A manual treadmill is an excellent tool for exercise. Its distinctive feature is that it does not need electricity. The user moves the belt using his feet alone. This makes them a simple and environmentally friendly machine.
The treadmill doesn’t go much faster than 4 miles per hour. However, it is still good for walking, and the effort involved in pushing the conveyer belt around means that you can still get a good workout.
People often use manual treadmills for exercise, but most people don’t realize they’re also great for helping you develop good running form. On a regular treadmill, you can afford to be lazy and lean back, doing so on a manual treadmill would bring it to a stop.
Being able to burn lots of calories even at slow paces means that it would be a great application for living under a stand-up desk because you don’t need to bounce up and down too much or move forward and backward and a way that might be jarring.
Whatever your reason for considering a manual treadmill, we are here with comparisons and recommendations to help you find the best manual treadmill for you.
What is the Best Manual Treadmill?
To find the Best Manual Treadmill for you we have used several of non motorised treadmills and selected the absolute top 4 manual treadmills.
This is based on our first-hand experiences, years of practice as well as individual research on what others have to say, so that we can give you a more well-rounded review.
Feel free to scroll to the end of this article for a short buying guide and some frequently asked questions.
1. Sunny Health & Fitness SF-T1407M Foldable Manual Walking Treadmill
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| Price: 💲 (fewer 💲 = cheaper) Weight: 46.7 pounds (21.18 kg) Size: 50 x 49 x 23 inches (127 x 124.5 x 58.4 cm) Max Incline: 13.5 ° Max weight: 220 lbs Display type: Digital Monitor |
Walking is an excellent way to start your fitness journey, and if you are looking for a no-fuss, affordable, and effective method of walking at home, the Sunny Health & Fitness SF-T1407M model is a great choice. It is a manual treadmill that helps you lose weight, improve your health, and fitness by using weighted flywheels to provide momentum according to your pace. The treadmill features a compact 42″L x 13″W walking deck that makes the unit suitable for tight spaces and also features a folding design for easy storage. While it doesn’t have automatic speed adjustments, the treadmill features a fixed 13.5% incline that makes the walking exercises more intense and a non-slip belt for traction. Plus, you can track your speed, distance, and other metrics with the battery-powered LCD monitor, but the treadmill does not include any heart rate monitoring.
While this is a considerably cheap option attractive to people with a low budget, some of its drawbacks include poor build quality that may not withstand prolonged use and a cramped walking belt for comfortable use. Some users also noted that they needed to support themselves on the handlebars for momentum and stability due to the steep incline.
Pros
- The non-motorized operation makes it flexible to install anywhere,
- Compact and lightweight construction makes it easy to assemble,
- Affordable price that is attractive for entry-level buyers,
- Fixed incline provides more intensity to burn more calories
Cons
- The compact walking belt may constrict some users,
- May not provide a full-body workout,
- The fixed incline may be too steep for some users
2. Fitness Reality TR1000 Manual Treadmill with 2 Level Incline & Twin Flywheels
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| Price: 💲 (fewer 💲 = cheaper) Weight: 54.01 pounds (24.5 kg) Size: 51 x 47 x 23 inches (129.5 x 119.4 x 58.4 cm) Max Incline: 10 ° Max weight: 230 lbs Display type: LCD Monitor |
Manual treadmills such as this Fitness Reality TR1000 are an excellent low-cost option for people on a tight budget. While it does not have the advanced features of motorized versions, the TR1000 offers several benefits that make it a good buy. Fitness Reality is an American fitness equipment brand that produces high-quality exercise equipment to get the average person to achieve their fitness goals. Manual treadmills require extra effort to move the belt, which helps to increase your heart rate at a lower speed. However, TR1000 also includes two incline levels to boost the walking intensity to burn more calories in your session. The TR1000 is a sturdy and compact manual treadmill designed for any fitness level and accommodates up to 230 pounds maximum weight. It features steel construction with a narrow deck to support walking exercises, a broad main rail for comfortable walking, and extended handles for stability. The main bar features a battery-powered LCD panel to display distance, speed, and calories burned, while the handles feature foam grips to prevent slipping. The walking belt comes with oversized belt rollers that give you a consistently smooth walking experience, and twin flywheels ensure a frictionless and quiet operation.
