The Treadmill Sensei's Home Buyers Guide to Choosing an Elliptical Trainer

Over the past few years Elliptical trainers have taken the fitness industry by storm. What was once a fad relegated to late night infomercials is now perhaps the single most dominant piece of equipment at the majority of gyms and personal training centers.

Let's start with the guide by taking a look at the differences between a treadmill and an elliptical trainer. The most immediate thing you're going to notice is that the elliptical is almost entirely impact free. This means you will no longer be subjected to the lower joint pain most associated with running. Even a treadmill with great shock absorbtion and an orthopedic belt, while better than running on pavement, will still abuse your knees and ankles.

On the flip side, a treadmill is much better for targeted training for joggers and runners. You can't really train properly for a marathon on an elliptical. As close as the feel of an elliptical is to walking or running, it's still not as good as actually running.

Now, let's take a look at the "pain" of running. Recent studies have shown people to work out hard and longer on ellipticals because the perceived amount of effort seems to be much less. The more "comfortable" a work out, the longer and hard someone will go. This is one of the main reasons a lot of seniors and older exercisers have taken to the elliptical so readily.

Another glaring difference is the crosstraining arms most ellipticals have (with a few exceptions such as the majority of the Precor elliptical units). With the addition of the crosstraining bars, the elliptical allows you an additional aspect in your work out -- strength training. Almost all fitness experts agree that all proper workouts need a strength training aspect and the elliptical packages it with the cardio training quite nicely.

Let's talk about what to look for in an elliptical trainer. First, which is better, a front wheel or rear wheel elliptical. Truth be told, they both work exactly the same. Anyone who tells you differently is just trying to see you a bill of goods. They give you the exact same workout. The only real difference is if you're a larger person or if you're on a lighter weight (or less sturdy) machine. In this case, the front drives will definitely feel quite a bit sturdier. This is because when you work out on an elliptical, you are throwing all of your weight forward. Having the drive and heavy flywheel up front will help to balance you out. Larger flywheels are better as they tend to last longer and give more sturdiness to a machine.

Most elliptical trainers have magnetic brakes and you don't want to mess with anything else. The old friction based brakes tended to wear out too quickly, so stay away from any dinosaur machines that still use them.

Stride is one of the most important features on an elliptical because they have the most to do with comfort. Longer strides are better on ellipticals -- unless, of course, you're a shorter person, but for most people strides of 18" or longer are best. Personally, I've find 20-21 inch strides to be the best for anyone up to about 6'4". Anything shorter than 18" will be uncomfortable for most people.

Footpads: make sure the unit you are looking at has articulating footpads. The reason for this is because elliptical traininers with static footpads (such as the Tunturi units) can cause your feet to start to go numb on longer work outs. This is from the lack of circulation caused by the static pedals. Looks for footpads that flex with your feet. You'll thank the sensei for it.

Things like programs, heart rate control and personal fans are nice, but the above points are the main things to keep an eye on. Also, try out the feel of the way you mount an elliptical. There are two varieties of mounting -- side mount machines (such as the Precor 546 or Star Trac Rear Drive) and rear mount machines (such as the Matrix E5x or Horizon EX44). Some people have a bit of difficulty on mounting from the side and should look at rear drive options. As with the position of the flywheel, rear-mount versus side-mount ellipticals work exactly the same way.

The best way to pick out an elliptical is to head out to either a gym or local sports retailer and give them a try. Be warned, tho, once you work out on a commercial grade elliptical, it's hard to transition over to a residential grade one. The top of the line commercial ellipticals are by Star Trac, Matrix, Precor and Life Fitness. The top residential grade ellipticals include Horizon, New Balance and Endurance. Fitnex and Spirit / Sole are great mid range brands that do an exellent job of giving commercial quality work outs for not much more than a residential price.

The Landice Treadmill Mystery Solved

Moshi Moshi!

I had planned to do a detailed review of the Landice L7 Executive treadmill today, but Mrs. Sensei has laid down the law and I only have a few minutes to post a review on this fine July 4th holiday -- the DOJO itself is empty and all of the other senseis are off work and at home enjoying their families. Look for the full review tomorrow, but for today enjoy a quick rundown of the differences between the numerous models of Landice treadmills out on the market.

