The treadmill is one home fitness exercise equipment that had stood the test of time. Introduced to the home market in the 1960s, it has, since then, evolved into an exercise machine that offers runners convenience, functionality and simplicity in use. It has the ability to accommodate various workout regimens, making it a popular choice for home fitness exercise equipment among novice runners and exercise buffs alike.

Training with treadmills is a good cardiovascular exercise, may it be walking, jogging, running or power climbing. It helps increase a person's stamina and endurance while reducing the risks of injuries usually resulting from running on concrete and asphalt. For people who doesn't live anywhere near hills, treadmills has elevation functions of up to 15%, as well as downhill sections, to improve a runner's race performance and increase running strength. This flexibility on adjusting for different surfaces and terrain results to good treadmill reviews from users who give particular attention to running surfaces.

For many people, running outdoors can be tedious, time-consuming, oftentimes dangerous, and always at the mercy of the weather. The inconvenience and interruptions usually kill the interest of a person to exercise, but treadmills make it possible for people to go through with their fitness, health and weight loss programs uninterrupted. Furthermore, it reduces the risk of dehydration and heat exhaustion, which are serious conditions encountered by runners exposed to high heat and lack of fluids.

Treadmills, unlike other exercise equipment or simply running in the neighborhood, has the ability to monitor the runner's heart rate. There are HP interactive treadmills, those that automatically adjusts the belt speed to keep the runner within their desired heart rate, while the most common are treadmills that monitors and just displays the runner's heart rate so he may manually adjust his speed. Most people calculate their maximum heart rate by deducting their current age from 220, while setting their minimum heart rate 60 to 80 percent of the maximum heart rate.

Many treadmill reviews highlights the importance of user-friendly consoles, decks with shock absorptive system, display and control panels to monitor user progress, and treadmills with at least 2.0 continuous horsepower motor. One must note that in checking electronic features of a treadmill, the key indicators and programs must be present: interval speed and incline programs, pre-set and custom programs, heart rate monitoring and calorie burn count. Some treadmill reviews also judge the safety features of a treadmill, looking for emergency stop button, automatic belt speed adjustments, built-in warm-up and cool-down period, and comfortable console grips and handrails.

Over the years, treadmill manufacturers have re-designed treadmills to make it more fun, convenient and flexible to various users. Its beauty lies in the collective pool of little benefits that makes a big difference in people's time, money, effort and fitness and health goals. It's no wonder why treadmills, over the many exercise equipment in the market, have found a permanent spot in many people's homes, as well as in their very busy schedules.