Pros
- Sturdy manual treadmill with foldable design to reduce storage footprint,
- Cast iron flywheels prevent friction while operating the belt,
- Two incline levels to increase the intensity of the workout,
- Comfortable handrails provide stability while walking,
- Has a simple LCD to keep track of time and speed,
- Easy assembly as it does not have many parts
Cons
- Features a permanently inclined walking deck,
- Poor product support from the manufacturer
3. ProGear 190 Manual Treadmill
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| Price: 💲💲💲 (fewer 💲 = cheaper) Weight: 49 pounds (22.23 kg) Size: 51 x 47 x 23 inches (129.5 x 119.4 x 58.4 cm) Max Incline: 10 ° Max weight: 230 lbs Display type: LCD Monitor |
The ProGear 190 Manual Treadmill is a low-cost model with features similar to the Fitness Reality TR1000 Manual Treadmill. It has a robust and high-quality build to give you a long service life, and its foldable deck makes storage convenient. The unit features two incline levels at six and ten degrees but does not have a flat deck option. The inclined deck provides a more intense workout and muscle toning, which may not appeal to users with limited mobility. The ProGear 190 features a single-piece handrail with foam grips for comfort and a minimalist digital console to display time, speed, distance, and calories burned. The deck features a 43″ L x 13.25″ W belt that provides a comfortable walking space for the average-sized adult. However, some users may find it a little small, especially if they have long strides. Additionally, the treadmill supports a 230-pound weight limit, which may limit heavy-weight users. On the upside, many users have observed that the ProGear 190 is remarkably stable while in use, while its twin flywheels and oversized rollers enable the belt to move smoothly and quietly. While it provides an excellent cardio workout on a budget, manual treadmills generally work on the lower body and may not satisfy all your fitness needs.
Pros
- Durable and stable construction may provide a long service life,
- Lightweight and compact for easy transport and storage,
- Foam grip handles provide stability and safety,
- Two incline levels help build strong leg muscles
Cons
- Does not provide a flat deck option for low-intensity exercising,
- Not easy to realign the walking belt
4. Fitness Reality TR3000 Maximum Weight Capacity Manual Treadmill
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| Price: 💲💲 (fewer 💲 = cheaper) Weight: 70.55 pounds (32 kg) Size: 50 x 50 x 31 inches (127 x 127 x 78.7 cm) Max Incline: 13 ° Max weight: 325 lbs Display type: LCD Monitor Heart rate monitor: Hand Pulse Sensors |
The Fitness Reality TR3000 is a more advanced manual treadmill than the TR1000 model from the same brand. It also costs almost twice as much due to its flexible design that enables light jogging and walking exercises. The treadmill features a high weight capacity at 325 Lbs to support individuals looking to lose weight and handrail pulse sensors to monitor their heart rate. The TR3000 features a slightly longer and broader belt than the TR1000 and comes with two 6-inch flywheels to provide a smooth and consistent operation. The deck also features three incline levels at 8°, 10°, and 13° and eight resistance levels to vary the intensity of your workout. The magnetic tension also helps stabilize the treadmill speed, so you can walk and jog lightly without holding on to the handrails for support. The treadmill’s console features an LCD monitor that displays five workout stats and the resistance adjustment knob. Plus, it has a narrow slot for your phone, and its batteries come included in the package. The TR3000 is one of the best equipped manual treadmills in the market and gives you more value with magnetic resistance and three incline levels. However, tall users may have trouble using it due to its limited belt dimensions.
Pros
- Robust steel construction provides a stable platform for walking and light jogging,
- Has a high weight capacity allowance for weight loss users,
- Features eight resistance levels to boost your fitness levels,
- Folding design helps to maximize small spaces,
- Twin flywheels improve the running belt operation
Cons
- Running belt dimensions may constrain tall users,
- The LCD monitor is not backlit for convenience,
- Does not have a flat deck option for users with limited mobility
Verdict
To sum up, out of the top 4 Best Manual Treadmill, our absolute top pick is Sunny Health & Fitness SF-T1407M Foldable Manual Walking Treadmill.
