Tuesday, June 9, 2009

How To Shop For A Treadmill

By Kyle Ross

One of best ways to protect yourself from buying more treadmill than you need is walking in with an idea of what you want. Especially with the wealth of information online, you can do your research and get a good idea about the features you need and how much it should cost. Too many people walk into the retailer not sure of what they need and get up-sold by savvy salespeople. When research a treadmill there are four things to take into consideration.

The first consideration is more a restraint than consideration. You can wish as much as you want for fancy features but if you budget doesn't allow for a high-end tricked out treadmill, you are wasting time that could be better spent burning fat on a treadmill that does fit in your budget. The closer you are to the truth about your financial situation, the better your buying decision will eventually be.

Now that we have looked at your budget, consider the activity level that your treadmill will have to face. A heavily used machine will require more durability than a lightly used treadmill for walking or irregular jogging. Also, the weight of the user affects the level of stress put on the machine.

If you are an experienced treadmill user, then maybe you have features you want included. Personal training workouts, heart rate workouts, customizable open program workouts. Determine the features you want before seeing a salesperson. If the salesperson tries to push a fancy pants feature, try not to be pressured to make a decision on the spot.

If ever you begin to feel pressured or uncomfortable with a salesperson, try to remember that you don't have to buy anything and the best thing to do really is to just walk away. Treadmills are expensive machines and big purchases shouldn't be made under pressure. Most people will agree that it is better to talk to a second salesperson at another time if you are uncomfortable with the first experience.

Besides the intensity of use we also have to figure out the consistency of use. Is it going to be used for an hour daily? Two hours twice a week? Don't be surprised if you buy an entry level model, sprint for an hour a day, and the treadmill dies on you in less than six months.

One final point to make is the warranty of the treadmill. New treadmills will always come with some type of warranty even if it is a 90-day shrimp of a warranty. High-end models will usually come with better deals but sometimes it is economical to buy a budget treadmill, if that is all you need, and pay extra for an extension warranty.

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