You are all psyched up to purchase a treadmill. You go shopping and see there is a bit of a price difference between the manual treadmills and the motorized treadmills. The price tag on the manual treadmill is very appealing because it’s so cheap. Yet, is a manual treadmill really a good investment? To put it simply, no, it’s not a good investment. Manual treadmills can make it harder to reach your workout goals and I’ll explain why.

Since there is no motor in a manual treadmill, you have to provide the power to move the belt. The problem is the belts on most of these treadmills are difficult to bring up to speed at a flat or even slight incline. Most people find they have to put the treadmill in a sharp incline to get the belt in motion.

Another major drawback to manual treadmills is they have no momentum. Every time you slow your pace, the treadmill also slows its pace. To speedup the treadmill and your workout, you will have to generate the energy. While this may sound like it would benefit a workout, the abuse your feet, knees and joints have to undergo to keep a manual treadmill running is simply not worth it.

To get the most out of a workout on a treadmill, your body needs to maintain a fluid walk, run or jog. Manual treadmills aren’t equipped to do this. As stated, when you ease up or slow down, it slows down, too. There is no push, or momentum, to a manual treadmill. To be honest, it is virtually impossible to keep a consistent motion on a manual treadmill. Yes, you may burn some extra calories getting one of these treadmills up and running, and then up and running again when it begins to slow its pace. But, in the long term, more calories will be burned if you are on a treadmill that’s motor driven because it will keep your motion consistent and regulated.

Manual treadmills are bad investments because they can actually take time away from your workout. Most people don’t have a lot of time to workout. The time spent having to get on and off a machine to adjust its incline, and the constant slowing down and building back of a manual treadmill’s momentum is really a waste of precious time. A manual treadmill’s lack of features also makes it very easy to grow bored. Boredom can easily turn into exercise procrastination!

The price of a manual treadmill may make it appear like a good investment, but anyone who is serious about exercise should see why it is not. The good news is you can find used motorized treadmills for just a few hundred dollars more than manual treadmills. Also, there are many budget friendly motorized treadmills like the Smooth 5.25 that won’t break the bank.

Taking a few extra months to save your money for a motorized treadmill is well worth the wait. Your joints will not be as stressed on a motorized treadmill, you will have better workouts and your workout time will be anything but boring.