If you'vee spent time looking at Landice treadmills then you've probably noticed they have a large number of units available and the differences between them aren't always as obvious as they should be. Here is a guide to comparing the different models, full commercial and light commercial.

At each level (L7, L8 and L9), the only difference between a Pro Sports Trainer, a Cardio Trainer and an Executive trainer is going to be the console. The Landice Pro Sports Trainer Treadmill has the lowest end, basic display, and the Landice Executive treadmills have the highest end (really spiffy, if you ask me) displays. The difference in the consoles is very obvious upon viewing.

The differences of each Landice treadmill level (L7, L8 and L9) is going to be the size of the rollers and the length of the deck. The higher the number, the heaver and larger the rollers and the longer the treadmill deck.

The LTD versus the Club style is an easy one as well. LTD means the unit is light commercial and Club means the unit is full commercial -- meaning it is rated to run for a higher number of hours per week (full commercial usually means 100+ hours of use per week). The LTDs come in 110v and the Clubs in 220v or 110v. If you're using a Landice Club treadmill in your home, make sure to request 110v or you may not be able to run it properly.

And there you go, the mystery of the Landice treadmills is solved!

-The Treadmill Sensei

The Home Buyers Guide to Choosing a Treadmill

Moshi Moshi!

Hello again from the Far East on the West Coast, and greetings from the DOJO. This week, before I get in to the nuts and bolts of the treadmills and the ellipticals I work on, I'm going to start with a quick guide to how to choose a treadmill -- well, how to choose a residential / home grade treadmill. Choosing a commercial treadmill tends to be a bit easier -- go Star Trac, Matrix, Landice or Life Fitness and, in spite of their great ellipticals, avoid Precor treadmills. Precor is a great company, they just don't quite have treadmills down as well as the other companies. With the commercial treadmills it's kind of like choosing between a BMW, a Mercedes and a Lexus. It's all about bells and whistles more than performance...they're all great machines and we'll talk about them another time.

Home treadmills are a tough sea to navigate for most buyers -- there are so many different brands and they all look alike to outsiders. Luckily, over the past 20 or so years, I've had to repair just about every treadmill ever made. In other words, my pain will be your salvation!

My first piece of advice is: avoid anything and everything from Icon Health and Fitness. They're the manufacturer of the units you'll find at places like Sears -- nothing against Sears, but the treadmills they sell tend to be on the lower end of the quality scale. Their treadmills seem to have specs that are too good to be true for their cost and, truth be told, they are. The old proverb, "you get what you pay for" comes in to play with them. Small motors with high RPMs to give them a perceived higher horsepower (most of their motors should really be rated at under 1.5 HP regardless of what they tell you -- a motor the size of a soda can should not be powering a full sized treadmill!), lots of plastic pieces, tiny rollers, and generally unstable machines are par for the course for the Icon brands like Proform, Weslo, Healthrider and Image. Just stay away from them! There are better treadmills even at the more affordable prices that Icon tempts the unlearned consumer with.

On with translating the arcane lore that is treadmill purchasing for the lay person.

Let's start with the motor. The first thing you want to do is make sure the motor is rated with "Continuous Duty." Any sales person or manufacturer who gives you a "Peak" rating is trying to sell you a bag of magic beans. Peak is best described as the maximum a motor will perform at before it breaks down. What's more imporant is: how the heck is that motor going to perform when you're actually using it? Another thing a shady salesperson might mention is that a common home circuit (120v/15amps) will only let you run about 2.5 HP and any motor larger than that is a waste of money. Technically that is true (about the amps vs. HP, not the waste of money), but the larger motors will tend to last longer as they are not running at the higher RPMs of a smaller motor. And, if nothing else, the larger the motor, the smoother the "ride." A bigger motor will allow you to run or walk on it without slipping.

The next thing to look at is the size of a treadmill's rollers. The bigger the rollers, the longer your belt will last and the better the running experience.

