WELCOME TO HOME FITNESS DIRECT
At Home Fitness Direct, we take care of you by taking care of how you exercise at home. We've put together the finest range of quality equipment to satisfy every budget and every body.

EXPERT ADVICE
We listen to your needs and goals, your requirements and restrictions - such as how much time and space you can give to the equipment, is your back up to it, any relevant medical conditions we should know about. We can then recommend the ideal piece of equipment for your needs.

THE BEST EQUIPMENT
All our equipment has been personally selected by myself and a dedicated team of experts. We are absolutely committed to the range that you see on our website and contained within our brochure. Unlike many of our competitors we are selective and do not simply list every product available made by any brand. There are some big name brands missing from our site, the reason for this is simple, I would not have their equipment in my own home so why should I expect you to have it.

THE BEST PRICE
We constantly strive to give you the best equipment with the best service levels at the lowest prices on the internet. We are the only on line retailer that can offer you approved factory reconditioned Life Fitness commercial exercise equipment (click for details) at a fraction of the new selling price.

OUR PEOPLE
Many of our staff are members of the Register of Exercise Professionals - the Fitness Industry Association's quality assurance register. They help select our product range and can offer you individual advice on the right equipment for your needs. We also have the largest support network in the UK to help with space planning, delivery, installation and servicing of your new equipment.

Let us help you enjoy the benefits of being fit.

Jonathan Adler
Managing Director

OUR COMPANY

• Home Fitness Direct is part of PTE Plc
• Established for over 25 years.
• 8 Outlets within The UK.
• 85,000 Sq Ft of warehousing.
• Over £1 millon of stock held.
• National delivery fleet.
• Trained engineers UK wide.
• Fully stocked parts depot.
• ISO 9002 ACccredited.
• PLC since 2002.
  

TREADMILLS EXPLAINED

Choose your running machine wisely and using it regularly becomes as natural to your healthy lifestyle as eating fresh fruit. Treadmills are excellent for cardiovascular exercise. You start off on the jogger at your own pace, build your endurance and improve your heart efficiency.

Treadmills also take the strain off your heart by helping you lose weight - they are the fat burn champions. What's more you can shed pounds and strengthen your heart function while you watch TV, listen to music or look out of the window at the pouring rain. With treadmill exercise you take everything in your stride: all-round fitness improves, you look and feel good, you reduce stress and you even sleep more soundly.

Extracts From "Which? report : Exercise machines"

So what's the best way to get your own body in shape? Recent sales figures suggest many of us are tired of wiping another person's sweat off the equipment at the gym, and are looking for quality exercise equipment to use at home.

Some cross trainers and exercise bikes are as good as those you use in the gym, but you should fight the urge to buy a cheap one.

We found these wobbly, boring and uncomfortable - a combination that will have you reaching for the stop button long before you reach your target weight.

You're far more likely to stick with a machine that makes exercise interesting so we'd recommend paying enough to get a solid machine with at least a few different exercise programmes and a heart-rate monitor.

Programmes
More expensive machines tend to be more solid and offer features like water bottle holders and reading racks but, frankly, if it's a toss up between a reading rack or an exercise programme, we'd advise you to ditch the books.

Programmes make your workout more interesting and effective by varying the resistance level, which governs how hard you have to work.

They can make it feel like you're strolling through a valley, tackling a small hill, or even taking on the Three Peaks challenge.

Calorie counters
To help you track your progress, most machines display basic feedback about speed, distance, time and - supposedly - your calorie expenditure.

The calorie counts can only ever be estimates (the machines don't know enough about your metabolism to be accurate) but we were surprised that even those on some expensive exercise bikes or cross trainers don't take account of the resistance level. So they give the same readout whether you're really pushing yourself or just taking it easy.

To check whether a calorie reader does factor in resistance, try using the machine for a minute at both high and low resistance and see whether the calorie readout differs.

Heart rate monitors
It's definitely worth buying a machine with a heart-rate monitor. Even the monitors on cheaper machines tend to be accurate, and they bring an extra dimension to exercising. Some machines, for example, have programmes that vary the resistance to keep your heart at a specific rate.

Handgrip monitors can be a bit of a pain if you want to let go of the handles. The ear-clip or chest-strap versions, found on more expensive machines, are more handy. An alternative is to buy a chest strap unit that displays your rate on a watch (from £35), or on the machine's display (from £30).

Several of the machines' manuals mention the so-called 'fat burning' and 'cardiovascular workout' heart-rate zones. But our exercise experts think these can be misleading.

The maximum heart-rate calculation on which they're based takes only your age into account, even though the maximum heart rate of a sedentary 40-year-old won't always be the same as that of a super-fit and active one.

To improve your fitness level, it's more important to train for 35 to 40 minutes several times a week, than tire yourself out quickly by trying to achieve a particular heart rate. As you get fitter, your heart rate during exercise should gradually come down, and should recover to its normal level more quickly.

