15 Oct Come up with a gameplan when shopping for a treadmill

You wouldn’t go car shopping without a gameplan as to how much you plan to spend and looking for a treadmill should be no different.
After all, a treadmill is a significant investment for the average person — and some of the elite treadmills cost about as much as some cars.
Unfortunately, many people do go to fitness stores looking for treadmills with little knowledge on the subject and it can prove to be a confusing, aggravating process.
Here are some tips to help you formulate a gameplan for treadmill shopping and enter the specialty fitness store with confidence:
Assess your needs — If you just plan on walking on a treadmill, obviously you’re not gong to need a model that’s built for a marathon runner to train on.
Also, a person’s weight goes a long way toward determining what treadmill they will need. A 130-pound woman won’t need as powerful a machine to run on as a 225-pound man.
How often the treadmill will be used is a another factor. A single person won;t use it as much as a family of four.
Try it out in person – Don’t buy a treadmill online or from some Big Box store that appears to be a great deal without trying it out. Chances are you won’t wind up liking it and it will eventually serve as a clothes rack in the back of an extra bedroom or box holder in the garage.
Go into a specialty fitness store such as At Home Fitness (Arizona) and let the experts give you a guided tour of what’s available.
Bring a pair of running shoes and ask to try out the treadmills like you’ll use them at home. If you plan to run on it, then run on the ones in the store you’re interested in.
Many of us have used a treadmill in a hotel or resort that doesn’t work right, is broken, or unstable and doesn’t seem to support very well. Make sure you really like the one you buy so that doesn‘t happen to you.
Most treadmills look similar and it will be hard to tell them apart by simply walking on them. The biggest mistake people make in buying a treadmill is not taking it for a proper test “run.”
Don’t under buy your treadmill – As mentioned above, if you plan to do a good amount of running on a treadmill make sure you get one that accommodates it. Some treadmills aren’t even designed to be used by someone who weighs over 200 pounds running on them on a regular basis.
Explore your options – There are lots of options available on treadmills and sometimes you can save money on high-end treadmills depending on what options you go with.
For those who want a high-end treadmill, Landice is an outstanding brand to choose. You can mix and match options even at the elite level.
Landice offers two different sized frames (L7 and L8) and four different electronic boards (pro trainer, pro sports trainer, cardio trainer and the top of the line executive trainer) to select from.
Warranty matters! – Check the warranty. Some companies undersell the competition, but they know full well that seven years or so down the line people will be coming back to them to buy replacement parts and/or service and often wind up spending another $500-700. (There goes the initial “good deal” out the window.)
However, companies such as Landice offers a lifetime warranty. So there can be a huge difference.
Contact the pros at At Home Fitness for more information: www.athomefitness.com

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com