What you get if you get a really basic treadmill
When shopping for treadmills you will find that the price is directly proportional to the number of features offered. In order to reduce the price of your treadmill, you might opt for one of the most basic models. This may or may not be a good idea since when dealing with treadmill, you most often get what you pay for. This article should shed some light on what you will get if you opt for a really basic treadmill.
The most basic kind of treadmill isn't even motorized. These treadmills are extremely cheap and are most often found at yard sales. It is hard to find a non-motorized treadmill at a retail store because they aren't very popular and frankly, they aren't very good. If you get a non-motorized treadmill, you turn the belt under your own power. The benefit of using a non-motorized treadmill is not much greater than that of walking in place. Well, that's not quite true, they do have a resistance setting so you can make it harder or easier to turn the belt but you would have to really be dedicated to spend much time on a non-motorized treadmill.
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Once you have moved up to a motorized treadmill, it is hard to say how basic "really basic" is. Presumably, the more basic the treadmill, the less options it will have. Those options might include integral components such as horsepower. A very basic motorized treadmill might only have a one horse, horsepower motor or less. This will probably be okay if you only plan to walk on your treadmill but if you plan on running on the treadmill, you should probably try to find a treadmill that has a minimum of 1.5 continuous duty horsepower.
On a basic treadmill, you probably won't get any electronic features. This means there will be no preset workouts, no electronic feedback, and no heart rate monitor. These are not things that are essential for a workout but they are things that make the workout more effective and more fun. Having preset workouts keeps you on the machine longer and also helps you do things like interval training, that are important for maximizing your workout. The feedback options are not that important to the quality of the workout but they will help you with motivation. One of the biggest motivators when it comes to feedback is the number of calories burned option. It has nothing at all to do with the workout but people love to "burn off" the food that they ate before the workout or "earn" the food they plan to eat when the workout is over.
Basic treadmills will probably not offer a lot of cushioning or shock absorption. Your basic treadmill will feature a thin belt that runs over a solid deck. Fancier models might offer a two-ply belt that runs over a deck that flexes on impact. Again, you are getting what you pay for when it comes to engineering. The thicker, more flexible materials will cost more but when the deck is absorbing the shock of your foot strike, your ankles, knees, and hips don't have to. Basic models are functional-you can run on them. Features such as shock absorption make the running experience more pleasant and even safer.
Finally, a basic treadmill will not offer an incline feature. This is too bad because having a treadmill that inclines is the only way to use a treadmill to train for running on hills. Resistance isn't enough. You have to actually come down on a lowered foot to replicate the experience of running downhill.
