What is the Bowflex Treadclimber?
You probably know Bowflex because of their infomerical
campaign that has stretched over 15 years selling their unique home gym
system.
What you may not know is that Bowflex also manufactures an
interesting “hybrid” piece of exercise equipment called the “Treadclimber”.
When we started researching the Treadclimber, it felt like
we were reliving the old Groucho Marx joke: “What do you get when you cross an
insomniac, an agnostic, and a dyslexic?”
Answer: Someone who stays up all night wondering if there is
a Dog.
Bowflex’s response to Groucho’s old joke is to ask what you
get when you cross a stairmaster, a treadmill and an elliptical machine?
In a word: The Treadclimber.
In greater detail, what you wind up with is a unique piece
of low impact home exercise equipment that can give you a pretty darn intense
workout.
How effective is the
Bowflex Treadclimber?
Going 3mph on the Treadclimber is equivalent to going 6mph
on a treadmill. In fact, the
Treadclimber only goes up to 4mph, but that is more than you need to get your
heart pumping on this interesting machine. Bowflex reports that you can expect to burn about 350
calories in just ½ hour due to the combination resistance and stepping motions
that it uses.
How Big is the
Treadclimber?
Once very nice feature about the Treadclimbers is how
compact they are. Whereas a normal
treadmill is about 7 feet long, the Treadclimber dimensions are a mere 2.5 x 4
feet.
The total weight of the assembled unit is about 185 pounds,
and it will comfortably hold a person who is up to 300 pounds.
All of the models come with intensity settings ranging from
0-12.
Which model of
Treadclimber should I choose?
There are 3 models of Treadclimbers:
The Bowflex Treadclimber TC5000.
Some of the nice features you will find with the TC5000 are:
Ø 8 Electronic Functions: Speed, Distance, Total Steps, Time, Calories per Minute, Total Calories, Climb Indicator and Heart Rate.
Ø Polar® Wireless Heart Rate Monitor: Integrated display shows heart rate at a glance - for optimal fat burning. Includes Polar® wireless chest strap monitor.
Ø Quick Start Feature: Get an immediate start to your workout. TC5000 remembers your last weight and resistance settings.
Ø Climb Indicator: Visually tracks your elevation gain in feet.
Ø Calories Burned Indicator: Shows calories per minute and total calories burned.
How much does the Bowflex Treadclimber TC5000 cost?
Ø The Treadclimber lists for $2499, but sells on amazon.com for $2149
Click here to see the full product description on amazon, as well as get a great price on a refurbished one:
The Bowflex
Treadclimber TC3000
There are far fewer features with this model (as is to be expected). Here is some of what you get with the TC3000:
Ø 6 Electronic Functions: Speed, Distance, Time, Calories per Minute, Total Calories and Total Steps
Ø Calories Burned Indicator: Shows calories per minute and total calories burned.
How much does the
Bowflex Treadclimber TC3000 cost?
The TC3000 lists on the Bowflex website for $2099, but you can buy it at a deep discount on Amazon for $1399
Here is the full product review and pricing information on Amazon:
The Bowflex
Treadclimber TC1000
The least expensive Treadclimber is the TC1000. If you’re just looking for the machinery so you can jump on it and get a nice sweat going- and you don’t care about the electronic bells and whistles- then the TC1000 will serve you just fine.
It doesn’t offer a great deal more than the exercise machinery itself plus the basic electronic features, but it certainly does what you ask it to- get you in shape.
Ø 3 Electronic Functions: Speed, Distance and Time
How much does the Bowflex Treadclimber TC1000 cost?
The TC1000 lists on the Bowflex website for $1499, but you can purchase in on Amazon for: $1199.
Here is the link to read the review and get pricing info on Amazon:
Bowflex Treadclimber
Summary
The Bowflex Treadclimber is a very innovative piece of exercise equipment. It is extremely compact which gives it a great advantage over full size treadmills.
If you decide this would be a good piece of exercise equipment for you, then the main decision is which model to get.
There is a pretty significant price difference between the highest and lowest priced models (about $1000). What you’re getting for that price difference is mostly found in the electronic apparatus (heart rate monitor, various electronic functions, memory of last speed/tension used, etc).
If the bells and whistles are important to you and you want that feel of being on the high end model like you would experience at a health club, then you should go for the TC5000.
However, if those bells and whistles don’t matter as much to you and you’re just looking to get your heart pumping and the sweat flowing, then it’s hard to imagine why you won’t do just fine on the TC1000.
Either way, you’re looking at a high-quality piece of equipment that will do what it’s intended to do.
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