Manual Treadmills

Treadmills are a very expensive investment for your home fitness workout; however, manual treadmills tend to be cheaper than electronic treadmills. They are ten times cheaper than motorized treadmills, since manual treadmills don’t come with a motor.

The prices of these machines start from $150 - $400, where electronic treadmills start from $800 to 2,500 and above. The use of treadmills has increased over the years, causing treadmill manufacturers to reduce the cost of the machine. Almost anyone who wants to be fit or lose weight either uses treadmill, or wants to use it.

Recent consumer research revealed that the most popular fitness equipment either at the gym or home is the treadmill. Manual treadmills are great for people who wants to keep it simple. If you want to save money and are looking for an easy workout, then a manual treadmill may suit your needs.

These treadmills are simple machines designed for simple use; there are no fancy programs installed, such as heart rate monitor, calorie counter, speed control, incline adjustment or programmed workouts.

The belt of the machine is designed to be powered by the user; as you walk or run on the machine, your feet push the tread surface back over a smooth surface or a series of rollers, so you basically control the treadmill speed according to your effort.

Manual treadmills are cheaper because of their limited features and the strain it will put on your knees and hips joints. Exercising with it for a long time might cause you all sorts of joint problems, since you have to use your legs to move the belts.

They are usually difficult to get moving without using an extreme incline, and once moving, you can’t change the incline.

The cheaper cost of the machine is due to a less sturdy construction of the machine. It is slower to exercise with and difficult to operate, since the user powers the belt.

Motorized or electronic treadmills, on the other hand, are motorized machines featured with speed control, electronic belt, electronic incline adjuster, calorie counter, heart rate monitor, programmed workouts, and a variety of multiple workouts.

We suggest you read our article on The difference between Manual and Motorized Treadmills.

Since the motor is the main asset of the machine, it does almost everything for you. All you need to do is work harder and keep up with the belt, which results in greater energy consumption by the muscles and higher calories burned as a result.

The added features of the electronic treadmill are due to the expensive nature of the machine, since it provides a high quality workout.