Next, and this is my favorite thing -- especially when recommending cardio equipment to my in-laws -- the warranty. Like anything else, the better the warranty the more piece of mind you will have. The 5 year parts warranty on Spirit treadmills, for example, is one of the best in the business. For me, the more faith a manufacturer has in its own product (i.e. the warranty), the more faith I have in that product. Of course, doing repairs I absolutely love the lower end warranties as it means more paying work for me!

What's next? The weight and stability of the machine. There is nothing worse than getting on a treadmill and having it move back and forth, or shake, or, even worse, creak as you run on it. The heavier the unit the longer it will last. If you're used to running on a treadmill at your local gym and then get on most home units, you'll immediately notice the difference. You don't want to be running around on something that feels like it is going to fall apart now do you? Don't answer, that was a rhetorical treadmill question.

The tread and the deck are where most problems for treadmills happen. When the friction from your running builds up between the deck and the tread, the badness begins. Stick with the 4-ply belts/treads that help to reduce the amount of friction, and look at units with reversable, phenolic wax coated decks. Reversable decks let you flip over your running surface to use the opposite side when the original wears down. It's like having a free second deck if you wear out the first one.

Programs. Don't be fooled by this. Most people only wind up using 3-4 programs. If the treadmill has 20, that's cool, but you'll rarely use them. If you do heart rate training, then heart rate control is great. If not, it's just an extra you'll never use...like the clock you've never set on your VCR.

Speed and Incline are worth talking about. Most treadmills can go up to about 10 miles per hour and a 10 degree incline. Don't let speed or incline become a deciding factor unless you're doing a lot of high speed or high incline training. Obviously, electronically controlled speed and incline are the way to go. If those feature are manual just move on.

Finally, test out the shock absorbtion. You want to make sure you aren't running on a hard surface. This is a "feel" thing more than a "scientific" one. If the deck is bouncy, move on. If the deck feels like running on concrete, move on. If the deck moves from side to side, move on. You want to find a deck that feels good, with just enough give and little to no lateral motion.

Beyond that fans, speakers, cup holders, magazine racks and even television sets on the treadmill's console are all just icing on the cake. It's better to get a good treadmill without a fan or TV and spend $50 to buy your own than to get a crappy, fully loaded treadmill which will eventually just become an expensive coat rack for dirty clothes.

Now, I know I alread typed "finally" but there is one last piece to consider: PRICE. You can only get what you can get but don't be fooled into buying a lemon. There are decent (and some downright Great) treadmills at just about every price point. I'll go over some of the best, at least in my experience, treadmills in the under $1000 range in the next week.

Don't despair, there is a good treadmill out there you can actually afford!

-The Treadmill Sensei

The Treadmill Sensei's guide on how to replace your treadmill belt

Nihango!

A question I get asked a lot here at the DOJO (and by my wife's pesky relatives) is: How the heck do I replace a damaged treadmill belt?

If you find your belt slipping, or your deck slowing down and stop, or if the edges of your treadmill belt look worn, frayed or curls up, then you may need to have your treadmill belt replaced. Luckily, replacing the belt isn't as hard as you'd think.

The very first thing you're going to want to do is take a look at your treadmill deck. If the deck looks to be in good shape then there is a good chance it just needs to be lubricated (or waxed). If you see signs of wear such as scratches or grooves then both the deck and belt are probably going to need to be replaced.

If the deck appears fine but your belt is torn, curling or frayed, it's time to replace the treadmill belt. Thankfully, treadmill manufacturers have made it pretty easy to replace a belt even if you're not the Treadmill Sensei.

Most important: Turn your treadmill off and remove the power cord! This way you don't get shocked and you'll guarantee the treadmill doesn't turn on while you're working on it. That would be bad. If your treadmill inclines (which most do), adjusting it a few degrees may make the operation a little easier for you.

You loosen the belt adjustment screws in the back of your treadmill's deck and then slide the rear roller forward and away from the belt. Remove the front roller and then the rear roller. There will be a number of screws along the sides of the deck which attach the deck to the rest of the treadmill. Remove those and you'll be able to remove your deck.

At this point you can slide your belt off. Now is a perfect time to go ahead and lubricate your deck as well. From there, put on your new belt and reassemble your deck.

Taking the time to wax your treadmill deck while the belt is off may be a good idea. It'll keep you from having to do it all over again later on.

