novice runners and members of The New York Times Run Club.
Each tester spent time with the treadmills running and walking. Ingrid Skjong, the author of the second version of this guide, ran at least a mile on all seven treadmills, after which we focused our subsequent mileage on those that stood out in both features and feel.
The testers and Ingrid logged some miles at a 5K-race pace, some at a leisurely walking pace while chatting or listening to episodes of Fresh Air , and many at intervals in between. Ingrid also tried several streamed workouts on the treadmills that featured onboard content. We took notes on how the treadmills felt underfoot. Some were bouncier than others. Some had belts that felt more slippery or footrests on the sides of the belt with no tread.
One machine jerked back and forth as it moved—it was quickly eliminated. We also conducted speed tests after testers pointed out that some treadmills felt like they took forever to rev up to even a modest jogging pace. We started the treadmills and timed how long they took to get to 6 mph and then to 10 mph.
We went by ear for most, listening for when it sounded as though the treadmill had reached the target speed. Combined with our own observations, this test still provided a useful metric.
We measured the belt width, belt length, and arm length of the treadmills. We folded the tread of each machine up and down several times. Almost all the pricier ones were easy to lift, thanks to hydraulic assistance. They also clicked securely in an upright position without much trouble.
The least expensive of the bunch required bearing the whole weight of the deck and pulling a pin into place to keep it secure. If you would have trouble lifting a heavy box of books onto a shelf by yourself, you may have trouble folding and unfolding a less-expensive treadmill, too.
As a treadmill owner, you may have to adjust the belt from time to time so that it stays in the center. On some treadmills, these bolts are easy to see and access, whereas on others we had to poke the key through a small hole and jab it around for several minutes until it finally found the bolt.
We paid attention to the noise of the treadmills. Some made annoyingly shrill or loud sounds, which we could often turn down or off, when they were turning on or gearing up. When a treadmill had a fan, we turned it on at full blast for some of our runs. Most treadmill fans are small and poorly positioned. If a fan with real cooling capabilities is important to you, consider a portable option such as the Vornado , a nice pick for a home gym because of its small size; it blows at over 17 mph.
Connected fitness is about more than just streaming a video on a screen in front of you, said Chase Watterson, marketing director of iFit. As you navigate this terrain, the treadmill automatically controls speed, incline, and decline. Again, though, before shelling out for a subscription, know yourself. The ProForm CST has all the features you need in a treadmill and costs about half as much as many other treadmills we considered.
The machine inclines to 10 percent, goes as fast as 10 mph the equivalent of a six-minute mile, about twice as fast as a leisurely jogging pace , and offers 18 interval programs. It does support an optional iFit subscription. The ProForm CST goes from 0 to 6 mph in under 15 seconds and shifts from 6 mph to 10 mph in about 10 seconds even though it has a 2. The console features two large water-bottle holders, an integrated tablet holder, and two media shelves, one beneath the display and one above it.
The lower one is well placed to support a magazine or a device; the upper shelf can also support a device and is a good place to stow a phone, headphones, or a small snack. The 5-inch backlit display is simple, showing you distance, speed in miles per hour , calories, and time.
It is not a touchscreen. One tester noted that although the ProForm CST is not as fancy as some of the competition, it is more approachable. The buttons are laid out logically. Arrow buttons at the bottom of the console allow you to adjust the incline and speed further say, to an incline of 2. Pressing the stop button once pauses the workout, a logical feature that not all treadmills have. As with all folding treadmills we tested, folding reduces the floor space by about 50 percent, but the machine is still an eyesore in a living room.
It comes with a year frame warranty, a one-year parts warranty motor included , and a one-year labor warranty. Most of the negative reviews for this machine are focused on assembly problems or manufacturer defects, common themes in reviews for all treadmills at this price range. Since these are regular problems with home treadmills, we factored warranty heavily into making our choices, and ProForm has a solid one.
While some reviewers note prompt fixes from ProForm, others complain of long wait times. If you are much taller than 6 feet, you might consider a treadmill with a longer belt. Our 6-foot tester felt comfortable on the ProForm CST, which has a inch belt, but the general wisdom is that folks taller than that may feel best on a inch belt which our upgrade pick has.
You also have to pin it in place rather than simply pushing it. Long, thinner arms can be a nice feature especially if you might need to stabilize yourself while walking. The only way to export your workout data from this model is to maintain an iFit subscription.
At the back of the deck of all treadmills, on either side of the belt, are bolts that you can turn to tighten the belt, adjusting it right or left. We sometimes found ourselves shoving hex wrenches blindly into a tiny hole for several minutes before finally making contact with the bolt.
And the wrench can be hard to turn, since each bolt is deep in its hole, leaving you with very little to grip onto. After we first published this guide, a reader told us that when she was setting up this ProForm model, a screen prompted her to start a free month-long trial of iFit.
To do so, she was required to enter her credit card information, something she was not interested in doing. To bypass this step and continue setting up the machine, press and hold the iFit button for 30 seconds. A Wirecutter colleague who bought the CST last year ran into a bit of trouble during setup: A pilot hole in one of the uprights for the handlebars was too small for the recommended bolt a fairly common occurrence. Instead of ordering a replacement part, she was able to enlarge the hole and fit the bolt.
Key changes to the Pro include a larger color touchscreen 10 inches , a slightly smaller motor 3. We plan to test the new version as soon as we are able to.
Our testers appreciated the simple console, which is similar in layout to that of our top pick, though the buttons on the Smart Pro are slightly larger. The intuitive placement of key elements also pleased our panel: Its two commodious water bottle holders are in just the right place, and the buttons that quickly control speed and incline are situated horizontally under the 7-inch color touchscreen.
The crisp, clear display shows standard data such as incline, calories burned, time elapsed, and pace. It measures distance to hundredths of a mile a detail several of our testers appreciated , not just to tenths of a mile as on most of the models we tested, including our top pick.
It shows progress in the form of quarter-mile laps. The longer, inch belt offers taller runners a bit more room to stride; its inch width 2 inches wider than the belts on several of the other treadmills we tested opens things up nicely.
In our tests, the deck felt smooth and responsive underfoot but not particularly springy. The Smart Pro hits a top speed of 12 miles per hour the equivalent of a five-minute mile , which is handy for both very fast runners and those wanting to work quick-paced intervals into their training. Our top pick tops out at 10 miles per hour. The machine has 50 preset programs at the ready, focusing on incline, high-intensity intervals, and calorie burn.
Our top pick offers Our top pick is iFit ready, though a subscription is optional and does not come with the machine. This feature is not for everyone.
Connected fitness, however, continues to gain popularity, streaming trainer-led workouts into homes via high-tech fitness equipment.
You can also create a customized route using Google Maps. Speed and incline adjust automatically, which is freeing. The 7-inch touchscreen is on the small side for this type of screen-based fitness experience, but we found we were able to watch our workouts fine. If you choose not to deploy iFit, the Smart Pro remains a highly capable treadmill without it. There is no option to connect wireless Bluetooth headphones to the treadmill so that you can listen to a workout through them.
The Smart Pro is on the larger side, measuring 39 inches wide by 79 inches deep by 71 inches tall. Walking or running on a treadmill puts less stress on your body compared to walking or running outdoors on a flat surface.
Just like other forms of aerobic exercise, working out on a treadmill improves blood circulation and lowers blood pressure. Treadmills also put less stress on your body than many other types of exercises.
No need to put up with the stresses of leaving your home to go to a gym.
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