Phoenix 98516 Easy-Up Manual Treadmill

I am a college student, and I am very used to the gym at my school with the electric treadmills . I wanted to try a manual version because having the treadmill at home for the summer would be more convenient then shuffling to and from my campus just to use the gym. I have never used a manual treadmill and was biased to the electric -and thought wrongly about the both of them as well.

Basically, an electric treadmill goes a set speed and your job is to catch up. With a manual treadmill you are powering it, so you control the intensity of the workout.

I usually walk a steady 3-4 miles per hour. On a manual treadmill I could not get a great, heart pounding, sufficient workout setting the speed to 3-4 miles per hour and walking along to the set speed of the belt. Minutes on the manual treadmill, I could definitely feel it. It''s great because it makes you feel like you are actually doing something, but definitely a tough job after a while.

I''d say give it a try. This is a very good quality product and was extremely easy to set up. I don''t regret the purchase.

My first manual treadmill, and a decent product. Does take some time to get use to. Don''t buy this if you expect to use this for running. Given that the treadmill needs to be at a small incline so your motion pushes the belt down and around, runnning is extremely difficult. Works well if you plan to use for fast walking in your home.

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I love this treadmill! My husband was able to set it up in 15 minutes. We did have problems with the wiring for the digital counter, luckily my husband was able to solder the wires back together.

The incline is just right for a hard workout. Too bad it doesn''t go level for a longer workout. I wouldn''t recommend this for someone with bad knees. The lowest incline is a little steep and you can really feel it in your knees. I haven''t made it to 30 minutes at one time. You really work up a sweat in 10 minutes.

Watch the screws, they loosen up sometimes and you can tell cause it makes a knocking sound. Just tighten it back up and you''re good to go.

I would highly recommend this for keeping in shape. It''s a really good workout. I keep mine''s in front of the TV so I can exercise while watching my favorite show. It''s easy to fold up and lightweight with wheels to move around.

UPDATE: FAST FORWARD 4 YEARS--2011 Still going strong, have now passed it on to my teenaged son who really abuses and uses it, and hasn''t fallen apart yet!! What a great investment!!

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I got this treadmill to supplement a workout routine that already contained a lot of advanced cardio. I consider myself a high-intermediate/advanced exerciser in very good cardio-vascular shape, so I took this into account when I read other reviews for this treadmill. I wanted to address a few of the other points people have cited as cons:

1. Height of handlebars/width and length of track: I''m 5''4", so it''s not really an issue for me, but unless your arms are really long, if you''re much taller than 5''7", you will find yourself stooping. The nature of the work you have to do to move the belt on a manual treadmill has you leaning slightly forward anyway, but extra height will mean you have to bend and lean, and this might be too strenuous on your back. The track is wide and long enough to accommodate the stride of a correspondingly average/short person, so again taller people may find themselves limited.

At my height, I can comfortably stride across the middle 2/3 of the track (more lean forward, more work in hamstrings and glutes, so more oxygen demand), full track (long, fast strides, higher intensity bursts), or at the top 1/3 of the track (standing more straight, shorter stride, less work for a recovery period).

2. Accuracy of the mileage/calorie/time counter: Well, the time is accurate, but nothing else is. I walked on mine while wearing a pedometer calibrated to my stride and the mileage was low by at least 30%. I don''t have a way to accurately calibrate calories burned, but my heart rate is consistently in the 70-80% max range after the first five minutes on the treadmill; there''s no way I only burn 187 calories (what it measured) in 1 hour of walking at that level of work. I use the counter only for timing. When that breaks (it eventually will, as it''s pretty cheap), I''ll just use a stopwatch.

3. Incline of belt: Manual treadmills rely on the belt''s incline to provide a downward force to overcome static friction and minimize kinetic friction so the belt moves as smoothly as possible. The belt on this treadmill is inclined at 8%, which is fairly steep for a walk, as you''ll notice after about 5 minutes on the machine. Your legs really have to work to make the belt move, and you have to be careful not to over-use your hip flexors. There is an upper weight limit of 250 lbs for the machine, which is part a load limit for the frame and part a reasonable limit for friction on the belt; the heavier you are, the harder you will have to work to move the belt as well, so keep this in mind.

The incline means you will tire quickly if you don''t have much cardio conditioning, but also means you will get much better results if you keep the belt and walking platform well-lubricated. WD-40 works in the short term but doesn''t last very long, and the composition of WD-40 may wear the belt out faster. It''s probably advisable to get a silicone lubricant designed for treadmills.

Other reviewers have commented that they can get a less intense workout by putting a platform under the back of the belt that''s true, and you''ll have to push harder with your feet, but you might also notice the belt wearing faster than you would expect because of the increase in friction.

4. Running: It''s really difficult to run on a manual treadmill because of the way you have to push with your feet and hold the bars to maintain stride, and most sites I''ve read don''t recommend it. I do just fine walking and altering intensity at regular intervals.

5. Belt slipping: The instructions give suggestions to remedy this, and they seem to work for me. First, you can adjust tension with two allen-type screws on the back. If the belt slips toward the flywheel when you walk, you simply have to walk to the left side of the belt until it readjusts itself.

In summary, this treadmill is a good tool to supplement an intermediate-to-advanced cardio-vascular workout if you''re short-to-average height and have NO leg/hip problems. You don''t have to be in great shape to start walking on it, but the nature of the movement means if you''re just starting exercising you might not be able to do more than 10-15 minutes at first. It''s not a strolling walk; it''s more a hike. Expect to have sore hip flexors until you get used to the stride. Take care of the belt and tighten the screws on the frame on a regular basis and you can probably expect to have this machine for several years.

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This is a fine item. The product was delivered as promised, with all parts attending. Includes sufficient tools for assembly. Easy to put together, and sturdily built. Because of the incline of the deck you get quite the workout. Comes with a nice little booklet/manual. Folds up and has cleverly placed rollers making stowage easy.

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