Treadmills for low ceilings
February 7, 2023 5:56 PM Subscribe
Have basement. Will run. But would rather not hit my head on the ceiling while doing so.
I have a space in my basement that I would love to put a treadmill in. But my basement ceilings are low (floor to ceiling is 6'9"). I'd need a treadmill that is a max height of 9" off the ground in order for us to be able to run on it. For this question, price is not a factor--I'm looking for the highest quality treadmill possible that is low to the ground. Anyone have any ideas?
Thank you!
I have a space in my basement that I would love to put a treadmill in. But my basement ceilings are low (floor to ceiling is 6'9"). I'd need a treadmill that is a max height of 9" off the ground in order for us to be able to run on it. For this question, price is not a factor--I'm looking for the highest quality treadmill possible that is low to the ground. Anyone have any ideas?
Thank you!
What's your feeling about the incline? My shallow knowledge here suggests that treadmills kind of break into "units that raise to 15 degrees" and "units that don't raise much if at all" -- and your choice might be constrained to the latter.
(I am 6/1" and we just got a hand-me-down NordicTrack treadmill. Our dumb New England basement has like 7'ceilings, and this monster raises from -3 to a full +15 degrees -- so I can only walk carefully on it. I may yet have to shift it to the right so my head fits between the joists if I want to do the "good" workouts!)
posted by wenestvedt at 5:14 AM on February 8, 2023
(I am 6/1" and we just got a hand-me-down NordicTrack treadmill. Our dumb New England basement has like 7'ceilings, and this monster raises from -3 to a full +15 degrees -- so I can only walk carefully on it. I may yet have to shift it to the right so my head fits between the joists if I want to do the "good" workouts!)
posted by wenestvedt at 5:14 AM on February 8, 2023
Just a thought: if the ceiling has 2x10 joists, a competent carpenter would be able to reduce their depth by 5 inches or so, sistering (doubling or tripling) a couple of joists so as to create a small area with more headroom, allowing use of any treadmill and at least some of the incline. No more than a half day’s work, a little lumber, glue and nails, so not at all costly.
posted by beagle at 6:03 AM on February 8, 2023
posted by beagle at 6:03 AM on February 8, 2023
Best answer: How tall are you? If you are 5'1" then anything will work. If you are 6'8" then nothing will work.
The general rule is that your height with shoes + the treadmill deck height + 6" should be good enough.
I have a Precor 9.27 which has an 8" step up height. I'm also tall, so my head is right at 7' when I stand on it. My basement is 7'6" and I have not had any issues. Even if I bump it up to 15% I can sill jog along.
There are a bunch of sites that have purported lists of low step-up height treadmills that may be useful as a starter. But I've seen lies, damn lies, and treadmill step up height specs. A few of the "low" ones listed on these sites have the lift mechanism under the deck instead of next to it and a lot of air. Given a 2" roller diameter, there is no way that it can be as low as they claim. So it may be best to go to a fitness store that sells a bunch of different treadmills and take a ruler with you. You listed a max of 9" and there should be a good number of quality treadmills at a specialty store that are right in the 7-9" deck height range.
Other things to take into consideration are the shoes you have, your running style, and if the basement is unfinished. Lower profile shoes could give you an extra 1/2" or so. Hokas are nice but make me extra tall compared to my Saucony's. If you have a gazelle style running gait like I do then you will need the full 6" above your head compared to somebody with a glider gait who may be able to get away with 3 or 4". (See https://themanualtouch.com/proud-to-be-a-glider/) And the last trick is if you happen to have an unfinished basement, position the treadmill parallel and in-between to the floor joists above for a few extra inches of headroom.
One final thought: Treadmills are damn heavy. Think about how you are going to get the thing down and into the basement. Better yet, pay the extra for inside delivery. :-)
posted by SegFaultCoreDump at 6:05 AM on February 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
The general rule is that your height with shoes + the treadmill deck height + 6" should be good enough.
I have a Precor 9.27 which has an 8" step up height. I'm also tall, so my head is right at 7' when I stand on it. My basement is 7'6" and I have not had any issues. Even if I bump it up to 15% I can sill jog along.
There are a bunch of sites that have purported lists of low step-up height treadmills that may be useful as a starter. But I've seen lies, damn lies, and treadmill step up height specs. A few of the "low" ones listed on these sites have the lift mechanism under the deck instead of next to it and a lot of air. Given a 2" roller diameter, there is no way that it can be as low as they claim. So it may be best to go to a fitness store that sells a bunch of different treadmills and take a ruler with you. You listed a max of 9" and there should be a good number of quality treadmills at a specialty store that are right in the 7-9" deck height range.
Other things to take into consideration are the shoes you have, your running style, and if the basement is unfinished. Lower profile shoes could give you an extra 1/2" or so. Hokas are nice but make me extra tall compared to my Saucony's. If you have a gazelle style running gait like I do then you will need the full 6" above your head compared to somebody with a glider gait who may be able to get away with 3 or 4". (See https://themanualtouch.com/proud-to-be-a-glider/) And the last trick is if you happen to have an unfinished basement, position the treadmill parallel and in-between to the floor joists above for a few extra inches of headroom.
One final thought: Treadmills are damn heavy. Think about how you are going to get the thing down and into the basement. Better yet, pay the extra for inside delivery. :-)
posted by SegFaultCoreDump at 6:05 AM on February 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
SO HEAVY
posted by wenestvedt at 8:57 AM on February 8, 2023
posted by wenestvedt at 8:57 AM on February 8, 2023
I have a Landice L7...it is tank. I've had it for almost 20 years. A handful of parts have been replaced (free warranty on parts). It has literally thousands of miles on it and I currently use it in a basement with low ceilings with no problems (well I do recall a very late US Women's world cup goal that caused me to punch the ceiling once).
It is extraordinarily heavy even by treadmill standards. When we moved, we told the movers that we had a heavy treadmill. They said no problem, they move treadmills all the time. You know how this story goes, it was very much a problem.
posted by mmascolino at 6:18 PM on February 8, 2023
It is extraordinarily heavy even by treadmill standards. When we moved, we told the movers that we had a heavy treadmill. They said no problem, they move treadmills all the time. You know how this story goes, it was very much a problem.
posted by mmascolino at 6:18 PM on February 8, 2023
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