If you have the money, you can go for Fitness Reality TR1000 Manual Treadmill with 2 Level Incline & Twin Flywheels which is our premium pick.
However, there’s nothing wrong with going for the budget option, which we found to be the ProGear 190 Manual Treadmill.
Our other reviews you may find useful in your research:
What You Should Know Before Buying manual treadmills
Storage and Portability
While treadmills aren’t known for being either portable or easy to store, some can be (just have a look at the list above). Consider a foldable treadmill for easy storage and portability. Most producers will list the dimensions of the folded machine so you can see if it will fit within your home gym storage.
Track Size
Standard treadmills measure between 55 and 65 inches in length for you to walk and run comfortably. If you have shorter legs you could be fine with a shorter track while tall people should try to get a treadmill with a longer running area.
When it comes to width, you should aim for a track that is around 22 inches wide.
Motor
Depending on your main activity on the treadmill, you should match your treadmill motor to your intended workout intensity. It should be at least 2 .0 horsepower, which is enough for walking. Ideally, you should get a 3.0 or higher horsepower treadmill motor which will suffice for running and HIIT workouts.
Types of Threadmill
There are two ways to group treadmills, by power and by purpose.
Types of Treadmill by power : manual and motorised Manual treadmills: Manual treadmills have a simple frame with an area for the user to stand on. The belt, which is either rubber or plastic, then moves underneath them as they walk or run. Manual treadmills are also known as non-powered treadmills since there’s no motor powering it. Motorised treadmills: Motorised treadmills, as the name suggests, come with a motor which can power up the belt. This means that you can reach greater speeds than you can with a manual version as the motor is the one making the belt go round rather than you. Motorised treadmills also tend to be able to change the incline as you run so you can switch between running on flat ground and running up a hill. They are usually more expensive compared to its non-powered version because of its extra functionality.
Types of Treadmill by purpose : folding, commercial, hybrid and medical. Each type provides a different set of benefits to the user.
Folding: Folding treadmills are great for tight or small spaces. They have a variety of features that can be adjusted to the user’s preferences, and they fold up which makes them take up less space when not in use. Commercial: Commercial treadmills provide power-packed performance over extended periods of time. They are designed to be run by multiple people for multiple hours in the day. If you are an avid runner who wants a reliable treadmill for home use you could try a semi-commercial treadmill as a full-blown commercial treadmill might be overkill in terms of reliability. Hybrid: Hybrid treadmills provide a variety of features that are beneficial to the user. They combine both commercial and folding treadmill benefits into one unit, perfect for facilities or homes with space constraints. Medical: Treadmills designed for medical purposes come in various forms such as gait trainers which help people who have trouble walking due to neurological damage by training their muscles back into shape. Medical treadmills may also be used by the elderly or people with knee problems as they tend to offer extended handrails, lower starting speeds and even slight declines.
Motorized
A motorized treadmill is what first comes to mind when people think about a typical treadmill. It is a treadmill that uses a motor to spin the belt around for you to run on. There are many benefits to using a motorized treadmill. For one, it allows you to reach greater speeds than with a manual machine as the motor does all the work spinning the belt; the faster the belt spins the faster the speed. They also tend to be able to change inclines which is great if you’re training for outdoor running – which is often is not flat.
When buying a manual treadmill, you want to make sure that the speed falls within a range that works for you. The average walking pace is around 3mph and for an elderly person of 80, it’s usually 2mph and less. If you find mobility difficult you want the lowest starting speed you can not only to be able to train within a lower range but also to give yourself time to get started.
The average jogging speed of a man is 8mph, 6mph if you are a woman. Anything above that would be sprinting. It’s unlikely that you can train for world record-breaking speeds on the treadmill, seeing as the fastest speed of running on record is 27.78 mph. But 8mph should be enough to tire yourself out and give yourself a finishing sprint, if not then choosing a treadmill that can increase the incline would solve this problem for you so you can challenge yourself.
