Top 5 Best Premium Treadmills
There’s nothing quite like the start of a new year to begin a gym membership or an exercise regime in earnest. However, instead of spending the equivalent amount of money (or more) on an annual gym membership, for which both optimism and desire is likely to peter out in a few short months, an exercise machine in your own home might be just the investment you need to begin getting in to shape.
Not only do these new machines allow tracking for a variety of important elements, such as pulse and heart rate, the combination of modern design and space considerations have made it such that a number of these machines are now ‘foldable’ making it both space efficient and considerate of the smaller modern spaces that we live in.
How to Pick the Right Treadmill
We studied the features on premium treadmills and came up with the following list of items you should look out for when picking the right treadmill for you.
2. Console & Program: Treadmills in this category come with big LCD display, sometimes in colour. This allows for easy monitoring and control, to set the different on-board program, running speed and incline. Most treadmills have 6 or more programs, sometimes up to 18. As for speed, you can either use the program or set this manually with a typical speed range of 0.5-to-12 MPH. Finally, for incline, this typically goes up to 15%. The display will also show time, calories, distance, steps, heart rate, speed, incline level, pace and elevation change among other useful information.
3. Pulse and Heart Rate: Another common feature among premium treadmills is the presence of pulse grips and chest heart rate sensor for better monitoring of your workout. These sensors take instant readings and display them on the LCD screen. Alternative to this would be your own activity tracker with wrist based heart rate monitor.
4. Foldable: All premium treadmills while bulky and take up a lot of space when deployed are designed to be foldable. Thoughtful designs like hydraulic shock to assist in folding and unfolding the treadmill make it easy to lift and lower the treadmill. When raised, the dock locks in place taking up less floor space and room.
5. Extras: MP3 compatible sound system, cooling fans, temporary storage trays, cup holders, iPad holder, Bluetooth connectivity and companion mobile App are some of the extras that you may find. While these do not necessarily help with running, they are cool to have and definately a talking point when you start listing out the features of your deck to your friends.
Top 5 Best Premium Treadmills
Premium treadmills are dominated by Sole, the company makes some of the best folding treadmills for the market. Other treadmills that made it to our premium list includes LifeSpan and ProForm.
- Sole F85 Folding Treadmill – FLAGSHIP TREADMILL
- Sole F80 Folding Treadmill
- LifeSpan TR4000i Folding Treadmill – FLAGSHIP TREADMILL
- ProForm Pro 2000 Treadmill
- Sole F65 Folding Treadmill
BONUS: LifeSpan TR1200i Folding Treadmill
Let’s take a closer look at each of these and how they compare.
1. Sole F85 Folding Treadmill – FLAGSHIP TREADMILL
- Features: Cushion Flex Whisper Deck, shown in a study to reduce impact on your joints by up to 40% compared to running on asphalt, two-ply belt, pulse grip and chest strap heart rate monitoring, cooling fan, MP3 compatible sound system, 9-inch LCD workout display. Foldable design – PULSE & HR
- Power & Speed: 4.0 CHP, DC Type motor with 0.5-to-12 MPH speed range with 6 programs, two custum programs and two heart programs
- Incline: 0-to-15% rack-and-pinion gear design incline
- Dimensions & Weight: 35 by 58 by 80 inches (W x H x D); deck measures 35 by 80 inches (W x D) and running surface measures 22 by 60 inches (W x D); 265-pound weight
- Weight Limit: 400-pound weight limit; 2.75-inch rollers
2. Sole F80 Folding Treadmill
- Features: Cushion Flex Whisper Deck, shown in a study to reduce impact on your joints by up to 40% compared to running on asphalt, two-ply belt, pulse grip and chest strap heart rate monitoring, cooling fan, MP3 compatible sound system, 7.5-inch LCD workout display. Foldable design. – PULSE & HR
- Power & Speed: 3.5 CHP, DC Type motor with 0.5-to-12 MPH speed range with 6 programs, two cust0m programs and two heart programs
- Incline: 0-to-15% rack-and-pinion gear design incline
- Dimensions & Weight: Measures 35 by 58 by 80 inches (W x H x D); deck measures 35 by 80 inches (W x D); running surface measures 22 by 60 inches (W x D); 265-pound weight
- Weight Limit: 375-pound weight limit; 2.75-inch rollers
3. LifeSpan TR4000i Folding Treadmill – FLAGSHIP TREADMILL
- Feature: 8 impact-absorbing compression shocks to guarantee a consistently comfortable workout. Foldable design with simple to lift and easy to lower, EZfold technology utilizes a hydraulic shock to assist in folding and unfolding the treadmill. 6-inch Blue backlit LCD displays: time, calories, distance, steps, heart rate, speed, incline level, pace and elevation change. Bluetooth adapter sold separately to work with fitness apps.