Treadmill-specific features

Assembly
Avoid falling at the first hurdle. Find a friend to help you set up at home. Even some of the simpler ones need two people to assemble them safely.

Belt
You should check the belt length is right for you before you buy even if you are of average height. It shouldn't be too narrow or too short.

The belt should have a good grip but not be so rough that it sandpapers your running shoes. A good machine won't slow down too much as your foot hits the belt.

Calorie counters
If these are dependent on the speed you're running at, they're more useful than if they're independent of speed. Some calorie counters don't take account of whether you're scaling Everest or doing the equivalent of a gentle stroll through the park.

Even so, they give you only a rough estimate of how many calories you're burning. They are slightly more accurate if you can input your age, weight and sex.

To check, compare the readings for a few minutes when you're pushing yourself and again when you're not. They should vary.

Console buttons
These are usually plus and minus buttons for speed and incline. Pressing and holding them down makes the value change faster. They need to be large so that you don't miss hit them while you are running, and respond to your touch well.

Deck release mechanisms.
It won't help your fitness regime to have your treadmill falling on your foot. The majority of treadmill tracks lower safely. On some models if they are not supported they will drop suddenly to the floor with a loud thud! The worst models need support all the way to the floor.

Display
Check if there are descriptions of the various programmes on the display. On some models all your workout information is displayed simultaneously, but on most there is too much to see at once, so you may see some information constantly, and have the option or scroll or alternate to check other functions.

Drinks holders
These are useful but they should be deep enough to prevent the bottle falling out as the frame shakes.

Fans
Some models have fans but we didn't find them particularly effective for cooling down our test runners.

Feedback
Feedback modes give you information on your current workout. They vary between machines, but often include speed, pulse rate, incline, calorie counter, the current programme you've selected, heart rate measurement and total exercise time and distance.

Foot Platforms
The platforms on either side of the belt should be wide enough to stand on, and not sloping, so that you can get your balance right before stepping onto the belt.

Handgrips
These should be textured to prevent sweaty hands from slipping.

Handrails
These often have control buttons on, sometimes with speed on one side, incline on the other.

We found some handrails were awkwardly positioned. So if you prefer to vary your workout by changing the intensity manually, you should check that you can easily reach the handrail buttons. Otherwise you'll probably end up using preset programmes.

Heart rate monitors
These are usually hand sensors on the handle bars (usually left and right), but some machines include wireless chest straps. You wear these on bare skin or over a thin layer of wet clothing.

Position speed control
This varies the belt speed based on your position on the running deck. The belt slows down as you move towards the back.

Responsive Programmes
Keen runners will want to have options for setting their own user profiles, in addition to the preset programmes.

Safety keys
The machine shouldn't start without the red safety key in place on the console, and it should stop immediately if the key is removed. So in an emergency, you can deactivate the treadmill quickly.

Speed display
This is usually given in MPH or KMPH; you can usually choose which to use.

Speed and incline
Check that there's the option to gradually increase or decrease speed and incline. Look for clear buttons, often with 'up' and 'down' arrows.

Weight
If you choose one of the heavy ones, you will need to consider where you're going to put it, or even if it'll be able to make it up five flights of stairs, if that applies to you.

FAQ's

Is it really a treadmill I want?
You get a good cardiovascular workout, but other machines will also work on your upper body strength. If you’re not training to run a marathon, you might consider a rowing machine or a cross-trainer, for example.

How much space do I have?
Should it dominate your bedroom if you’re only going to hop on and off a couple of times a week? A smaller model that folds up neatly may be all you need. Consider how much space you need around the treadmill so you can use it safely.

Am I really that keen or a bit reluctant?
If you suspect you’ll need encouragement to keep you going, look for one with an interesting display – with a simulated running track or TV screen, perhaps.

How fit am I and how fit do I want to be?
Consider whether you must have accurate feedback to monitor progress on complicated programmes, or just need a rough idea of how you’re doing on a fairly basic up-and down-hill simulation, for example.

I want to run more seriously. What do I need?
You will need an accurate speed display and a comprehensive range of programmes, which may mean getting to grips with a complicated console.

You’re more likely to want heart-rate controlled programmes and be able to create your own user profile. You’ll also want a large, comfortable belt that doesn’t slow down with foot contact.

As a keen runner, you may be willing to put up with more noise and a bigger machine, though that depends on where and with whom you live.

What does the guarantee cover?
When you’re forking out for a treadmill, you want to know that if something goes wrong, the guarantee will cover it. We checked what’s covered and found major differences. For example, the best come with a lifetime frame, motor and electronics warranty and a two-year warranty for parts and labour – so check the small print.

I try to buy green. Are there options?
Treadmills don’t use lots of electricity, but the most efficient we tested used 15 watts when idle and 324 in use, the least efficient used 65 watts when idle and 653 in use.

Most treadmills have sensible packaging, but some large ones come with as much as 18kg of packaging materials.

Note that most treadmills should be taken to a recycling facility at the end of their lives.