Undoubtedly, decline treadmills are gaining popularity in today’s fitness world. If you are a workout fan, you probably have come across these training machines with a gradient of about 3%.
However, besides improving your turnover rate when racing, are treadmills with declines worth your fitness investment?
Or, is it a must to utilize the decline feature on your treadmill? If that is your concern, this content has you sorted.
Benefits and Drawbacks of Decline Treadmill
First and foremost, you can have the most out of your training session even when using a treadmill with no incline and decline capability.
You can run, walk, or jog at different speeds and lengths to burn calories, tone your muscles and improve your heart pumping rate.
The best thing about incline and decline treadmills is that they make your workout fascinating and resemble an outdoor exercise.
However, using treadmills with declines has some drawbacks compared to running downhill. They include:
- Instead of absorbing your body’s force as you would do when running outside or downhill, you will have to keep pace with a treadmill equipped with a decline feature.
- Using declines on treadmills can tamper with your biomechanics. Overdoing it can cause issues in the future when walking or running outdoors. Your body gets weak at absorbing training force since the treadmill gets rid of ground impact.
The best thing is to use your decline treadmill sparingly. Fortunately, these treadmills have less gradient, due to the underline issues associated with them. Even with a 3% decline, avoid overusing those treadmills as you would do with the incline ones.
The main challenge with decline treadmills is that they tend to be expensive than their counterparts that lack the feature. Different brands will have varying decline degrees.
For instance, the X11i from NordicTrack has a decline of almost 6%.
However, keep in mind that these advanced treadmills can be too pricey starting from about 2,000 pounds to 4,300 pounds for the high-end models.
Other Considerations when getting a Treadmill
Purchasing a treadmill can be a worthwhile workout investment if you have no time to visit the gym or lack an open area for walking around. However, that will be different from using a gym treadmill. That is because the machines are expensive and require you to have an additional area at home. Consider the following factors when you are about to purchase your treadmill.
Belt Size: You will use your treadmill for walking or running. That is why you have to ensure your machine is functioning as smoothly as possible. The best belt size needs to be 18 and 48 inches wide and long respectively. If you are tall (more than 6 feet) a 54-inch belt size should be ideal for relaxed walking or running.
Cushioning: If you want to use your treadmill regularly, you will have to buy equipment with more than 10 mph. The machine should absorb shock for your safety when using it. Also, the belt has to remain intact with no shifts with every foot strike. The motor’s horsepower will determine the quality of your workouts. For that reason, familiarize yourself with the motor specifications before purchasing a treadmill.
Stability: Your treadmill has to be stable and safe. A rattling or shaking machine can harm you when walking or running on it. For easy and smooth running, your fitness equipment should have a stable frame.
Warranty: You can gauge the quality of your treadmill based on the warranty by the manufacturer. Experts advise that you find training equipment with at least 10 years of warranty, if not a lifetime for treadmill motor and frame. Generally, treadmill electronics have a 5-year warranty and a 2 years warranty for labor and parts.
Also, confirm the delivery costs since they will not be a part of the equipment price. Also, inquire about the after-sale services and how you will assemble the machine for use.
Budget: After contemplating the above factors and any other necessary ones, the next step is to consider the amount of money you want to invest on your treadmill. The best thing is to get a quality treadmill at an affordable cost. Keep in mind that the machines vary in price because of the various features they incorporate. Find a treadmill in your budget that will last longer and easy to operate.
Bottom Line
The above article shows you that a treadmill with decline is in no way better than the common ones. Decline treadmills have multiple drawbacks making them not worth your time. For instance, they might affect your walking style when outdoors if you overuse them.
Another thing is that the treadmills are too expensive compared to their counterparts without the decline feature. If you want to upgrade your fitness room, you can have that without much cost by avoiding decline treadmills. You will not miss anything as far as your workout is concerned.
A 3% decline is not worth your consideration when making a treadmill purchase. You can consider various factors to get the best treadmill that will fit your workout goals and budget.