[Justin B.]

Hey everyone. I’m pretty new here, but I was recently given a copy of Training for the Uphill Athlete, and I’m digging in as I prepare to attempt a ski tour up Mt. Shasta via Avalanche Gulch in May. I can only get up to the mountains to splitboard a few times per month, and the hills nearby aren’t that big. So I’m considering buying an incline treadmill.

Forgive me if this question has already been answered on these forums, but are there any drawbacks to manual treadmills versus motorized ones? I’ve seen quite a few inexpensive manual treadmills with good reviews that purport to go up to a 15% grade and beyond. (I’d obviously use a slope angle measuring tool to calibrate it myself.) Some of them have varying levels of magnetic resistance, but I’m not sure what the benefits of that are.

Any insights or thoughts are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Topic

[Anonymous]

Anonymous on January 20, 2022 at 9:42 pm #62417

Justin;

I’ve not used a manual treadmill except on a couple of occasions to try them out for novelty’s sake. I think they will have a learning curve but should work fine once you figure out how to run or hike on them. However, If you plan to train a lot like this for mountain pursuits you might consider an incline trainer. These can go up to 40%. They are brutal but VERY effective.

Either way if you don’t have good hills to train on near home a machine like these will enhance your preparation.

Scott

[Justin B.]

Justin B. on January 24, 2022 at 7:34 am #62490

Thanks Scott! I appreciate these insights. I’ll be sure to look into incline trainers.