A treadmill is your best friend if you want to start working out to reduce weight and get in shape. But how to choose the best treadmill for your specific weight?
With your own treadmill, bad weather and a busy lifestyle won’t stop you from your exercise routine, but you must pick the right one.
There are many choices on the market, with numerous businesses manufacturing treadmills for heavier people.
A treadmill must cater to your weight because otherwise, you run the risk of motor burnout.
Additionally, a strained treadmill could collapse, causing injury… By now you have understood that the carrying capacity of a treadmill is very important!
Table of Contents
- 1 How to choose the best treadmill with a high weight limit capacity: Introduction
- 2 The advantages of buying a treadmill with a higher weight limit
- 3 Take your height into consideration
- 4 Factor in your weight: How to choose the best treadmill
- 5 Take potential floor damage into account
- 6 Select a thick shock absorber
- 7 How to choose the best treadmill with a high weight limit capacity: Conclusion
How to choose the best treadmill with a high weight limit capacity: Introduction
Do you believe your weight is holding you back from achieving your plus-size fitness goals? Due to feelings of shame and/or embarrassment?
And do you frequently worry about whether the treadmill in the gym can actually handle your weight?
Then it’s definitely time to stop letting your weight limit your potential! Just end the madness and dare to invest… Choose a treadmill that can handle the challenge!
In this blog post, I’ll discuss the world of treadmills with high weight limit capacities and I’ll show you how you can choose the best one for your plus-size needs and wants. 🙂
No more feeling self-conscious, no more criticizing yourself, no more limiting beliefs by your size!
It’s time to take control of your fitness journey and find a sturdy treadmill for a heavy person that can keep up with you.
There are treadmills to suit all types of circumstances, so if you’re looking for one with a higher weight capacity, keep the following advantages and tips in mind:
The advantages of buying a treadmill with a higher weight limit
If walking or running is your main workout, then a treadmill should be your best friend.
Treadmills offer a year-round chance to keep going. Bad weather won’t interrupt your progress and you will continue to reap the benefits of all your hard work.
You could consider putting a mirror near your treadmill, so you can check that you are maintaining a correct posture.
Have you ever realized that the treadmill belt actually helps your legs to move?
Instead of walking against the ground, the surface beneath your feet moves in a direction that will assist you. That makes things easier!
Need to add inclines to your exercise? A treadmill is precisely what you need. This is of particular interest to women who are wondering how to get thin thighs on a treadmill.
Instead of having to vary your outside route, all you need to do is raise the treadmill’s slope (between 1 to 5 percent), and it’s just the same as going up a hill.
Take your height into consideration
If you’re over the 6 feet mark, you need a treadmill with a longer belt length so you do not fall or hit the front off the back.
A typical treadmill belt ought to be at least 50 inches long. But for those of you who are taller than the average person, it should measure between 55 to 60 inches long.
How to choose the best treadmill? Compare treadmills that fulfill your weight and height requirements!
You can find and compare treadmills with a high weight limit of 300 pounds or more.
These treadmills offer sufficient space on the sides and are durable and steady.
They’re large enough for your plus-size body and their belts are not narrower than 18 inches.
Factor in your weight: How to choose the best treadmill
Many treadmills list an optimum weight capacity, so pick a treadmill with a weight limit that is higher than your weight.
Entry-level treadmills tend to hold up to 200 to 300 pounds, while higher-end heavy-duty treadmills can hold between 300 to 500 pounds.
How to choose the best treadmill if you’re on the heavier side?
Definitely pay attention to the weight bearing capacity of the treadmill machine you intend to buy!
Tip: If you have little experience with running, be sure to read our page on how to start running being plus size.
Take potential floor damage into account
Treadmills are the best workout machines for calorie burning and other benefits of a good cardio exercise routine.
Don’t forget, however, that a heavier machine can damage your flooring.
How to choose the best treadmill for your flooring? For this, you do not need to focus on the treadmill but rather on a shock-absorbing mat.
You can easily safeguard your floors (and carpets) from treadmill damage by buying a good treadmill mat.
The mat protecting your floor must satisfy all criteria. Examples of such criteria are the number of treadmill usage times, its size, and of course, your budget.
Select a thick shock absorber
Bigger treadmills are much heavier than their lighter counterparts. This means a thicker mat is an essential investment, especially if you will use the treadmill daily.
The standard mat is usually 1/4-inch thick but can be offered in a 3/8-inch thickness as well.
The right mat will help lessen the impact on your floor and soften vibrations emanating from your movement on the belt.
Avoid treadmill tracks at all costs
Suppose you haven’t yet decided where to put your treadmill permanently.
In that case, it’s easy to underestimate the substantial damage a heavy treadmill can inflict on your floor without a mat’s protection.
Treadmills usually are heavy, and their weight can make imprints in your carpet or wood flooring and can, in fact, tear vinyl flooring.
Now, add your weight and the momentum caused by walking and running. That certainly increases the potential damage.
Note: Don’t be fooled by lighter-weight treadmills! They can cause as much trouble as their heavier siblings.
Being lighter means they could be less stable during use, making damaging and unattractive scratches on your floor or carpet.
The importance of mat material
Treadmill mats are offered in different materials and this is a critical consideration during the purchasing process.
Mats made of strong vinyl are susceptible to weight and the original density of the mat is compromised by compression. Thus, the reduced thickness provides much less flooring protection.
You would get more protection from a material called thermoplastic vinyl. Thermoplastic vinyl treadmill mats do not compress as quickly as softer vinyl and offer more protection.
Have you ever heard of rubber mats made of recycled tires? Not only do they help the environment, but they don’t compress well and can absorb shocks and vibrations much better.
Size of the treadmill matters
For a standard-sized treadmill, a standard-sized treadmill mat (usually measuring 6.5 feet by 3 feet) is sufficient.
If your treadmill is intended for heavier use, it will be bigger.
In such a scenario, you will definitely need a mat to match it. It must cover at least the same surface area as your treadmill machine.
Don’t forget: The mat’s job is to protect your floors from a treadmill’s impact.
But a mat is also meant to protect your floor from the oil and grime that often gathers under your machine!
How to choose the best treadmill with a high weight limit capacity: Conclusion
Choosing a great treadmill with a high weight limit capacity is a positive step towards achieving your fitness goals.
In other words, by choosing a sturdy and reliable treadmill that can accommodate your weight, you are making a serious commitment to yourself and your health.
Not only will it make your workouts safer and more comfortable, but it will also boost your confidence and self-esteem.
It’s also very important to keep in mind that your weight doesn’t define you, and your fitness journey is 100% unique to you. 🙂
Everyone has their own pace, and progress in the field of physical activity is not always linear. So be patient and kind with yourself, accept yourself and your body and don’t let setbacks discourage you.
You should try to celebrate every small victory along the way, and you should also remember that every step you take is bringing you a step closer to your goal.