Manual Treadmills

[JaxMMA]

What do you guys think about them?

I'm considering getting a cheap one so I can do some cardio in the mornings during the cold days. I hate cold weather and doing cardio outside is even worse :)

[Frodocious]

I don't think you can go very fast on a manual treadmill. Could you skip instead? Or think about getting an exercise bike or rowing machine. Do you have a bicycle? If you do, you could get a turbo trainer to put it on for winter use.

[Late for dinner]

I have had one of these in my office on and off for years. One thing that I will say is that it is not at all like running on a mech treadmill. Because you power the thing yourself it takes a fair amount of muscular effort pushing the belt. I found it more of a muscular endurance workout than a cardio one as your muscles got tired very quickly!! Could be seen as a bit of both but when I put runners on this thing to test their legs they have great difficulty pushing the belt... I guess in a way its more like sprinting in one place than road running if you see what I mean.

powchoy

[slipthejab]

They are more gimick than anything else. In fact most treadmills really are last place. They have become an icon of 'fitness'... how sad because all the people you see hopping on them are invariably fat and out of shape... which should be a good thing... but I saw the same people over several years on the treadmills going nowhere fast... both literally and figuratively.

A rowing machine is an altogether much better option.... but really any machine is only ever going to be as good as your motivation is strong to train. So that's a massive factor.

Frodo mentioned skipping rope. A great way to warm up. Again you have to east into this one for the sake of the joints and you have to pay attention to what surface your skipping on. Concrete being one of the worst if you skip without shoes as I do... if you have a pair of trainers on then it would ok... but wood flooring or asphalt is much better. Padded gym room like they use for rolling is the best.

There are tons of options for cardio - but it just depends on how hard you want to push yourself. All of us left to our own devices have the propensity to get lazy. So that's a massive factor that you have to be aware of. I find a nice dose of caffeine puts this issue largely to rest. :)

[JaxMMA]

Thanks for responses everyone :cool:

I was mainly looking for something to do cardio on during the cold days, as I'm too big of a wuss to go outside in the cold :rolleyes:

I thought manual treadmills would be a decent candidate, but I guess I was wrong. I did originally look into rowing machines, but those seem to be quite pricey for something that I plan on using 4 months out of the year. I do jump rope 3-4 times a week as well as some bag work in the morning...depending on how lazy I feel :evil:

[slipthejab]

you have nailed it... you wuss... get outside and run. :p

I just checked how cold it is... yep it's cold. :p But it toughen you up something fierce. You will also have to learn about how to layer. Running in cold weather requires you to peel off layers as you warm up and put them back on as you cool down. That you have high relative humidity there means the cold really does bite a whole lot more. You're about seven degrees colder than when I was up in Nanjing the week before last but we had far less humidity so it was bearable. Snow but only in the shadow side of buildings and bridges etc. The dryness in the air was hard on throat as I'm used to training in tropical and sub-tropical areas.

At any rate... yes you are being lazy. Get to it son! :p

[PASmith]

It's not a good run unless your tears have frozen to your cheeks. :)

[Frodocious]

For a cheap(ish) rowing machine check out ebay (or craiglist) and look for ones that are in your local area and collection only. You can often get a good deal on equipment than way.

[Late for dinner]

Personally I have both a parallel and a cross country ski trainer. Cross country skiing was (is) thought to be the best all around cardio workout. The downhill ski trainer is less aerobic but really makes your thighs burn.

FWIW

powchoy

[rivend]

I like the recumbent bike machine way better than a treadmill.

[slipthejab]

Personally I have both a parallel and a cross country ski trainer. Cross country skiing was (is) thought to be the best all around cardio workout. The downhill ski trainer is less aerobic but really makes your thighs burn.

FWIW

powchoy

Back when I lived where there was actually snow we'd snap on the skins every winter and get out for some cross country skiing... awesome. Nothing better than skiing out on tracks into the white blanketed forest with a thermal-pack of baked bread with melted Brie cheese inside... sigh... those were the days. Now it's bok choy and noodles in some dingy back alley at 30 degrees farrenheit with 98% humidity. :cry:

[JaxMMA]

you have nailed it... you wuss... get outside and run. :p

I just checked how cold it is... yep it's cold. :p But it toughen you up something fierce. You will also have to learn about how to layer. Running in cold weather requires you to peel off layers as you warm up and put them back on as you cool down. That you have high relative humidity there means the cold really does bite a whole lot more. You're about seven degrees colder than when I was up in Nanjing the week before last but we had far less humidity so it was bearable. Snow but only in the shadow side of buildings and bridges etc. The dryness in the air was hard on throat as I'm used to training in tropical and sub-tropical areas.

At any rate... yes you are being lazy. Get to it son! :p

Just won't let me have it the easy way, huh? :evil:

It's not a good run unless your tears have frozen to your cheeks. :)

Did I mention I hate cold. Like, really really HATE cold :)

For a cheap(ish) rowing machine check out ebay (or craiglist) and look for ones that are in your local area and collection only. You can often get a good deal on equipment than way.

When it comes to these, which one would you suggest:
http://www.chinatraderonline.com/Files/Health-Beauty/Personal-Care-products/Rowing-Machine-23291958728.jpg
or
http://www.waterrowingmachine.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/concept-2-indoor-rowing-machine.jpg

I guess I can check eBay or CL for stuff people bought as their "new year's resolution" and now they just want to get rid of it quickly :)

[Mitch]

Just won't let me have it the easy way, huh? :evil:



Did I mention I hate cold. Like, really really HATE cold :)



When it comes to these, which one would you suggest:
http://www.chinatraderonline.com/Files/Health-Beauty/Personal-Care-products/Rowing-Machine-23291958728.jpg
or
http://www.waterrowingmachine.info/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/concept-2-indoor-rowing-machine.jpg

I guess I can check eBay or CL for stuff people bought as their "new year's resolution" and now they just want to get rid of it quickly :)

I've run whilst it's snowing, crunching through ice, all sorts. Like Slip says it's about layering. Plus wearing a woolly hat for baldies like me :D

As for the rowing machines I wouldn't touch the first type, I reckon you'd wreck it in a few days. The second type is a much more robust thing. Those Concept II rowers are the best I've used in gyms, but expensive too.

MItch

[Frodocious]

The bottom one. The hydraulic ones (top photo) are crap. If you can get a secondhand Concept 2 rower that would be perfect, however they can be expensive and one with a flywheel should be ok for general use.

[Mitch]

The bottom one. The hydraulic ones (top photo) are crap. If you can get a secondhand Concept 2 rower that would be perfect, however they can be expensive and one with a flywheel should be ok for general use.

Is there an echo in here?

Mitch

[Frodocious]

Is there an echo in here?

Mitch

No, just great minds thinking alike! :cool:

[JaxMMA]

I've run whilst it's snowing, crunching through ice, all sorts. Like Slip says it's about layering. Plus wearing a woolly hat for baldies like me :D

As for the rowing machines I wouldn't touch the first type, I reckon you'd wreck it in a few days. The second type is a much more robust thing. Those Concept II rowers are the best I've used in gyms, but expensive too.

MItch

I know, I know, I should toughen up and run outside...but it's cold brrrrr :D

The bottom one. The hydraulic ones (top photo) are crap. If you can get a secondhand Concept 2 rower that would be perfect, however they can be expensive and one with a flywheel should be ok for general use.

Is there an echo in here?

Mitch

Thanks. I'll see if I can find anything in classifieds. We have that same model at our gym, as well.