Purchasing a treadmill for most people is a big financial commitment so knowing what to look for when deciding on a treadmill can only be a good thing!

A treadmill enables the user to walk, jog or run without having to go outside where it may be raining or dark. Using a treadmill at home has many advantages, firstly you do not have to leave the comfort of your own home. You can watch or listen to what you like when working out and if you’ve have children you can keep an eye on them too.

Treadmills generally consist of a frame, motor, deck, running belt and a console. The quality of these components usually dictates the price of a treadmill. Home treadmills start from as little as £400, but like with most things the more you spend the higher the quality. Ideally you need to asses your requirements; there is no point in someone purchasing a £2000 home treadmill when there only intention is to use it for walking, a £500 - £750 treadmill would offer a good quality deck and suitable motor for walking speeds.

When purchasing a treadmill look at the motor ratings, most manufacturers provide power ratings of the motors fitted to their treadmills, if they don’t I would probably walk away. Ideally you’re looking for a motor with a power rating of between 1.5 – 4.0 continuous duties HP (horse power). Peak power is the maximum power the treadmill motor can generate and is not a good means of assessing whether it is suitable. The heavier the person and the more intense the use of the treadmill the higher the hp rating needs to be.

The running belt is tensioned over the running deck with two rollers which are situated at each end of the running deck. The running decks are absorbent to reduce the impact on your joints and higher priced treadmills have higher quality elastomers which reduce the stress even further. Remember to look at the size of the running deck when purchasing a treadmill, taller people will require a longer deck. People intending on using their treadmill for running may also benefit from a larger running area. The running belts thickness and quality again is generally dependant on the price, Nautilus have a reputation for fitting thicker more absorbent running belts and they also claim that it reduces stress on your joints and increases the time between replacing the belt, which makes sense.

The frames of treadmills are generally constructed from steel and nowadays folding treadmills are very popular as they take up far less room. Generally the heavier the treadmill the more solid the frame and the stiffer it is. A number of years ago non folding treadmills where stiffer and more absorbent, but the demand for folding treadmills has meant that manufacturers have spent thousands of pounds on improving their folding treadmill range. A lot of manufactures now only sell folding treadmills.

The console on the treadmill will show you details such as, speed, distance, time, incline, calories consumed, heart rate, and program type. You should look for a console which is clear and easy to read, there are plenty of modern features that manufacturers fit nowadays such as cooling fans, MP3 players and TV screens but none of them are required for an affective treadmill workout.

Most treadmills have programs, the larger the array of programs the better as it provides more variety and encourages you to use it more frequently. Heart rate controlled programs are a safe and effective way to workout and are a feature I would recommend. Ideally you require a heart rate strap to take full advantage of heart rate controlled programs.