Choosing a treadmill for home use can be full of challenges, what price do you pay, what features do you need, will it break down, will it be used to dry clothes! The list goes on.
Luckily for you the team at Gym Fit Out Dubai are here to help, along with our resident fitness expert Tim Garrett, we will guide you and help you cut through the noise so you can make the very best choice for your hard-earned money.
Its not just money to consider, if you are like us, then you have great hopes and goals for how your body and health can be. And on top of that you know how essential it is to have a great foundation of health and fitness.
Ok, let’s get into it…
Over 25 years in the industry our fitness expert knows a thing or two about treadmills, most of that time was spent practically every day in the gym while personal training. Over that time he’s seen the big, the beautiful and the ugly side of treadmills.
So, what are some of the factors you should consider when buying a treadmill, lets cover the basics here:
- Space:Do you need a folding treadmill or is space not an issue and you can for one that is potentially more stable
- Budget:Sure, you might want to spend 1000 aed but if you plan on running for more than 5 minutes that’s not going to work
- Motor Power: If you want to walk up a steep incline a motor that is 1.75 horsepower (HP) is suitable. If you want to run for more than 20-minutes, you’ll need a continuous horsepower motor (CHP) that has 1.75 horsepowerand up and if you are going to do 30 or 40 minutes ofnonstopcardio then you’ll need a motor that has 2.5 HP or more
- Features:Features are limited on treadmills under 1500, yet as you pay more for your treadmill the availability of features will increase. There is often but not always a trade off when it comes to features, sometimes fancy features like a touchscreen will mean, for example that the maximum user weight will be less. As the price increases you will start to see features like Bluetooth, in built cooling fans, a USB connection and even a touchscreen with in built apps like Netflix and YouTube. Then you might get access to apps that connect your phone to your treadmill and enable you to track your runs and view the performance of each session and your progress over time
Pro tip
Make sure the motor on the treadmill you buy is a CHP which stands for a ContinuousHorsepower motor, this means the normal power during the time the motor is working is say 2.5.
A game some manufacturers play is to quote their HP as say 5HP but in fact, this is a peak power output which is only boosted to 5.0 HP for short periods, it can’t sustain this power for more than 5 minutes or so.
Why Maximum User Weight Matters
This is not just some rudimentary number, it really matters, why:It’s because it is one of the most dependable numbers that you can use to judge how well the treadmill is built.
A treadmill that can handle heavier people will be built better, both in terms of the amount of materials that go into the build process but also the manufacturing processes that are used to construct the treadmill. The welding and a number of other manufacturing processes will all be better as the maximum user weight increases.
UAE Warranties, Why Do They Lag So Far Behind the USA?
In the USA you can get a ProForm treadmill with a 5-yearunlimited use warranty on the motor, screen and belt, here it will be between one year and a maximum of two years.
Why the discrepancy? It’s partly because spare parts often must come from the USA at a great cost when you factor in shipping and another factor is the original cost to ship the treadmills from the USA or from China to the UAE.
Our resident fitness exert Tim Garrett however expects this to change, he predicts that within the next five years warranties will be on parr with the US.
Want a Quick Start Guide to Choosing a Home Treadmill, here it is:
This is a super quick assessment you can make to narrow down the potential list of treadmills to consider, ask yourself these questions and you will be left with a smaller list and an easier decision:
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How long do you plan on running nonstop in each session (if not now, say in 6 months once you are fitter)?
- If its only 20 minutes a treadmill with a CHP motor of 1.75 HP will do, if its 30 minutes plus 2.5 to 4 CHP will be perfect and to be honest 2.5 CHP is adequate
- If its upwards of 40 minutes, a 3.0 upwards CHP motor is most definitely necessary
- What is the maximum user weight of the heaviest person in your household that will use the treadmill?
…this can knock off a great deal of treadmills on your list, its easy to find the max user weight as its typically listed in the specifications section of any online listing or on the spec sheet in the shop you visit
- What is the height of the tallest person in your household that will use the treadmill?
…If its over 6 ft 1 inch then you will definitely need a treadmill running track that is 22x60” or 55x152cm (this is the actual area of the treadmill belt that you can see with your eyes if you are standing on the treadmill), it is the space you have available to run or walk on.
Here are some of Tim Garrett’s personal recommendations and they are some of the very best in their respective price brackets.
The best home treadmill under 1500 aed for walkers and occasional runners:
The Welso cadence G 3.9 is a well-known brand, in fact its from the same company that manufacture NordicTrack so the Icon group, this is a group with extensive experience since 1975.
With an iFit membership included which gives you amazing on demand personal trainers that will run and walk with you throughbreath-takinglandscapes that you will literally see and virtually run/walk through on your iPad its quite a package.
It has a powerful (for the price range) 2.0 HP motor and a great cushioning system.
A super-hot treadmill for only 1397 aed, get yours HERE
The best home treadmill for under 3000 aed:
We’ve picked the ProForm 205 CST because of its superior build quality, the fact that youcan fold it away and save space and its scientific cushioning system that can reduce the stress on your knees by up to 40% when compared to road running.
It does have a 1.75 HP motor but that’s a CHP motor which Is reassuring.
It has 16 in built workout apps and you can connect to the MP3 so you can play music from your phone with the in-built speakers.
The incline goes to 10 and the speed goes to 16km which is plenty for the amateur runner.
Coming in HOT…get yours today and start running tomorrow, CLICK HERE
The best home treadmill for under 5000 aed:
We’ve saved the best for last; introducing the wonderful Sole Fitness F63, ithas won numerous awards from variousindependent review sites such as Treadmill Gurus and Treadmill Reviews.net and for good reason…it’s great.
Its practically bomb proof, its built great, its very sturdy and stable, it has lots of great features and it will also have great resale value which is important for the UAE market.
What do we love about the Sole F63 treadmill?
- 5 CHP motor which is plenty powerful for everything apart from 30-minute sprints at full speed and 15% incline! Seriously though this motor will be suitable for even the most spirited runner doing his high intensity interval training
- These Sole treadmills are getting tons of positive user feedback
- Its folding so it saves lots of space yet doesn’t feel slimsy or wobbly
- It has a decent running track 22 x 60 inches, so unless you are taller than 6ft tall it will be perfect
- It is manufactured really well and has a very high maximum user weight
For the serious home fitness enthusiast, get your Sole Fitness F63 treadmill HERE
We really hope you have enjoyed this guide to buying the very best home treadmill that is available in the UAE and Middle East.
Do get in touch if you have any questions, we offer a free treadmill buying consultation if want a personalised recommendation, you can get in touch with US HERE
We wish you lots of success with your physique and health goals.
The Gym Fit Out Team.
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