- Power & Speed: a 3.25 HP continuous-duty DC motor drives a speed range of 0.5 to 12 mph, and a 3-speed cooling fan
- Incline: 15 incline levels
- Dimensions & Weight: 42″ L x 32″ W x 66.5″ H (folded), 74.5″ L x 32″ W x 56″ H (unfolded), 20 x 60 inch running surface, weigh 220.46 pounds
- Weight Limit: 350 pounds
4. ProForm Pro 2000 Treadmill
- Features: ProShox lite Cushioning Deck, SpaceSaver Design with EasyLift Assist, 2.5″ Precision Machined and Balanced Non-Flex Rear Roller, CoolAire Workout Fan, EKG grip pulse, a wireless heart rate chest strap. 7-inch oversized backlit LCD display provides your time, distance, and speed and easy to use dash for digital quick speed electronics with incline adjustability, SpaceSaver fold-away design, 18 preset workouts will keep you busy no matter the fitness level you’re at. It’s iPod, iPad, and smartphone compatible, with two 3-in. speakers. iFit compatible.
- Power & Speed: 3.5 CHP Mach Z Commercial Pro Motor, up to 12 MPH QuickSpeed Control
- Incline: 3% Quick Decline Control, 15% Quick Incline Control,
- Dimensions & Weight: 72.22 x 33.87 x 57.1 in with 22″ x 60″ 1-Ply Commercial Tread Belt
- Weigh Limit: 350 pound
5. Sole F65 Folding Treadmill
- Features: Sole’s entry level treadmill features folding deck with patented all gear rack and pinion system with a safety lock deck and easy assist folding deck design. Convenient controls and 7.5-inch Blue LCD workout display including heart rate, speed, pace, calories burned, and other useful bits of information. Pulse grip and chest strap heart rate monitoring, Cooling fans, MP3-compatible sound system
- Power & Speed: 3.25 CHP, DC Type motor, 0.5-to-12 MPH speed range with 6 standard programs, two custom programs, 2 heart programs
- Incline: 0-to-15% rack-and-pinion gear design incline
- Dimensions & Weight: 35 by 57 by 83 inches (W x H x D), deck measures 35 by 83 inches (W x D). Running surface measures 20 by 60 inches (W x D); 253 pounds
- Weight Limit: 350 pounds, 2.75-inch rollers
BONUS: LifeSpan TR1200i Folding Treadmill
- Features: Biomechanically correct deck suspension system supports, Multicolored LCD console tracks your time, calories, distance, speed, and more, Offers 17 preset workout programs including weight loss, healthy living, sports training, and heart rate programs. Foldable design with EZ Drop folding system. MP3 compatible.
- Power & Speed: 2.5 hp motor, 0.5 to 11 miles per hour
- Incline: 15 incline levels
- Dimensions & Weight: 33 x 54 x 70 inches (W x H x D), deck: 20” x 56” running surface, weigh 204 pounds
- Weight Limit: 300 pounds; 2.5-inch rollers.
