Introduction:

If you’re on a budget and shopping for fitness equipment to use at home, then you’ve no doubt learned that prices go up quickly, especially for treadmills. It’s not uncommon to see fully featured treadmills selling for as much as £2500.00 to £3500. Many of us don’t have the financial resources to invest in an expensive treadmill, but we know we need to start an exercise program. Did you know that there is an alternative to big, bulky and expensive motorized treadmills? It’s called a “manual” treadmill, for good reason. Here’s some information on the manual treadmill and a brief review of one we particularly like: the Pro Fitness Cross Trainer Manual Treadmill.

General rating:

4.5 out of 5.0 stars

Key features:

The Pro Fitness Manual Treadmill with Arm Levers is a self-powered treadmill with adjustable resistance. It includes dual-action arm levers at the front that simulate cross-country ski arm movements, an innovative feature. The treadmill is completely self-powered (see below) and has pulse sensors built into the handgrips.

Price:

About £149.99

Product description:

Typically, the type of treadmill you see at gyms, health clubs, and fitness equipment retailers is powered by a motor. The Pro Fitness Manual Treadmill with Lever Arms has no motor and is self-powered. This means that the user is the “motor” that moves the band solely by walking, running or jogging on it. Unlike electric treadmills, when the user stops moving, so does the belt. This is a security feature that gets high marks from us. We appreciate that the speed of the treadmill is completely under the control of the user. To speed up or slow down, just walk slower. This action controls a flywheel, which is the mechanism that moves the entire machine. This treadmill also has an innovative feature usually found on elliptical bikes and stair climbers: arm levers. Thus, it’s one of the few machines we’ve found that offers a total-body workout.

Product specifications:

Running surface size: 111 cm long x 34 cm wide

Extras: Dual-action upper-body cross-country-style exercise levers that work arms and shoulders

Heart rate sensor: Yes. Located in grips

Console display information: Includes: speed, distance, time, calories, pulse and scan functions

Folds up for storage: Yes

Maximum user weight: 100 kg (15st10)

Batteries Required: Yes, 2 x AA (not included).

Size: 128 x 70 x 138 cm (H x W x D)

Weight: 31.5kg

Assembly Required: Yes

Conclusion:

We like this manual treadmill for its simplicity and durability. It is much smaller in footprint than motorized treadmills, a real bonus for those with limited space. This treadmill does not have the bulky motor housing found on electric treadmills. If you’re not ready to commit to an expensive machine, the Pro Fitness Manual Treadmill with Arm Levers is a great way to try out this category of exercise equipment to see if it’s for you. Overall, this is an affordable, well-designed, and safe machine that is a pretty good fit for those on a budget.