Freemotion treadmills come in both home and commercial models. The commercial models have been used in high end health clubs and corporate gyms for several years with an excellent reputation.
The home treadmills are known for being on the higher end side - mid-priced to luxury models.
This review will mainly focus on the home treadmill models.
Freemotion is owned by ICON Health and Fitness - the largest fitness equipment manufacturer in the world. They also own names like Nordic Track, Proform, Reebok and Epic.
Unlike their other brands however, Freemotion models specialize in tougher construction and luxury workout tools. They're also not as easy to find as ICON's other brands.
Here's a quick review of what Freemotion home treadmills can offer you:
Strengths:
#1) Tougher Construction
Free motion treadmills offer tougher construction than many of ICON's other brands.
From 2.5" crowned and spin balanced rollers to self-cooling motors to longer 60" 2 ply belts to strong decks that can take more of a beating, these treadmills are much better than your average department store Proform treadmill.
#2) Reflex Deck Cushioning
Reflex Deck Cushioning is unique to mainly only 2 of ICON's brands - Nordic Track and Freemotion. ReflexDeck is one of the highest user-rated cushioning systems on the market and has been shown to reduce impact by almost 42% as compared to road running.
It actually returns energy to your stride so you can work out longer with less fatigue. (Note Reflex Deck is only found on a few models like the T5.8 treadmill)
Other Freemotion models like the Freemotion XTR treadmill offer adjustable cushioning - which means you can choose a deck firmness that feels right for you.
#3) iFit
iFit is another technology that is unique to ICON products and can be found on several Freemotion treadmills. With iFit you can buy iFit cards with even more specialized workouts and fit them into your treadmill console.
The treadmill remembers where you last left off and starts the next workout for you. The voice of a personal trainer coaches you through your workout.
iFit LIVE is an upgrade to the cards. With iFit LIVE you can connect your treadmill to the Internet and download new workouts to your machine, run trails all over the world using Google Maps and track your workout stats over time.
#4) Freemotion Incline Trainers
Freemotion has several high incline treadmills called incline trainers. You can walk at inclines of up to 40% and burn 5X the number of calories as a flat-surface workout.
You also can walk on a decline for even better crosstraining. With incline training you can see results in the mirror very fast - which makes these machines very popular.
However it should also be noted that Nordic Track also produces similar incline trainers - that tend to be more affordable.
Weaknesses:
Freemotion home treadmills do give you stronger construction and lots of entertainment toys. However the prices are a bit high - considering you can get almost the exact same treadmill under the Nordic Track name, for hundreds less.
Conclusion:
While Freemotion treadmills are impressive (and the commercial machines are incredible), if you're shopping for a Freemotion home treadmill, you may want to check out a Nordic Track treadmill first.
Since ICON owns both names, they seem to be putting out the exact same treadmills under both names - but Nordic Track offers lower prices, more options and better deals.
Where To Buy At A Discount:
While Free Motion treadmills can be hard to find, you can shop both home and commercial Freemotion treadmills direct from the Manufacturer.
