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Is A Treadmill Right Ror You?
By Charles Coniglio

Treadmill popularity comes and goes however they are still one of the best exercise options for a home gym. Just look at you local health club, they probably have more treadmills than any other exercise equipment. But are they right foryou?

Treadmills provide an excellent cardio workout. Most treadmills offer multiple work outs. You can select from straight walking to rolling hills, mountain climbing or run a 5K. Many models also have a cardio workout. The treadmill monitors your heart rate and changes speed or inclination to keep you in the target zone for an optimal workout. Several models also allow you to connect to exercise websites that provide workouts that adjust the treadmill's speed and inclination to music or you can buy tapes or DVDs that hook up to them and perform the same function. I personally have a tape that lets me walk on the Hawaiian islands. This is an excellent way to give yourself variety in your workouts. After all, variety is what will keep youworking out.
But is the treadmill for you?

True, treadmills provide excellent cardio workout however they do not provide strength training or give you an upper body workout. You can however, try walking with barbells. That will provide you with some upper body exercise. The only real drawback to a treadmill is the impact on your feet and knees. Depending on how you use your treadmill, walk or run, determines the impact level on your body. Brisk walking is not as hard on your body as running. There are precautions you can take to minimize the impact. Like walking or running outdoors you need to have supportive running or walking shoes. I am not talking about shoes you would use for running at race time. I am talking about those you use for practice to help avoid injury. When I started running I really did not want to spend the money on an excellent pair of shoes. I quickly found out that my feet and knees paid the price. I switched to an excellent pair of supportive running shoes that fit my style of running and it made the pain go away. It's the same with a treadmill. There is impact so treat your feet the same way. Protect them. Although you cannot do anything about the road you run on, you can buy a treadmill with a well cushioned walking surface. Treadmills come with varying degrees of cushion to their running surface. The old adage of you get what you pay for does apply to treadmills. I tried many treadmills and found this to be true to a large degree. After you get into a certain price level, the running surface is more supportive and lessens the impact on your feet and knees. This only goes so far and then all your really paying foris features and construction. Ok, I've told you a lot but is a treadmill really for you?

If you do not have knee or foot problems and want a natural cardio workout then the treadmill is for you. You will need to work the upper body with either weights or a different piece of equipment like an elliptical trainer or a weight machine. If you do decide to buy a treadmill make sure you try it out at a store. Make sure it's more comfortable than walking on pavement. Also make sure you read reviews and look for something that offers you variety of features and reliability. You are much better off spending a little more for a reliable, comfortable and feature rich machine that going cheap, having problems and givingup your exercise program.

Charles Coniglio is a marketing executive and internet researcher. He enjoyes researching different subjects especially before purchasing anything. He has started a blog on equipping a home gym. For more information visit http://www.home-gym-decisions.blogspot.com

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