Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

This week we look at fitness gadgets that are so new that they aren’t available to purchase yet. They were featured at the IHRSA (International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association) 2009 Conference in San Francisco.

Long ago, they used to make treadmills that didn’t require electricity to run. They were usually small and very cheap. They were powered by you walking on them and to make them go faster, you had to manually change the incline. They were VERY hard to use. It looks like SpeedFit is trying to make a treadmill that doesn’t require electricity, but is much easier to use.

SpeedFit has been around for a while. Their first version of the Speedboard was a flat treadmill that only used electricity to change the incline. The new Speedboard uses no electricity at all. Instead of adjusting the speed by changing the incline, you adjust your speed by stepping on different parts of the bowl shaped treadmill. Here is a more detailed video about the product:

I am uncomfortable with no handrails, probably because I’m used to being on a treadmill that is powered by something other than my own two legs. I love the idea that you don’t need electricity to run it. The motor isn’t what has gone out on my treadmills in the past, however. It was the TREAD that wore out far earlier than a motor. I like the idea of my exercise not costing any exercise. That’s why I go outside and run a lot of the times. Without knowing the price of this machine, it’s hard to know whether it’s something I would like or not. I suspect they are going for the gym owner market instead of trying to sell to the people who actually USE the treadmills, so don’t expect them to be cheap.

Via: Diet Blog: 2009 Fitness Trends