Manual
A manual treadmill is a great tool for exercise. It has no electricity and can be used anywhere, even in your home because there’s no need to plug it into an outlet! The belt moves when you walk on it rather than being moved by a motor, this easy-to-use machine doesn’t require much space or equipment at all – making it environmentally friendly too. Even though these devices only go 4 mph max they still offer enough speed to get our heart rate going. Pushing the conveyor around requires extra effort, burning more calories without having to go to high speeds. Being able to burn more calories at a low speed would make it ideal to place under a standing desk so you can walk and work. Running fast means a lot of bouncing up and down. Bouncing up and down is quite jarring and it is difficult to work when you are bouncing up and down. Walking involves less bouncing up and down, so it is easier to walk and work. Walking, however, usually involves low levels of effort, meaning the workout can be unsatisfying. As walking is harder on a manual treadmill, it is ideal if you want to burn lots of calories while working. Manual treadmills are also good for developing a good running technique. When you run on a motorized treadmill, it’s not unusual to fall into bad form by leaning back. Not running with good form on a manual treadmill would mean that the belt wouldn’t have enough force to propel it around, meaning it would stop.
Hybrid
A hybrid is simply something made to combine different elements. In this way a hybrid treadmill is a treadmill that has multiple elements. These elements most often refer to either a stepper or elliptical or both. This means that a hybrid treadmill is really good if you need a low impact workout as both a stepper and elliptical are designed for this purpose. A hybrid stepper/elliptical tends to consist of two thin treadmill belts side by side, one for each foot, instead of one large treadmill belt. These treadmill belts move up and down in a fashion similar to an elliptical or stepper. As a consequence of this extra functionality, these treadmills tend to move no faster than a brisk walk – 4 or 5 mph at most. This means that if you want to practice your running skills, it’s not the treadmill for you. However, if you are simply looking to burn calories the extra movement of the hybrid might help.
Some hybrid treadmills might also refer to as hybrid treadmills which can be used for both climbing and running. However, the highest incline of a treadmill is about 40 degrees and the average highest incline of a commercial treadmill is around 15 degrees, so keep it in mind before making a purchase on a treadmill that claims to offer the extra element of ‘climbing’. A hybrid might also refer to the treadmill’s ability to be used as both a manual treadmill and a motorized treadmill – obviously not at the same time though.
Medical
Medical treadmills are designed for rehabilitation purposes. The users these medical treadmills are intended for often have mobility issues in some way, and the treadmill is a good way to exercise/ practice the motion of walking in a controlled, safe environment. In this way, medical treadmills are often designed with a particular focus on safety.
One feature of a medical treadmill that is specialized for safety is the extended handrails. The extended handrails mean that the user can support themselves with their hands throughout the walking motion as their legs may not be strong enough to carry the full weight of their upper body. Medical treadmills often come with extremely low starting speeds to give people with difficultly moving plenty of time to get into the walking motion. Some medical treadmills will allow you to reverse the deck in a way that will give you a slight decline to rehabilitate people who have trouble walking downhill. These treadmills might also rotate both forward and backward, to test/ practice a person’s gait and help them if they have problems walking back.
Medical treadmills also tend to have top-of-the-line shock absorption to make walking as low impact for users as possible, especially as the users likely experience some sort of pain just from walking. Heavier individuals also benefit from quality shock absorption much more than the average weight. There’s also the added benefit that medical treadmills are often designed to rehabilitate people weighing as much as 400 lbs and in some cases 500 lbs.
Medical treadmills are investments and are likely to be used by a wide range of people throughout the day, as such they are made to be durable. Of course, they do not need to withstand the same levels of wear as a commercial treadmill, but you can expect a medical treadmill to cost a lot (many thousands), last a long time (many years), and be protected by a long warranty.