Finally, once you have it all back together you're going to want to test the adjustment. Start your treadmill at a slow speed and walk on it firmly. If the belt stops, hesitates or changes speed then you're going to need to adjst the rear screws. Adjust as needed until you are sure the belt isn't slipping or changing speed.

And there you have it, how to replace a treadmill belt.

-The Treadmill Sensei

Treadmill Maintenance -- 11 Tips for the care of your treadmill

So, you've spent the weeks you needed to research, try out, choose and purchase your brand new treadmill. You've gotten it assembled and begun your daily workouts...so what now? Well, even the highest end commercial treadmills need a bit of love and affection to keep them purring like a kitten. This guide will tell you everything you need to know to keep your treadmill in tip top shape.

Tip #1
The first thing you are going to want to do is get a good treadmill mat to go underneath your unit. Despite what you think, a treadmill mat isn't as much for protecting your floor as for protecting your treadmill. You see, a treadmill's motor builds up a huge static charge as you work out. The charge will suck dust, lint and debris into your motor, causing it to clog and run inefficiently. The more gunk in your motor the worse it will run and the shorter its lifespan will be. Sliding a nice treadmill mat underneath your equipment will help reduce that static and the amount of stuff getting sucked up in it. As a bonus, you'll also be protecting your floor and carpet. Watch out for cheap mats, tho. If you pick up a budget treadmill mat you run the risk of having it stain your hardwood floor or stick to your carpet. Supermat is a great brand of treadmill mat and can be purchased for as low as $35.

Tip #2
Sticking with dust and dirt, make sure to dust/clean your treadmill once every other week. Take special care with the belt area as any build up should be cleaned off right away or you'll risk reduced performance.

Tip #3
I know it's going to sound over obvious, but make sure to keep your power cord well away from the base of the unit and the incline mechanism. You have no idea how many cords we end up replacing on our service calls.

Tip #4
If you find your belt slipping, it may be because the belt tracking is off. You can adjust your tracking the same way you make sure the belt is properly aligned, with the alignment screws at the rear of your treadmill. An allen wrench is all you need. A quick quarter clockwise turn should tighten everything back up. Make sure never to turn either side more than a quarter turn at any given time because you the adjustments levels are very fine. Keeping your belt aligned will reduce the load on you treadbelt and belt guides. Check out your owner's manual for more information.

Tip #5
A lot of times the cause of miss aligned on a treadbelt is from the unit not being level. Make sure to get your treadmill level.

Tip #6
Unless specifically isntructed by your owner's manual, do not use silicone or oils to lubricate your treadmill's deck. A clean, dry, dust-free bed and belt combination is ideal for a long-lasting treadmill. If your manual recommends the use of a silicone spray for lubrication, make sure to precisely follow application and scheduling instructions. Some treadmill decks may require initial waxing to help reduce friction with the belt. Do not wax a deck unless recommended by the manufacturer. Lubrication to pretreated wax decks may interfere with the wax.

Tip #7
The lowest level of friction between your belt and deck is desired. If the amount of friction is too high, you'll end up with damage and wear to both your motor and your year. The best way to judge a low friction belt is that it will slide when the power is off and you can manually walk the belt when the treadmill is powered down. Improper lubrication can lead to overworking your motor.

Tip #8
One of the main problems on most treadmills (home and commercial) is in the control board. As with any computer, the treadmill's control board is subject to power surges, improper grounding and so on. The best way to protect your treadmill's computer brain is to unplug it when not in use and use a grounded plug when powered on.

Tip #9
Read your user's manual. I know, I know..."who really reads those darn things?" Well, you should. Just about everything you need to know will be found in that little book that came with your treadmill. Pop it open while you're in the bathroom for a good read.

Tip #10
Never operate your treadmill while wet. Bad idea for so many reasons.

Tip #11
Last but not least, if you are having trouble with your treadmill and need it fixed...then call the Treadmill Sensei! That's what we do! (Ok, so it's a shameless plug...but it's my website so nyah).

Anyway, a few simple steps and you'll be able to take care of your treadmill so it can continue to help take care of you for years to come

-The Treadmill Sensei