Commercial
Commercial treadmills as the name suggests are for use for commerical purposes in shared gyms. These treadmills are often seen as an investment for gyms and as such often have extensive functionality and are highly reliable. They are made to be used 12 hours a day many days a week by many different people. As commercial treadmills often come with a warranty extending years, it is in the manufacturer’s interest to ensure that their products are as durable as possible. They are for use in the gyms, they are likely to have a large feature set with a variety of speeds, inclines as well as heart rate monitoring, preset workouts, televisions, touch displays, and high impact absorbance. Commercial treadmills might seem a little excessive for the average user, especially if you only expect to be using a treadmill for 1 or 2 hours a day. But perhaps you or your household might be using the treadmill for 4 to 7 hours a day and want high levels of reliability? Well in this instance a commercial treadmill might be excessive and a semi-commercial treadmill might be a better fit for you. Semi-commercial treadmills often have a large feature set and warranty, the difference is that they are not made to withstand the amount of use per day as a commercial treadmill.
Questions and Answers About manual treadmills
Is treadmill good for weight loss?
Running is a good way to lose those extra pounds because it helps burn excess fat and exchange builds muscle and burns calories. This means that although you may not notice any difference in the short term, your clothes will fit better and you’ll feel more toned than before. Running also helps with mental health as well as physical fitness – regular exercise releases endorphins which can help improve moods.
Treadmills make running more convenient which in turn means that you are likely to run. Having a treadmill in front of the TV can mean that you can run whilst keeping up with your favourite netflix shows. Many people don’t like running because of how boring they perceive it to be and having to head outside to fight the cold or heat. Having a programme running may help make running more enjoyable and also gives people something to concentrate on other than the physical strain on the body. This means that people are more likely to run and for longer periods, meaning more gradual and consistent healthy weight loss.
Can treadmill reduce belly fat?
Running is a great exercise to lose weight. It burns fat and calories, which helps you become leaner as well as stronger. Running may also suppress appetite; many people find that eating less makes it easier to lose excess weight without feeling hungry or deprived. Treadmills help make running more convenient and enjoyable by providing a comfortable and conducive place you are familiar with where you can run when you want to the tunes that you want. Treadmills can only assist in making it easier to run they cannot assist in the weight loss itself. So if you’re buying a treadmill the best way to make sure that you lose weight is to use it frequently and weekly. Even if you just do a slow workout just to get the heart rate up a bit it’ll be enough to initiate some weight loss, assuming a good diet. So the best way to lose weight with a treadmill is simply to use it a lot.
What is the best type of treadmill?
There are a few different things to consider when deciding the best type of treadmill for you/your family.
The first thing that you need to take into consideration is how much room do you have in your house? If you don’t have a lot of space then maybe one of the smaller treadmills, or a treadmill that can collapse, may be more suitable for your home. In addition to how much room you have, another thing that you need to think about is your weight. If you are a smaller person then you have a smaller stride so you can afford to have a smaller treadmill. Likewise, if you are a tall person you need to make sure that you have a treadmill that will accommodate your stride length. Next, you need to think about the age of your family members. If you have young children or older parents then it is important that their treadmill has safety features like a wrist strap and handlebar for balance. Finally, if you are a heavier individual then you might need a different treadmill from someone who weighs less. The main difference between treadmills for lighter and heavier people is the weight capacity of each one. Some treadmills that come with a higher weight capacity will come with better shock absorption, making them more suited to a heavier individual.
What is a hybrid treadmill?
A hybrid treadmill is simply a treadmill that is designed to serve at least one other purpose.
A treadmill is one of the most popular cardio exercise machines which provides users with numerous benefits like improved cardiovascular health, toned muscles, and increased fat burn.
An elliptical is a cardio machine that has two foot-pedals and handles for users to hold onto while they work out on the device. A stepper is another popular workout equipment that simulates stair climbing without excessive strain on the joints. A manual treadmill is a piece of workout equipment that requires you to manually push the machine in order for it to move.
A hybrid treadmill is usually a treadmill that is also a stepper or elliptical, sometimes both. A hybrid treadmill may also refer to a treadmill that is both motorized and can run as a manual treadmill or a treadmill that could double up as a desk so you can walk as you work. In this way, it is important to make sure what kind of hybrid you are buying so you don’t end up with a treadmill that isn’t as you would expect.
